Understanding place value is an important Math skill for elementary students. One of the objectives is for students to describe the relationship between places in a base ten system. Although this may seem difficult at first, starting with concrete manipulatives can really help students gain a deeper understanding.
I like to start by letting students “play” with the blocks for a few minutes. Then I will ask specific questions and have them use the blocks to work out answers. One such example is “How many ones do you need to equal a ten?” or “How many tens can you use to make one hundred?” Give students time to work together or independently with the blocks to answer the question, then discuss. I also like to write the questions/answers on the board or have a record sheet for them to work along with. Continue reading