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The Great Value Voyage

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Lesson Plan

The Great Value Voyage

Students will be able to identify the place value of digits from ones to millions and understand the relationship between different place values in the base-10 system.

Understanding place value is crucial for all future math skills, from addition and subtraction to multiplication, division, and working with decimals. It helps students make sense of large numbers they encounter in everyday life.

Audience

4th Grade Class

Time

60 minutes

Approach

Through interactive slides, hands-on activities, and a guided worksheet, students will explore place value.

Materials

Whiteboard or projector, Voyage Through Number Lands Slide Deck, Base Ten Blocks (or printable cut-outs) for each student/pair, Base Ten Block Building Challenge Activity, Map Your Number's Journey Worksheet, Pencils, and My Biggest Number Discovery Cool-Down

Prep

Prepare Materials

15 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up: Number Scramble (5 minutes)

5 minutes

  • Display a scrambled number (e.g., 2, 5, 8, 1) and ask students to create the largest and smallest numbers possible.
    - Discuss how they decided which digits went into which 'places'.

Step 2

Introduction: The Value Voyage Begins! (10 minutes)

10 minutes

  • Use the first few slides of the Voyage Through Number Lands Slide Deck to introduce the concept of place value and the base-10 system.
    - Engage students with questions about why place matters for numbers (e.g., "Is 25 the same as 52?").

Step 3

Activity: Base Ten Block Building Challenge (20 minutes)

20 minutes

  • Distribute Base Ten Blocks and the Base Ten Block Building Challenge Activity.
    - Guide students through building numbers and exchanging blocks (10 ones for a ten, 10 tens for a hundred, etc.).
    - Circulate and provide support as students complete the activity.

Step 4

Worksheet: Map Your Number's Journey (15 minutes)

15 minutes

  • Distribute the Map Your Number's Journey Worksheet.
    - Instruct students to complete the worksheet, identifying place values and writing numbers in expanded form.
    - Review answers as a class or have students peer-check.

Step 5

Conclusion: My Biggest Number Discovery (10 minutes)

10 minutes

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Slide Deck

Welcome, Value Voyagers!

Ready for an adventure into the world of numbers?

Today, we're going on The Great Value Voyage to discover how numbers get their power!

Welcome students and introduce the concept of numbers having a 'value' based on their 'place'. Ask if they've ever noticed how the same digit can mean something different.

What is Place Value?

Imagine each number as a special agent, and its place determines its power!

  • The same digit can have a totally different value depending on where it sits.
  • Our number system is built on groups of TEN!

Explain that our number system is a 'base-10' system, meaning every time we move one place to the left, the value multiplies by 10. Use a simple example like 1, 10, 100.

Our First Stops: Ones, Tens, Hundreds

The Smallest but Mighty: ONES

  • Counts single items.

Group Power: TENS

  • Groups of ten ones.

Big Leagues: HUNDREDS

  • Groups of ten tens (or one hundred ones).

Introduce the Ones, Tens, and Hundreds places using examples. Ask students to identify the value of a digit in each place. "What is the value of the '3' in 321?"

Venturing Further: Thousands and Ten Thousands

The Thousand Islands: THOUSANDS

  • Groups of ten hundreds.
  • Looks like: 1,000

Beyond: TEN THOUSANDS

  • Groups of ten thousands.
  • Looks like: 10,000

Introduce Thousands and Ten Thousands. Emphasize the comma separating the thousands period. Use larger numbers as examples.

Reaching New Heights: Hundred Thousands & Millions

Even Bigger: HUNDRED THOUSANDS

  • Groups of ten ten thousands.
  • Looks like: 100,000

The Grand Finale (for today!): MILLIONS

  • Groups of ten hundred thousands.
  • Looks like: 1,000,000

Introduce Hundred Thousands and Millions. Explain that each 'period' (ones, thousands, millions) has three places. Reinforce the role of commas.

Our Tools: Base Ten Blocks!

These amazing blocks help us SEE how numbers are built!

  • Small Cubes: Ones
  • Rods: Tens
  • Flats: Hundreds
  • Big Cubes: Thousands

Remember: 10 of one block makes 1 of the next size up!

Explain how base ten blocks physically represent place value. Transition into the 'Base Ten Block Building Challenge' activity. Emphasize that 10 of any block makes 1 of the next bigger block.

Mapping Your Number's Journey

Now it's YOUR turn to be the expert!

On your Map Your Number's Journey Worksheet, you'll:

  • Identify the value of digits.
  • Write numbers in expanded form.
  • Show what you've learned on our value voyage!

Briefly introduce the worksheet. Explain that they will be like 'number cartographers' mapping the journey of numbers.

Voyage Complete! What Did You Discover?

Today we learned:

  • Digits have different values based on their place.
  • Our number system is base-10 (groups of ten).
  • We can read, write, and understand large numbers!

Get ready to share your biggest number discovery on your My Biggest Number Discovery Cool-Down!

Summarize the key takeaways. Reiterate the importance of place value and its everyday applications. Ask students to think about their 'biggest number discovery'.

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Activity

Base Ten Block Building Challenge!

Goal: Use your Base Ten Blocks to build numbers and understand place value!

Materials: Base Ten Blocks (or printable cut-outs)

Part 1: Building Basics

  1. Build 23: Show 2 tens and 3 ones.



  2. Build 47: Show 4 tens and 7 ones.



  3. Build 105: Show 1 hundred, 0 tens, and 5 ones.



  4. Build 238: Show the correct hundreds, tens, and ones.



Part 2: Trading Up!

Follow the instructions and perform the trades with your blocks. Answer the questions.

  1. Start with 12 ones blocks.

    • Can you trade some ones for a ten rod? If so, how many ones do you trade? How many ten rods do you get?



    • What number have you built now?



  2. Start with 15 tens rods.

    • Can you trade some tens for a hundred flat? If so, how many tens do you trade? How many hundred flats do you get?



    • What number have you built now?



  3. Start with 23 ones, 4 tens, and 1 hundred.

    • First, make any trades you can with the ones.



    • Now, make any trades you can with the tens.



    • What is the final number you have built?



Part 3: Challenge Numbers!

Use your blocks to build these larger numbers. Draw a quick sketch of what you built.

  1. 542






  2. 1,360 (Hint: What block represents thousands?)






  3. 2,019






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Worksheet

Map Your Number's Journey

Name: ________________________

Date: ________________________

Part 1: What's the Value?

For each number, identify the value of the underlined digit.

  1. 4,521:


  2. 78,903:


  3. 123,456:


  4. 6,009,123:


  5. 9,741:


Part 2: Place It Right!

Write the digit that is in the specified place for each number.

  1. In 34,567, what digit is in the thousands place?


  2. In 123,098, what digit is in the hundred thousands place?


  3. In 5,678,901, what digit is in the millions place?


  4. In 90,876, what digit is in the tens place?


  5. In 2,001, what digit is in the hundreds place?


Part 3: Expanded Adventures!

Write each number in expanded form.

  1. 672






  2. 8,105






  3. 45,920






  4. 100,345






  5. 2,300,000






Part 4: Building Numbers

Write the number that matches the expanded form.

  1. 500 + 40 + 7 =


  2. 2,000 + 300 + 90 + 1 =


  3. (7 x 100,000) + (1 x 10,000) + (0 x 1,000) + (5 x 100) + (8 x 10) + (2 x 1) =


  4. (4 x 1,000,000) + (6 x 100,000) + (2 x 1) =


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Cool Down

My Biggest Number Discovery

Name: ________________________

Date: ________________________

  1. What was the most interesting thing you learned about place value today?






  2. Explain in your own words why the position of a digit matters in a number.











  3. Write down the biggest number you can think of, using at least 7 digits. Then, tell me what the value of the digit in the millions place is.












  4. How might understanding place value help you in real life?






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The Great Value Voyage • Lenny Learning