🚀 Introduction (8-10 minutes)
Hook — Real-World Connection (3 min)
Today we'll explore a supermarket price tag showing $245.
What does the '2' really mean in this number?
Display: Large price tag or "Our class has 245 crayons" sticker.
Ask: "What does the '2' really mean?" Let students share initial ideas.
Pedagogy: Activate prior 2-digit knowledge and build curiosity about 3 digits.
Pre-Test Review & Misconception Analysis (4 min)
We'll review the diagnostic quiz together and discuss common mistakes to avoid.
Tool: Create a Mentimeter poll for misconception check
Steps:
1. Go to Mentimeter.com
2. Create a new presentation with "Multiple Choice" question type
3. Add diagnostic quiz questions (focus on Q2: "How many tens in 240?")
4. Project results and discuss: "Why might 240 having only 4 tens be confusing?"
5. Visualize with base-10 blocks: 2 hundreds flats + 4 tens rods = 24 tens total
Learning Objectives Shared (2 min)
Today's Mission: Become Place Value Detectives! 🕵️
We will learn to identify, build, compare, explain, and use 3-digit numbers in real life.
🔨 Activity 1: Concrete - Base-10 Block Exploration (10 min)
Stage: I Do → We Do
Teacher Demonstration (I Do, 2 min)
Model building 327 using hundreds flats, tens rods, ones units on whiteboard.
Emphasize: "3 hundreds, 2 tens, 7 ones."
Paired Practice (We Do, 6 min)
Students use base-10 blocks to build: 215, 460, 808
Differentiation:
• Support: Provide laminated place value mat with labeled columns
• Extension: Challenge with 4-digit numbers (e.g., 1,234)
What You'll Do
- Watch teacher build 327 with base-10 blocks
- Work in pairs to build numbers using blocks
- Practice saying: "I built ___ as ___ hundreds, ___ tens, and ___ ones."
🖼️ Activity 2: Pictorial - Place Value Charts (10 min)
Stage: We Do
What You'll Do
Use mini-whiteboards to draw place value representations:
- Square = one hundred
- Line = one ten
- Dot = one
Example: To show 412, draw 4 squares, 1 line, and 2 dots!
Guided Practice (5 min)
Students draw pictorial representations of 412 and 308 on mini-whiteboards.
Interactive Flashcard Game (5 min)
Front of card: 583
Back: 500 + 80 + 3 = 5 hundreds, 8 tens, 3 ones
Students write expanded form before checking.
🔢 Activity 3: Abstract - Comparing and Ordering (10 min)
Stage: We Do → You Do
Comparison Strategy
To compare 328 and 342:
1️⃣ Compare hundreds first → Both have 3
2️⃣ Compare tens next → 2 vs 4
3️⃣ Since 2 < 4, we know 328 < 342
Practice with your partner using sentence frames:
"I compared the ___ place first because..."
Worked Example (3 min)
Model comparing 328 vs 342 using place value columns.
Use graphic organizer showing hundreds/tens/ones for each number.
Partner Practice (4 min)
Number cards: 471, 417, 174
Students place >, <, = symbols and justify with sentence frames.
Quick Check (3 min)
Tool: Kahoot quiz for ordering numbers
Steps:
1. Go to Kahoot.com and create a free account
2. Click "Create" → "New Kahoot"
3. Add question: "Order these numbers from smallest to largest: 471, 417, 691, 174"
4. Set timer to 60 seconds
5. Launch game and students join with PIN
6. Review results to identify who needs extra support
🎪 Activity 4: Real-World Application - School Fair Challenge (10 min)
Stage: You Do — Collaborative
The Challenge
Our class is organizing a school fair. We collected 287 pencils to put in prize packs.
We want to bundle them into groups: hundreds, tens, and single pencils.
Questions:
1. How many bundles of each will we make?
2. What if we collect 402 pencils? What happens when there are no tens?
Work in groups of 4. Use base-10 blocks or place value charts to solve.
Scaffolding Questions:
• "What do you notice about 402?"
• "What happens when there are no tens?"
• "Where do we record a '0'?"
Assessment: Record anecdotal notes on group discussions.
🎬 Synthesis & Closure (10 minutes)
Peer-Teaching Summaries (4 min)
Explain to your partner: "What did you learn about hundreds, tens, and ones today?"
Use base-10 blocks to show what you mean.
Students work in pairs for peer teaching. Select 2-3 pairs to share one-sentence summaries.
Pedagogy: Articulating understanding before formal assessment is crucial in scaffolded release.
Exit Ticket / Post-Test (4 min)
Complete on a sticky note:
1. Write the number shown by base-10 blocks (teacher will show on board)
2. Which is greater: 619 or 691? Explain why using place value language.
Quickly scan responses to identify which students met ILOs.
Target: 80%+ correct on Q1, 70%+ justify correctly on Q2.
Preview Next Session (2 min)
Coming Next: Tomorrow we become place value problem solvers —
using rounding to estimate totals for our school fair budget!
Homework: Bring in a receipt from home showing an amount over $100.