Purpose
The purpose of this activity is to support students in understanding that tens and ones digits represent units of different sizes, and that therefore represent quantities in a two-digit whole number.
Required Resource Materials
- Place value materials: individual items grouped into tens, such as BeaNZ in film canisters, ice block sticks bundled with rubber bands (hundreds with hair ties), or a paper form such as Place Value People. Bundled materials are important as they allow partitioning and combining without the need for “trading” tens blocks for ones.
- Calculators
- Use a place value board to organise the materials in columns and support calculation strategies. Three-column and four-column place value boards are available here.