Purpose
The purpose of this activity is to support students in understanding the quantities that three-digit whole numbers represent. Students come to know that the hundreds, tens, and ones digits represent units of different sizes.
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. A three-column place value board is available here.