Digit Place Value

Overview

Today’s lesson builds from number sense (even/odd) into understanding place value. Students will connect digits in ones, tens, hundreds, and thousands to the amount each digit represents.

Learning intentions

• Students will review even and odd numbers and explain how they know.
• Students will identify ones, tens, hundreds, and thousands places in a number.
• Students will state the value of specific digits (ones, tens, hundreds, thousands) using base-ten visuals.
• Students will use movement and a short game to practice place value quickly and correctly.

Success criteria

• I can tell whether a number is even or odd and explain why.
• I can point to the ones, tens, hundreds, and thousands place in a number.
• I can say what a specific digit is worth (for example, “In 145, the 4 is 40”).
• I can match digits to the correct place during the movement activity.

Curriculum links

• Number and Operations in Base Ten: Understand digit values in three-digit numbers and special cases (e.g., hundreds, tens, ones).
• Number and Operations in Base Ten: Add and subtract within 1000 using place value strategies (today’s work supports future composing/decomposing).
• Number and Operations in Base Ten: Read and write numbers to 1000 using base-ten numerals, number names, and expanded form (today’s work practices identifying parts of numbers).

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Warm-up Review (Even/Odd). Teacher shows quick visual cards and asks, “Is 24 even or odd? How do you know?”; Students answer with a thumbs up/down and explain using “ends in 0,2,4,6,8” or “ends in 1,3,5,7,9.”
2. 5–12 min · Mini-Review to Place Value Bridge. Teacher writes 37, 145, 682, and 1,234 (with place-value chart headings) and says, “Today we will learn what each digit is worth”; Students chorally read the number and point to the ones and tens columns first, then hundreds and thousands when present.
3. 12–18 min · Direct Teach: Ones, Tens, Hundreds, Thousands. Teacher uses base-ten blocks to build each example and does a brief think-aloud: “In 145, the 1 means 100; the 4 means 40; the 5 means 5”; Students repeat key phrases (“ones is the last digit,” “tens are worth 10 each,” etc.) and fill in one blank on a half-sheet (digit → place).
4. 18–24 min · Guided Practice (Teacher-led checks). Teacher calls out questions in a sequence that increases slightly (start easy, then mix places):

• “In 37, which digit is in the tens place?”
• “In 37, what is the 7 worth?”
• “In 145, which digit is in the hundreds place?”
• “In 682, how much is the 8 worth?”
• “In 1,234, what is the 2 worth?” Students answer on whiteboards or sentence strips using “The __ is in the __ place, so it is __.”

5. 24–28 min · Movement Activity: Place Corners. Teacher labels corners: Ones, Tens, Hundreds, Thousands; Students walk to the corner that matches the called place for a target digit (examples: “Which place is the 5 in? (682)” and “Which place is the 2 in? (1,234)”), repeating until all students have multiple turns; teacher quickly corrects and restates the correct place value.
6. 28–30 min · Exit Ticket (5 quick checks). Teacher distributes a small slip with five prompts: identify the place for a digit in 37, 145, and 682, and state the value for two digits; Students complete independently, then teacher collects.

Resources

• Base-ten blocks (ones rods, tens flats, hundreds cubes, thousands cubes or cards)
• Place value chart (ones/tens/hundreds/thousands) on board and on student half-sheets
• Number cards: 24, 51, 37, 145, 682, 1,234 (plus 8 warm-up even/odd visuals)
• Whiteboards or mini slates and dry-erase markers
• Movement corner signs: Ones, Tens, Hundreds, Thousands
• Exit ticket slips (5 questions total)
• Timer (for pacing) and positive reinforcement cues

Assessment

• Formative: During warm-up, listen for even/odd explanations tied to last digit.
• Formative: During guided practice, check accuracy of place identification and digit value statements on whiteboards.
• Formative: Observe movement accuracy and readiness to correct (students restate correct place).
• Exit ticket: 5 items collected at the end; teacher uses results to plan next place value session.

Differentiation

• Support: Provide sentence starters on a desk card: “The ___ is in the ___ place. It is worth ___.”
• Support: Offer a small place-value word bank (ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, 10, 100, 1000) and allow pointing to charts before writing.
• Support (SPED): Use fewer numbers during guided practice if needed, but keep the same structure (place first, then value).
• Extension: For early finishers, ask one extra prompt: “Write 3 numbers in expanded form from 145 (100 + __ + __).”
• EAL/SEN: Allow verbal responses first; teacher can record answers on the student’s paper for spelling while maintaining the math reasoning.

Extension (optional)

Skip (not requested).