[Love_2_Teach]

I am looking for activites to add to our math book for teaching place value. THe kids really need lot of practice and I need to add some new ways of teaching it for third grade. Thanks

[Kat's Mom]

I don't want to insult you w/ things you already do, but here's some quickies:

a. Send sm. grp. of students to board, give them index cards w/ numerals and one comma written on them. Dictate a number, students must shuffle into position to make that number. I then ask the rest of the class, "What is Billy's place value position called?", "What is Missy's value?", etc.

b. Use sm. dry erase boards, dictate #'s to the class, ask similar questions to that above.

c. Partner activities: One partner dictates #'s off a card while the other partner writes it in standard form, exp. form, word form, whatever you are targeting that day. I put the answer on the back of the cards so partners can easily check each other.

d. I build a # on the overhead w/ overhead place value pieces. Students write # in st. form, exp. form, word form on dry erase boards, then checking their answers to mine as I write them on the overhead.

e. Place value bingo. I give the kids a sheet w/ various st. forms, exp. forms, word forms in little boxes. They cut out 25 of them, leaving some behind, and glue them on a blank bingo board. I then call out a st. form of a number, and they have to find it on their bingo board, but it may be in exp. form or word form on their board, so they have to be careful.

[HryPotter]

Look up Marcy Cook and I suggest you buy her books. She has great ideas and we use one skill a day from her every week.

[luvnjesus]

When I taught 3rd and 4th grade and had students still struggling with the concept of Place Value, we found that it was a language problem...they didn't understand the "term"...so, we made "Place Value Man" (I know sounds funny). We cut a "man" out of construction paper and put magnetic tape on the back. We would initially ask, "What is this?" They answer, "A man" We say "What is his value?" They say "?"... Then draw a simple scene on the board, maybe a dinner table and chairs with a wife and child (stick figures). Put place value man at the table. Again ask, "What is his 'value'?"...They say, "He is a dad, husband, etc." Continue this with other scenes (a work scene, draw a parachute coming up from his back, anything you can think of).
Now they can make the connection that "Place" gives "Value". Then transfer to the number, place value chart, etc. and it seems to just "click". I started this when teaching struggling 4th graders. Suddenly it just made sense to them. I shared it with a 3rd grade teacher at another school, she used it and had the same result.
Just an idea.

[Rachelje]

I made flip books for the students to practice with. Make a sheet with 0's along the bottom, then a sheet with all 1's, then 2's, etc. keeping the numbers evenly spaced. Bind all the sheets together at the top with spiral binding or something like it. Cut up vertically between the individual numbers so that the cards can be flipped. The students can flip the cards to show the number you are asking for, practice with partners, etc. You can practice decimals by simply adding in a decimal point.

[Sasha B]

Kim Sutton has a book called "Place Value with Pizzaz" that I used a lot last year. It isn't too expensive - $15 - at her website.