topic badge

Identifying the value of the digits in numbers (Investigation)

Lesson

What's in a name?  In this activity, you'll work with a partner to practise number names.

Materials

For this activity you will need

  • Two sets of ten cards numbered 0 to 9 (one for each person)
  • a 6 sided die
  • optional: a number expander (you or your teacher can print one out from here)

Game Rules

Take turns drawing 5 cards from the deck.  Use those cards to make a number.  (If you want you can write this number on your number expander.)

Roll the die.  The number will decide how you read your number aloud to your friend.

  • 1 or 2- Say how many units in your number
  • 3 or 4 - Say how many tens and units in your number
  • 5 or 6 - Say how many hundreds and units in your number

Your friend then uses their number cards to recreate your number.  

Example

Your friend draws a  4, 6, 2, and 8.  He decides to make the number 6248.  If he rolls

  • 1 or 2 - He says, "six thousand, two hundred plus forty-eight units."
  • 3 or 4 - He says,  "six hundred twenty four tens plus eight units."
  • 5 or 6 - He says, "sixty-two hundreds plus forty-eight units."

Follow-Up Questions

1. Were there numbers that were more difficult to say than others?  Why was that? 

2. If you had numbers with a zero, did this make a difference to how difficult you felt the number was?

Variations

  • Draw more cards
  • Change the requirements for the dice rolling

What is Mathspace

About Mathspace