Sunday, September 15, 2013

Playing with Place Value and Freebie

I've just finished up a huge Place Value Unit with my students. I poured my heart and soul into this unit. In the past I haven't dug very deep into place value. Now that Common Core is here, students must have a strong understanding of place value.
I got the chance to try out a new product from Laura Candler, Place Value Partners.  The thing I love most about Laura's products is the ease of implementation. I got the product a little after 10:00 p.m. and within 15 minutes I had it printed and ready to go for the next day.
Place Value Partners is a game for math centers, cooperative learning partners, small guided math groups, or even whole class instruction. The concept is similar to the game Battleship with partners facing each other across a barrier. Instead of ships and a grid, they have a place value game board and number tiles or number cards. One partner is the “Sender” who calls out the numbers and places, and the other is the “Receiver” who listens and builds the number on his or her game board. The two compare boards, discuss the correct response, and then record various forms of the number in their journals or on a recording page. This activity includes five different variations: three levels for whole numbers and two levels for decimals.
I used the game as a math center. I have an uneven number of students, so I had an extra receiver board set up. The kids loved the "game" and caught on really quickly. 
Laura has included two versions, one that's aligned with the Common Core and the other that is essentially the same but uses more traditional terminology. The CCSS uses slightly different place value terms. What used to be "standard form" is now "base-ten numeral," and "word form" is now "number name." This game is must have for your Place Value Unit! To read more about it, check out Laura's post HERE.

Another must have is place value dice from EAI Education. This is one of the best purchases I've made for my math centers. We used them daily throughout this unit. I've created a little freebie for you to use with the dice. They simply roll the dice, spin to see what place they are rounding to, and round. Super simple and really helps seal the deal when teaching rounding. Click HERE for your free copy.