Extending Number Sense: Place Value Our Numeration System History tells us that our numeration system is really

the result of continuous development and refinement over many centuries. The number system we use, called the Hindu-Arabic system. It has four important characteristics: 1) Place value 2) Base of ten 3) Use of zero 4) Additive property Thinking place value Place value is an essential feature of the Hindu-Arabic number system. In fact, place value, together with base ten, allowa you to manipulate, read and symbolize both large and small numbers. The ten-frame priovdes a convenient model for counting, grouping, and eventually representing two-digit numbers. It is a natural model for place value and often provides valuable mental imagery for children in naming and distinguishing between two numbers. Grouping or Trading Children in the first three grades need experience in counting piles of objects; trading for grouped tens, hundreds, and thousands, and talking about the results. The bean sticks and ten-frame thus provide two early models for counting and grouping. As children work with those models, they need piles of materials to practice counting and grouping. Trading and grouping by tens provide problem-solving activities that contribute to number sense and provide opportunities for developing mental computation. Nature Of Place Value Place value develops from many various experiences, such as counting and mental computation. Development of place value promotes number sense, which facilitates estimation and sharpens a sense of reasonableness about computational results. Two key ideas:

1) Explicit grouping or trading rules are defined. 2) The position of a digit determines the number being represented. Place-value concepts are encountered before starting school. For example, many children distinguish between the one- and two-digit numbers on a channel indicator of a television, a timer for a microwave oven, and house or apartment numbers.

Modeling Hands-on experience with manipulatives is essential in establishing and developing the concept of place value. Models may be either proportional or nonproportional. Proportional models for base ten, such as popsicle sticks. Nonproportional models such as money.

Developing Place Value Calculator provides many opportunities to practice and develop important placevalue concepts. Wipe Out is a place-value game that involves either addition or subtraction using a calculator. The goal is to change (wipe out) a predetermined digit by subtracting or adding a number. This activity can be made into a competitive game for two people. The players take turns entering a number and naming a specific digit the other player must change to 0.

Research reports that many children lack a understanding of the relative sizes of number greater than 10. This result from many factors, one of which help children develop a visual awareness of the relative sizes of numbers. For large numbers, children can use variations of the models. For the base-ten blocks, lay another place-value mat to the left of the mat holding hundreds, tens and ones. Counting and Patterns Calculator counting provides many opportunities to discuss patterns related to place value. Such counting can also contribute to a better grasp of large numbers, thereby helping to develop students number sense.

The hundred chart provides a useful model for counting and pattern recognition related to place value.

Regrouping and Renaming Regrouping and place value are intertwined in later development of computation. Regrouping happens whenever bridging occurs, as from one ten to another (such as 29 to 30) or from one hundred to another (sich as 799 to 800). Understanding is most likely to develop when children experience this bridging with physical models and practice trading and regrouping.

Reading and Writing Numbers Reading and writing numbers are symbolic activities and should follow much modeling and talking about numbers. Understanding place value helps develop reading and writing numbers. Take the example of the number 123. The places (hundreds, tens, ones) As well as the value of each (1,2,3) are easy to identify. The 1 means one hundred. The 23 is both tens 3 ones and 23 ones, and 123 is 1 hundred 2 tens 3 ones, 12 tens 3 ones and 123 ones.

Calculator counting provides an effective way of contributing to their number sense and encourage children to estimate and think about numbers. Base-ten blocks also can be used to help students make the connection between the concrete model and the symbolic representation. Ten thousand is a long piece made up of ten cubes, where each cube is one thousand.

To develop facility in reading large numbers children need to careful instruction and practice in actually naming them aloud. For practice in reading and writing, newspaper provide a rich context to explore numbers of all sizes. Examine a newspaper and highlight all of the numbers reported in headlines and related stories.

Estimation and Rounding Estimation Provides a natural way to develop number sense and place-value concepts. When the number becomes large and tedious or too time-consuming to count, however, then estimates are useful. Benchmarks are an important and useful tool in estimating. Good estimation skills require the development of number sense; thus thet evolve slowly over time. For example, the bulletin board display provides some benchmarks that can help children better grasp the relationships between small and large numbers when estimating length. Rounding An important skill that integrates understanding of approximate values with place value and naming numbers. As children develop rounding skills, they should come to realize that rounding rules may vary and are not universal.