Place Value - Numbers to 10,000 - Planning

In the initial week of the Year 6 Autumn term, students delve into the concept of place value, with a specific focus on understanding numbers up to 10,000. The National Curriculum objectives set the goal for students to not only read and write numbers up to this range but also to comprehend the value each digit holds within these numbers. To facilitate this learning, key vocabulary such as 'place value', 'thousands', 'hundreds', 'tens', 'ones', and 'digit' are introduced, alongside concrete objects and pictorial diagrams to visually represent these concepts. Students are encouraged to use place value counters and base 10 equipment to create tangible representations of numbers, enhancing their grasp of how individual digits contribute to the total value of a number.

During the lesson, children engage in activities that involve matching numerical representations with their corresponding partitioned versions, using base ten and place value counters. This hands-on approach allows them to systematically work out the value of different representations and identify patterns within numbers. For example, they might be challenged to find the odd one out among several representations or to add increments of 10, 100, or 1,000 to a given number. The lesson is structured to progressively build students' fluency in place value through independent and group activities, culminating in a reflection session where they articulate what they have learned, the skills they've used and found challenging, and the strategies that have aided their understanding. This structured approach aims to solidify their foundational knowledge of place value, which is crucial for their mathematical development.