Place Value - Numbers to 1,000,000 - Planning

In a Year 6 numeracy lesson focused on place value, students are introduced to the concept of numbers up to 1,000,000. The lesson utilises a variety of resources including a blank place value chart and counters to help visualise and understand the size and scale of these large numbers. Key vocabulary such as 'place value grid', 'represent', 'digits', and 'part-whole diagram' are emphasised, with additional support available through vocabulary cards and definitions. The lesson begins with a recap of previous learning and then moves on to a series of activities. The first activity requires children to use counters on a place value chart to represent numbers, discussing how to correctly read and articulate these numbers. They also explore the importance of commas in reading large numbers, breaking them down into thousands and ones.

Further activities involve part-whole models, where students identify missing wholes or parts by applying addition and subtraction skills. In a practical exercise, they explore the effect of adding counters to the hundreds column on a place value chart and how this leads to exchanging counters when a column reaches ten. Group work and independent activities with differentiated worksheets encourage reasoning and problem-solving skills, as children match numbers represented in various ways. The plenary includes a 'Give me five' reflection, where students consider what they have learned, the skills they have used, and what they found challenging. Differentiation is addressed through targeted activities for students working towards expected levels, at expected levels, and at greater depth, each with varying degrees of complexity in their place value charts and part-whole models.