place value


  • Base 10 Chart for Multiplication

    Base 10 Chart for Multiplication

    Base 10 blocks are a go to representation for place value. They are also easy to implement for addition or subtraction with place. With a group model, they are useful for multiplication and division. It is harder to model multiplication of multi-digit numbers with regrouping. This post presents a Google Jamboard with base 10 blocks…


  • Intro to Decimals

    Intro to Decimals

    Tenths vs Tens…Hundredths vs Hundreds. Problematic for many students. I believe this is a conceptual problem. This post provides an approach to unpack the concepts through money in a scaffolded handout. Overview Money is likely prior knowledge for many if not most students, and is a relevant context. This handout attempts to leverage interest or…


  • Individualized Base 10 Blocks

    Individualized Base 10 Blocks

    Students who struggle with number sense, such as place value, struggle with subsequent math content. Connecting place value to prior knowledge or an area of interest can be an entry point to making place value accessible. This post shows how a student interest (horses) can be leveraged to present place value in a more accessible…


  • Using $10 and $1 Bills to Represent Regrouping in Addition or Subtraction

    Money is intuitive for many students, even when the underlying math is not. For example, I often find that students who do not understand well the concept of Base 10 place value do understand $10 and $1 bills. With this in mind, I created a virtual scaffolded handout that builds on student intuitive understanding of…


  • Multiplying and Carrying a Tens Digit

    Carrying the TENS digit in a multiplication problem is a sticking point for many students. To address this, I use a task analysis approach to zero in on the step of identifying the product for the ONES as a prelude to carrying. In the example below, 5 and 4 are in the ONES place and…


  • Adding ones digits in 2 digit numbers with carrying

    Adding ones digits in 2 digit numbers with carrying

    A major obstacle in math for many students with special needs is carrying in addition problems. Below is a task analysis approach. First, I target the step of identifying the ONES and TENS place in the 2 digit sum in the ONES column (below it is 12). In a scaffolded handout I create a box…