Best for
Bundling tens and ones, reading and writing numbers, comparing amounts, and moving from materials to symbols.
Pāngarau / Mathematics • Years 1-4 • Number sense
Place Value
Use this handout to help ākonga see that a digit’s position changes its value. Place value becomes teachable when students build, say, write, and rename numbers instead of only reading them aloud.
Free number-sense base, premium adaptation path
This page already provides the build-read-write sequence, reasoning prompts, and write-on space. Te Wānanga becomes useful when you want the same scaffold rebuilt around a class readiness band, a school number routine, or a bilingual number unit.
- Generate more supported versions with smaller numbers or more challenging four-digit versions.
- Swap in local contexts such as house numbers, attendance, or kai packs without losing the maths.
- Save adapted copies in My Kete and refine them in Creation Studio.
Kaiako planning snapshot
- Use length: 30-40 minutes.
- Grouping: Whole-class modelling, then pairs or independent practice.
- Prep: Base-10 blocks, ice-block sticks, counters, or quick sketched models.
- Teaching move: Ask “What does this digit mean here?” rather than “What number is this?”
Resources already provided
- Place-value chart
- Read-build-write prompts
- Comparison task
- Write-on explanation space
- Teacher-only curriculum companion
If the lesson mentions partitioning, renaming, or explaining digit value, that scaffold already exists on this page.
Ngā Whāinga Akoranga / Learning Intentions
- We are learning how each place tells us the value of a digit.
- We are learning how to build and rename numbers in different ways.
- We are learning how to explain our number thinking clearly.
Paearu Angitu / Success Criteria
- I can show a number using hundreds, tens, and ones.
- I can say what each digit is worth.
- I can compare two numbers and explain which is greater.
Curriculum integration / Te Mātaiaho alignment
The companion page links this handout to the base-10 number system, early place-value reasoning, and the way te reo Māori number naming reflects grouped tens and ones.
Why place value matters in Aotearoa classrooms
Place value sits underneath almost every later number idea: addition, subtraction, multiplication, decimals, money, measurement, and estimation.
It also connects naturally with te reo Māori number naming because terms like rua tekau mā tahi make the grouped structure visible. That makes this a good place to treat language, pattern, and precision as connected rather than separate.
A simple te ao Māori lens matters here: grouped structure, oral language, and pattern noticing all strengthen number understanding when they are taught as part of one coherent system.
Read the number in three ways
Build it
Use blocks, sticks, counters, or drawings to show the number as grouped hundreds, tens, and ones.
Say it
Read the number aloud in English and, where appropriate, practise a te reo Māori naming pattern too.
Write it
Record the numeral, the words, and the expanded form.
Compare it
Explain which digit matters most when deciding which of two numbers is greater.
Place-value chart
| Hundreds | Tens | Ones | Expanded form |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 4 | 7 | 300 + 40 + 7 |
Support, core, stretch
Support
Use two-digit numbers and physically bundle tens before writing the numeral.
Core
Read, build, partition, and compare three-digit numbers.
Stretch
Rename the same number in more than one way, for example 347 as 34 tens and 7 ones.
Students may respond with materials, sketches, oral explanation, or full written sentences. The goal is still precise number reasoning.
Build, say, write
Number
582
What each digit is worth
How I would say it
Which number is greater?
| Compare | Greater number | How I know |
|---|---|---|
| 245 and 254 | ||
| 398 and 403 |
Hononga Marautanga · Curriculum Alignment
Curriculum alignment for this handout has not yet been verified against the live curriculum statements. A generated placeholder that stood here was removed on 2026-08-29 because it matched no real statement.
Aronga Mātauranga Māori
This resource sits within a kaupapa that recognises mātauranga Māori as a living knowledge system with its own frameworks, values, and ways of understanding the world. The New Zealand Curriculum calls for learning that reflects the bicultural partnership of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which means every subject area has an obligation to engage authentically with Māori perspectives — not as cultural decoration but as substantive contributions to how we understand our topics. The concepts of manaakitanga (care for others), kaitiakitanga (guardianship), whanaungatanga (relationship and belonging), and tino rangatiratanga (self-determination) provide a values framework applicable across all learning areas, and all are relevant to the work in this handout.
Tuhia ōu whakaaro · Write Your Thoughts
Reflect on what you have learned today. What was the most important idea? What question do you still have?
Ngā Rauemi Tautoko · Support Materials
This handout is designed to be used alongside the broader unit resources available at Te Kete Ako handouts library. Related resources from the same unit are linked in the unit planner. All resources are provided — no additional preparation is required to use this handout in your classroom.