Place Value Towers — Giraffe Feed

Progression 2 (Years 3–4) Number | Building and renaming 3-digit numbers with zoo feed and restoration supplies.

Duration: 60 mins Strand: Number Context: Giraffe feed loads; harakeke bundles Representations: Base-10, PV charts, expanded/renamed forms

Learning Intentions & Success Criteria

Te Mātaiaho: use place value to operate with whole numbers to 1 000 NZC L2–3: place value knowledge to 1 000 Key idea: a digit’s value depends on its place

Ākonga are learning to:

Compose/decompose 3-digit numbers with hundreds, tens, ones.
Rename numbers flexibly (e.g., 3 hundreds 14 tens 2 ones).
Connect concrete models to written and expanded forms.

Success looks like:

I can build a number two ways with place value blocks.
I can write standard and expanded form.
I can explain the value of each digit.

Teacher prompts

“What does this digit represent here?”
“Can you rename it another way?”
“Show me the same number in three forms.”

Kupu / Vocabulary

hundreds / rau
tens / tekau
ones / tahi
digit / mati
expanded form / whakaahua whānui
rename / tapa anō

Materials

Base-10 blocks; PV charts; mini whiteboards.
Context cards: feed loads (e.g., 247 kg), seedling bundles (e.g., 384 plants).
A5 Handout: Progression 2 core (place value) or generator “Place value.”

Lesson Flow

Hook (5 mins)

Show a delivery card “247 kg” for giraffes; ask how many hundreds/tens/ones.

Teach/Model (12 mins)

Build 247 with blocks; write 200 + 40 + 7; rename as 1 hundred 14 tens 7 ones.
Compare two numbers; discuss which has more tens/ones even if fewer hundreds.

Guided Practice (15 mins)

Station A: Build & rename; record two forms for each card.
Station B: Expanded form match (cards to models).
Station C: “Which is greater?” using digit-by-digit place value talk.

Independent/Extension (10–12 mins)

Three numbers to build/rename/write.
Extension: create a “tricky rename” (e.g., 402 = 3 hundreds 10 tens 2 ones).
Support: limit to < 300; provide PV chart scaffold.

Exit Check (5 mins)

Write expanded and one rename for 386.

Place-based options

Hamilton Zoo feed store: sample weights; write place value.
Restoration (Zealandia/SM Maungatautari): seedlings in bundles of 10; count to hundreds.

Representation focus: concrete → PV chart → expanded/standard notation. Emphasize renaming flexibility.

Differentiation & Support

Scaffolds

Use place value charts with color-coded columns.
Keep numbers under 300 and avoid renaming at first.
Provide a “swap 10 tens = 1 hundred” reminder card.

Extensions

Rename with multiple trades (e.g., 562 as 4 hundreds 16 tens 2 ones).
Create a “mystery number” with clues about each place.
Compare two numbers using place value justification.

Common Misconceptions

Reading digits without place value (e.g., 402 as 42). Remedy: say “4 hundreds, 0 tens, 2 ones.”
Believing renaming changes the number. Remedy: show equivalence with blocks.
Confusing tens/ones in expanded form. Remedy: align digits under PV columns.

Assessment & Evidence

Exit check accuracy; note if students can rename beyond “flat” PV.
Station notes on comparing numbers digit-by-digit.

Whānau Connection

Send home a “place value hunt”: find 3-digit numbers in the community (signs, prices).
Invite whānau to share a number from mahi and discuss its hundreds/tens/ones.

Handout Link

Use Progression 2 core handout (place value) or generator “Place value,” range 100–999, 24–28 questions.

Back to Number Sense Journey (Progression 2)