• Observe students as they complete the Ordering and Comparing Numbers Worksheet (M-1-1-3_Comparing Numbers Worksheet and KEY.docx).
• Observe students as they play Order Up (M-1-1-3_Ordering Numbers Game Board.pdf).
• Observe student responses during the Instructional Procedures section.

“Today we are going to learn how to create and compare numbers. In order to do this, we are going to need to know about place values.” Write the number 53 on the board and say, “Think back to what we have worked on over the past few days and draw this number in base-ten blocks.” Give students a few minutes and monitor their progress. Call on a student to share what s/he drew. As the student describes what s/he drew, draw it on the board for all to see. Point to the cubes and ask, “What do we call these?” (cubes) “What place value do they represent?” (ones) Point to the longs and ask, “What do we call these?” (longs) “What place value do they represent?” (tens)

Draw the following on the board.

________   ________

tens           ones

“Now let’s create a new two-digit number.” Choose a number tile from the jar and write the number on the ones line. Choose another number tile from the jar and write the number on the tens line.

Instruct students to divide their whiteboards in half and have them write the number and draw it in base-ten blocks on the left side of the board. Monitor student work.

Ask, “Can we use these two digits to create another two-digit number?” Give students a chance to think and call on students until someone says to change their places or order.

Draw two new horizontal lines (do not erase the first set) and write the digits in the opposite order. Instruct students to write the new number and to draw it in base-ten blocks on the right side of their whiteboards. Monitor student work.

________   ________             ________   ________

tens           ones                 tens           ones

Ask, “Which number is bigger or greater than the other?” Call on a few students. Ask students how they know which one is greater. Guide them if needed. (The bigger number has more tens.)

In between the sets of lines, draw a large circle and say, “There are signs we can use to show which number is bigger and which is smaller.” Place the appropriate sign in the circle and say, “This sign is like a crocodile’s mouth. The crocodile always wants to eat the biggest number.” Read the statement represented by the numbers. (“____ is greater/less than ____.”)

________   ________      ________   ________

tens        ones                         tens        ones

Instruct students to erase their boards while you erase the numbers from the lines on the board. Select a number tile and write the number on the ones line; select another number tile and write the number on the tens line. Instruct students to write the number and draw it as base-ten blocks on the left side of their whiteboards. Repeat the process for the reordered tiles in the second set of lines on the right side of their whiteboards.

When students have both two-digit numbers written and drawn, ask “Which number is bigger? How do you know?” (The bigger number has more tens.) “What sign goes in between your numbers? Remember the open part goes towards the bigger number.”

Read the statement represented by the numbers. (“____ is greater/less than ____.”)

Put students into groups of three or four. Distribute a copy of the Comparing Numbers Group Activity (M-1-1-3_Comparing Numbers Group Activity.docx) to each student. As students work on the activity, monitor and assist them as needed. Have groups come together and share their number statements.

Give each student a copy of the Comparing Numbers Worksheet (M-1-1-3_Comparing Numbers Worksheet and KEY.docx). Move around the room observing and asking clarifying questions to evaluate which students understand ordering and comparing numbers and which need additional exploration.

Extension:

• Routine: Partners play Order Up (M-1-1-3_Ordering Numbers Game Board.pdf). The materials needed are one game board and one set of place-value number cubes per person.

Each player writes 1 in the first box and 99 in the last box. Player 1 rolls two place-value  number cubes to create a two-digit number. S/he writes that number on his/her game board somewhere in between 1 and 99. Player 2 does the same. Players continue taking turns, rolling the number cubes, creating a two-digit number, and writing it on their game boards in the correct order. The winner of the game is the player who has the most boxes filled in when the time is up.

Additional activities can be found under Related Resources.

• Small Group: Allow students to use base-ten blocks to build each number they are ordering or comparing. Allow students to use a hundreds chart (M-1-1-3_Blank 100 Grid.doc) and/or number line (M-1-1-3_Number Line.docx) when ordering and comparing numbers.

Students who struggle with the concept of greater than/less than can play the card game War. Shuffle a deck of number cards and evenly distribute cards between two or more players. Players take the top card off their deck and place it face up on the table. The player who places the largest number of those placed gets all the cards in that round. Repeat until time is out or a player runs out of cards. The player with the most cards at the end of the game is the winner. (This game can also be played in reverse, where the player who places the smallest number gets the cards.)

• Expansion: Students can draw three number tiles and write from greatest to least the six possible combinations for the three number tiles. (For example: 1, 2, 3 would become 321, 312, 231, 213, 132, 123). Students will repeat the process two more times and then check their work with other students also completing the expansion.