lesson
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Imagine dumping a bucket of building blocks on the rug. How do you turn those stacks of blocks into a single written number?
Meet the Base-Ten Blocks
Each block shape represents a specific value: a large square flat is 100, a tall rod is 10, and a tiny unit cube is 1.
📊Interactive diagram
What happens when we gather all these shapes together to make a three-digit number?
Reading the Model
To write the number, count each type of block from biggest to smallest and place each digit into its place-value spot.
📊Interactive diagram
Because there are 3 hundreds, 4 tens, and 5 ones, we write the numeral 345.
What happens if one type of block is completely missing from the picture?
The Zero Placeholder
When a place value has no blocks, you must write a zero in that spot to hold its place.
📊Interactive diagram