Tanya Gibson

Action Research
Oakvale Elementary School
Unit Plan: Place Value

Abstract:

During my first placement of student teaching I had the pleasure of teaching

fourth graders place value and how to round with in the place value. During my first
lesson I came to find out that almost half the class had a hard time telling me what place
value was and how it is used. Of the half, 8 students could not name the different values.
After the first lesson and pre-assessment I was able to develop my lessons and small
groups based on where the students needed complete help or no help. For my preassessment I developed and pre-test for the students to take before even starting the initial
lesson and then at the end of the unit I gave the same test again as a post assessment.
After giving my pre-assessment I was able to see that I had 5 students that needed
very little to now help with place value and how to round with in. While, 8 students need
very explicit instruction on place value. I then was able to set up my small math groups,
For the students that needed explicit instruction I came up with a place value chart that
had each section as a townhouse; such as ones, tens, and hundreds were in the hundreds
townhouse building and the thousands, ten thousands, and hundred thousands were in the
thousands townhouse, and so on. The students seem to be able to visualize this much
better than just the ordinary place value chart.
Once the whole group was able to recognize that each place value was a
different section we started working on how to round the number to the next place value.
This was accomplished by having the students remember the saying 5 or more move
next door, 4 or less let it rest. Since, the students that need more explicit instruction did
so well with the townhouse place value charts I decided to use them with the whole class
to keep with the theme. All students seemed to understand much better when view this
way. As I was working on rounding place value I would ask students questions about how

to round to the next place value depending on where I wanted the students to round to
round. I used this as an informative assessment to see how many students could tell me
where I was to round to.
Keeping with the townhouse theme I told students that we needed to look
to the right of the place value we were rounding to see if its neighbor was 5 or more and
if so then the house had to move next door adding one more to this townhouse. Then if
the number was 4 or less then we left this number alone. During all of this the same
students that had problems with understand place value had problems rounding with in
the place value chart.
At the beginning of the unit 23 % of the students were above a 90 on the
pre-assessment and over half 50 % made less than a 65 on the assessment. After a
weeklong unit and a two-week long explicit instruction in small groups 27% of the
students scored a perfect score, 41% scored above an 87, 23% above an 80, and 9% still
falling below a 65.

Introduction:

A little background on the school, classroom, and students, Oakvale

Elementary School is a Title 1 school. The area of Oakvale is a low income to now
income school district. Many families have some type of assistances from the state. The
school has approximately 140 students attending but only 9 teachers, once for each grade
level; Pre-K to 5th grade, a Title 1 teacher, a special needs teacher, and a speech

pathologist. The teachers are a very close and do a lot together and to help the others
when needed. The principal is so supportive of the teachers and absolutely does
everything in her power to make sure that the students get everything they need. The
school goes above and beyond to ensure all students are getting the best education
possible.
The fourth grade classroom that I was placed in had a total of 22 students
with very different learning styles. Of these students, 5 had IEPs, one was autistic, two
have personal/home life problems that effect their schoolwork and learning, and one is
being tested for different areas of concern so that an IEP can be placed. Though the class
has so many different learning disabilities they all pull together to make sure that
everyone is okay or if anyone needs help, whether it be with school work or just getting
their lunches. I was so happy and blessed to be a part of this classroom because of the
different things that each of them did for one another. They truly touched my heart.
For the research I chose to two students that were not in the same group to
compare the differences of mentality and ability. One was in the 41% that scored above
an 80 and the other is the student that was tested to see if an IEP needs to be in place or
not.

Learning Goals/Objectives:

When putting together the unit plan I used the specific state standards that each
lesson called for according to the common core and I wanted to make sure that every

student showed comprehension of place value and how to round with in the place value.
But after teaching the daily lessons I realized that not all students would be able to meet
every objective and standard so my goal slowly changed to ensure that all students were
able to at least tell me what each place value unit was. Once I was able to meet this
objective I worked up to making sure that the students were able to write a number with
the place value chart in the correct unit section. Then, once this was met I was able to set
my goal to make sure that the students could round with in the place value. This was the
hardest part to the whole unit plan.
The following are the state standards that I used for my lessons.
-

M.4.NBT.1 - recognize that in a multi-digit whole number, a digit in one place

represents ten times what it represents in the place to its right. For example,
recognize that 700 70 = 10 by applying concepts of place value and

division. (CCSS Math.4.NBT.1

M.4.NBT.2 - read and write multi-digit whole numbers using base-ten
numerals,
number names and expanded form and compare two multi-digit numbers
based on meanings of the digits in each place, using >, = and < symbols to
record the results of comparisons. (CCSS Math.4.NBT.2)

- M.4.NBT.3 - use place value understanding to round multi-digit whole numbers

to any place. (CCSS Math.4.NBT.3)
The following were the objectives that were used for each of my lesson plans during this
unit.
-

Students will be able to use place value understanding to decompose to smaller

units using the standard subtraction algorithm, and apply the algorithm to solve
word problems.

Students will be able to use place value understanding to fluently add multi-digit
whole numbers using the standard addition algorithm, and apply the algorithm to
solve word problems using tape diagrams. (students may use traditional addition

problem set up).

Students will be able to solve multi-step word problems using the standard
addition algorithm modeled with and without tape diagrams, and assess the
reasonableness of answers using rounding.

The whole class needed more direct instruction and an easier way of understanding
place value to begin with. I started with introducing the place value townhouse model,
which were copied and laminated for all students to be able to write on and erase. Once,
the students that were just needing a little more direct instruction were able to do the
work on their own I began working more explicitly with the students that scored below
65 on the assessments. With these students I placed them into a small group where we
worked more specifically on place value and learning the names of each unit spot and
how to place random numbers I gave them into the place value chart. We worked on this
twice a week until students were able to tell me the unit names and how to place them in
the chart. Once this was mastered we began working on rounding using the place value
chart. It was easier for these students to understand rounding by working in their place
value chart that I provided for them.

Assessment Plan:

For the pre-assessment I chose to do a quiz that had place value charts and
rounding to the nearest number specified to see if students knew the name of each unit

and if they could round to the nearest place value. I was shocked with the results that
most of the class did not understand place value and how to round that well. The
following is a copy of the pre-assessment that was given to the students. I noticed that
several students could not answer any problem nor fill in the place value charts. This was
when I decided that I need a way to explain place value to the students that would be
interesting. The following is a copy of the two pre-assessment that I did with the group.

Math Pre-Assessment
Multiply or Divide the following numbers.

1. 2 x 4 = __________
2. 4 x 5 = __________
3. 3 x 8 = __________
4. 6 x 8 = __________
5. 5 x 6 = __________
6. 36 6 = __________
7. 21 3 = __________
8. 12 2 = __________
9. 54 9 = __________
10.
10 5 = __________

Label the place value chart. (Hint some of the values are already
labeled.)

11.

Millions

Ones

12.

Thousan
ds

Write the following in STANDARD form.

13. 4 thousands 3 ones = _________________________________

14. 3 hundreds = ___________________________________
15. 60 tens = ______________________________________
16. 7 ten thousands 8 thousands = _______________________________

Write the following in expanded form.

17. 2,435 =
________________________________________________________________________
________
18. 498 =
________________________________________________________________________
___________
19. 10,032 =
________________________________________________________________________
______
20. 154,000 =
________________________________________________________________________
_____

Name: _____________________________

Complete each statement by rounding the number to the given PLACE VALUE.

1. 943 rounded to the nearest hundred is ____________________________

2. 1,123 rounded to the nearest ten is _______________________________

3. 12,412 rounded to the nearest thousand is _________________________

4. 80,801 rounded to the nearest ten thousand is ______________________
5. 184,982 rounded to the nearest hundred thousand is _________________
Arrange the following numbers in order from least to greatest.
1.

789,012

300,951

4,123

67,753

Compare using >, <, =. Write you answer in the square.

1. 10,000

1 thousand

2. 7 hundreds + 27 ones

3.

10 tens

1,123

100

Complete each statement by rounding the number to the given place value. Use the
number line to show your work.

1. 1,400 rounded to the nearest thousand is _____________________

2. 629,999 rounded to the nearest ten thousand is ________________________

Extra Credit:
Solve the following problem using pictures, numbers, or words.

54,456 people attended a football game. 38,789 people attended a soccer game. About
how many more people attended the football game than the soccer game?
For my during instruction assessments I asked problems to students especially the
ones that need more help to ensure they are playing attention and comprehending what
we were talking about. I also observed their facial expressions as I was giving the direct
instruction to see if students were having a hard time understanding. If students seemed
to be having problems comprehending what was being taught I would bring those
students to the semi circular shaped desk in the back of the room while the other students
worked in their Eureka math book and reteach the lesson explicitly.
Post-assessments were done using the same pre-assessment to evaluate what the
students comprehended and see if any more explicit instruction was needed. After

grading this assessment the students scores were much better than the pre-assessment
scores. Some students moved 40-50 points higher by the end of the unit.

Design for Instruction/Teaching Unit Plans:

Here are just a few of the lesson plans used to do instruction of the unit plan with
copies of place value chart and the work samples of the two students that were used to
show the progress of the unit plan.

Daily Lesson Plan (Template)

Name: Tanya Gibson

Date: 8-19-16/8-20-16
Subject: Mathematics
Topic: Place Value
Grade: 4th grade
Length of Lesson: 60 minutes
Introduction (Essential Question):

What is place value?

Standard: Number and Operations in Base Ten
Cluster: Generalize place value understanding for multi-digit whole
numbers.
Objective: M.4.NBT.1 - recognize that in a multi-digit whole number,
a digit in one place represents ten times what it represents in the
place to its right. For example, recognize that 700 70 = 10 by
applying concepts of place value and division. (CCSS Math.4.NBT.1)
M.4.NBT.2 - read and write multi-digit whole numbers using baseten numerals, number names and expanded form and compare two
multi-digit numbers based on meanings of the digits in each place,
using >, = and < symbols to record the results of comparisons.
(CCSS Math.4.NBT.2)
Specific Objective:
Students will be able to interpret a multiplication equation as a
comparison.
Students will be able to use place value understanding to
decompose to smaller units using the standard subtraction
algorithm, and apply the algorithm to solve word problems

Method(s):
The teacher will begin the lesson by multiplying and dividing by 10
sprints with the students. After this is complete the teacher will
introduce the place value chart on the white board asking the students
what each place value is labeled. (starting from the right to the left;
ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands,
and millions). The teacher will have all students participate in different
equations multiplying by 10. The teacher will then have students get
out their Eureka books to begin working on the worksheets that go with
lesson 1. Depending on how much comprehension the students show
will depend on if they will start lesson 2.
Materials:
-

Eureka math books.

White board
Teacher edition Eureka math book.

Direct Instruction:

The teacher will begin with having the students multiply and divide by
10 through a math sprint. Once the teacher feels the students are
ready to begin the lesson he or she will draw a place value chart on the
white board. Then, the teacher will ask the students if they know what
place value is? Next, the teacher will have the students tell him or her
where to place each of the place values. (right to left; ones, tens,
hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands, and
millions). After students understand where each value in represented
the teacher will give students equations to practice as a whole class.
Some examples would be: 10 x 1 ones =, 1 hundreds x 10 =, etc.
Students should start to see a pattern that when multiplying by 10 the
place value goes up by adding 1 zero. (10 x 1 one = 10 ones or 1 ten,
1 ten x 10 = 10 tens or 1 hundreds, 1 hundreds x 10 = 10 hundreds or
1 thousands, 1 thousands x 10 = 10 thousands or 1 ten thousands, 1
ten thousands x 10 = 10 ten thousands or 1 hundred thousands, 1
hundred thousands x 10 = 10 hundred thousands or 1 millions.
Guided Practice:
The class will work together by answering the different equations the
teacher has given to show and improve comprehension. Also, the class
will tell the teacher where each place value is to be placed on the chart
before beginning equations.
Differentiation:
For the auditory learners these students will show comprehension
through listening to the teacher and the answers supplied by both the
teacher and other students.
For the visual learners these students will show comprehension
through seeing the visual of the chart on the white board.
For the kinesthetic learners these students will show comprehension by
answering the equations or coming to the board and showing their
work on the white board.
Lesson Closure:
The teacher will end the lesson by asking the EQ and then asking the
students to tell the teacher the place values on the chart. (the teacher
will need to erase all the place values on the chart so students can
have a blank chart)
Independent Practice:

Students will work on the first two worksheets in their Eureka book that
coordinates with lesson 1. Depending on if students finish the
worksheets or not will depend on if they will be given time to complete
the next day before starting the next lesson.
Assessment:
Students will be assessed based on class participation and how well
they do on the worksheets in the Eureka math books. This will also
allow the teacher to see who is struggling and who is not.
Lesson Reflection:
After teaching this lesson I noticed that many of the students in the
classroom do not fully understand their place values and how to
multiply by 10 when it is given in a word form equation. I feel that is it
the way that the equations are worded in the math text but I am not
100 % sure. I will converse with Mrs. Bennett and get her feed back on
what could be changed or what would be the best way to break it down
for the students that are struggling.
How I would teach this lesson differently next time.
1. I will start with a whole lesson one-place value and how they
distinguish what numbers go where when given a set of numbers to
place in the chart.
2. I would allow time to break students up into groups to work on the
place values.
3. I will start the lesson by giving the students a multiplication quiz to
see where they students are in their multiplication tables.

Daily Lesson Plan (Template)

Name: Tanya Gibson

Date: 8-21-16/8-22-16
Subject: Mathematics
Topic: Place Value
Grade: 4th grade
Length of Lesson: 60 minutes
Introduction (Essential Question):
What is place value?
Standard: Number and Operations in Base Ten
Cluster: Generalize place value understanding for multi-digit whole
numbers.
Objective: M.4.NBT.1 - recognize that in a multi-digit whole number,
a digit in one place represents ten times what it represents in the
place to its right. For example, recognize that 700 70 = 10 by
applying concepts of place value and division. (CCSS Math.4.NBT.1)
M.4.NBT.2 - read and write multi-digit whole numbers using baseten numerals, number names and expanded form and compare two
multi-digit numbers based on meanings of the digits in each place,
using >, = and < symbols to record the results of comparisons.
(CCSS Math.4.NBT.2)
Specific Objective:
Students will recognize a digit represents 10 times the value of
what it represents in the place to its right.

Method(s):

The teacher will begin by refreshing the students on place value from
the previous lesson. Once this has been established the teacher will
move on to skip counting with the students by 3. The teacher will now
have a blank place value chart unlabeled on the board. The teacher
will then have the students retell where the places should go on the
chart. The teacher will give students more equations to work on the
board together as a class. Then the students will work on their Eureka
workbooks.
Materials:
-

Eureka math books.

White board
Teacher edition Eureka math book.

Direct Instruction:
The teacher will begin with refreshing students from the previous days
lesson on place value. Next, the teacher will have the students skip
count by 3s and 4s forwards and backwards. Once this has been
completed the teacher will draw a blank place value chart on the white
board and have the students tell him or her where each of the place
values are supposed to go. The teacher will then give the students
equations to answer as a whole class.
Guided Practice:
The class will work together by answering the different equations the
teacher has given to show and improve comprehension. Also, the class
will tell the teacher where each place value is to be placed on the chart
before beginning equations. The teacher will introduce equations that
are worded like the following 10 ones x 10 = 1 ______. Answer = 1
hundreds or 100. The teacher will also explain that when the answer is
written as 1 hundreds this is unit form and when the number is written
such as 100 then this is the standard form. The teacher may use the
Eureka teacher edition book to ask sample equations or make up his or
her own.
Differentiation:
For the auditory learners these students will show comprehension
through listening to the teacher and the answers supplied by both the
teacher and other students.

For the visual learners these students will show comprehension

through seeing the visual of the chart on the white board.
For the kinesthetic learners these students will show comprehension by
answering the equations or coming to the board and showing their
work on the white board.
Lesson Closure:
The teacher will end the lesson by asking the EQ and then asking the
students to tell the teacher the place values on the chart. (the teacher
will need to erase all the place values on the chart so students can
have a blank chart). The teacher will also give an exit equation to show
comprehension.
Independent Practice:
Students will work on the next set of worksheets in their Eureka book
that coordinates with lesson 2. Depending on if students finish the
worksheets or not will depend on if they will be given time to complete
the next day before starting the next lesson. If students are still
continuing to show signs of struggling the next lesson shall be broken
into groups with the Title 1 teacher.
Assessment:
Students will be assessed based on class participation and how well
they do on the worksheets in the Eureka math books. This will also
allow the teacher to see who is struggling and who is not.
Lesson Reflection:
After teaching this lesson I noticed that many of the students in the
classroom do not fully understand their place values and how to
multiply by 10 when it is given in a word form equation. I feel that is it
the way that the equations are worded in the math text but I am not
100 % sure. I will converse with Mrs. Bennett and get her feed back on
what could be changed or what would be the best way to break it down
for the students that are struggling.
How I would teach this lesson differently next time.
1. I would have retaught lesson 1 instead of moving on to lesson 2.
2. I would allow time to break students up into groups to work on the
place values.