Dear parent or guardian: This is a summary of the key ideas your child is learning in mathematics.

You can use this summary as background as you support your child’s work.

2 Representing Three-Digit Numbers

Using Pictures or Materials

• You can model three-digit numbers with base ten blocks.

For example this model shows 426.

You can also sketch a picture of a base ten model to show 426.
Each square represents 100, each stick represents 10, and each dot
represents 1.

• You can also model a three-digit number with a place-value chart.

For example, these place-value charts both show 426:

Hundreds Tens Ones

Hundreds Tens Ones

4 2 6

© 2020 Rubicon Publishing Inc. Grade 3 • Representing Whole Numbers 1

 2 Representing Three-Digit Numbers (continued)

Using Standard Form

Numbers can be written in standard form, for example, 612, 407, and 370.

These are three-digit numbers since they each have three digits.

612 is read “six hundred twelve.” It is 6 hundreds and 12 more.

407 is read “four hundred seven.” It is 4 hundreds and 7 more.
370 is read “three hundred seventy.” It is 3 hundreds and 70 more.

Using Expanded Form

• Numbers can also be written in expanded form.

For example, 321 can be written in expanded form in these ways:

3 hundreds + 2 tens + 1 one
300 + 20 + 1

Expanded form describes what you would see on a place-value chart.

Hundreds Tens Ones

• Sometimes a number has 0 tens or 0 ones.

For example:
- This model shows 302 as 3 hundreds + 2 ones (or 300 + 2).

Hundreds Tens Ones

- This model shows 430 as 4 hundreds + 3 tens (or 400 + 30).

Hundreds Tens Ones

© 2020 Rubicon Publishing Inc. Grade 3 • Representing Whole Numbers 2

 2 Representing Three-Digit Numbers (continued)

Decomposing Into Hundreds, Tens, and Ones

Using expanded form is one way to decompose a number into hundreds, tens,
and ones, but there are other ways too.

For example, 517 can be written and modelled in many ways.

A few are shown here.

5 hundreds + 1 ten + 7 ones

Hundreds Tens Ones

4 hundreds + 11 tens + 7 ones

Hundreds Tens Ones

5 hundreds + 0 tens + 17 ones

Hundreds Tens Ones

The models are equivalent because each 100 is 10 tens, and each 10 is 10 ones.

© 2020 Rubicon Publishing Inc. Grade 3 • Representing Whole Numbers 3

 2 Representing Three-Digit Numbers (continued)

Notes
• It is important that students realize that numbers of the form     can be
represented as hundreds + tens + ones to make sense of them. But they
can usually be written other ways as well, for example,   tens + ones.

• Models remind students of the relative sizes of hundreds versus tens

versus ones.

• It is best not to say “and” between the parts of a number. We read 341 as
“three hundred forty-one,” not as “three hundred and forty-one.” Later, when
students learn about decimal numbers, “and” signals the decimal part of the
number; for example, we read 4.2 as “four and two tenths.”

Definitions
decompose (a number): to separate a number into parts; for example,
16 = 10 + 6 or 20 = 4 × 5

digit: one of the ten symbols (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9) used to create

numerals; for example, the digits 1, 2, and 3 make up the numeral 132

expanded form: a way to write a number that shows the value of each digit;
for example, 467 is 400 + 60 + 7, or 4 hundreds + 6 tens + 7 ones

place-value chart: a chart for organizing concrete materials representing a

number or the digits of a number by place value

standard form: the usual form of a number, for example, 456

© 2020 Rubicon Publishing Inc. Grade 3 • Representing Whole Numbers 4