Developing

Mathematical
Language and
Thinking Skills when
Comparing and
Ordering Numbers
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Goals:

Know the different stages of ordering and comparing

and that this skill is a building block for many other
math skills.

Participate in different ordering and comparing tasks

and be able to apply this in their classrooms
immediately.

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What grade level do you teach?

Why did you become a math teacher?

3
Why are you here today?

What do you aim to do better

after this math workshop?
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 THINK ABOUT:

How can I use this in the classroom?

Why is this important?

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There are different types of
ordering and comparing tasks
we can ask our students to do.

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What
do you
notice?

How are
these two
groups the
same and
different?

Critical
thinking and
Problem
Solving

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What do you notice?
What do you wonder?

Write the next two

numbers in the
sequence.

Describe how you

know what comes next.
You might want to
sketch visual models to
help.

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Draw the next few
dominoes.
Label your drawing with
equations.
Describe how you know.

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Summary:
Give students visual quantities
to compare.
Pose open-ended questions.

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 Option 1:
Begin with
“What do you see?
What do you wonder?”

Option 2:
Which one doesn’t belong?
Use math words to
describe your thinking.

Ways to provide support:

3 + 2=5

addend
sum
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Which
fraction
image doesn’t
belong and
why?

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Quick Review:

TOOLS FOR ORDERING AND

COMPARING QUANTITIES

● Objects or visual representations of

objects

● Which One Doesn’t Belong?

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 THINK ABOUT:

How can I use this in the classroom?

Why is it important to do these ordering

and comparing activities with our
students?

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What do you
notice?
What do you
wonder?

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What patterns
do you see?

What do these
patterns mean?

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What do you notice? What are some ways we
can figure out what the missing numbers are?

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What are
some
strategies we
can use to
help us fill in
this broken
1000 chart?
693
How will we
know that our
strategies will
work?

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What are
some
strategies we
can use to
help us fill in
this broken
1000 chart?
875
How will we
know that our
strategies will
work?

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What do you
notice? What do
you wonder?

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How is this chart
the same and
different as the
100 chart?

What happens to
the numbers as
we go down a
row?

What happens to
a number as we
go one column to
the right?
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Summary:

● There are different versions of number charts that can

be used at different grade levels.

● Number charts show patterns of numbers

● Number charts can be used to develop a strong sense or

ordering and comparing numbers.

● Number charts give students a mental image of

numbers and their magnitude.

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When we engage our students in
tasks that involve ordering and
comparing numbers,
we help our students build
a solid understanding of the
magnitude of numbers.

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Look at this number line.
What do you see?
What do you notice?

Where have you seen other objects that look

like a numberline or that have a numberline?
What are some things we might count in
groups of 40? 32
Basic ordering and comparing work with number lines:

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Basic ordering and comparing work with number lines:

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 How can I introduce a new math tool or concept
to my class? (For first timers)
Whole group:

PART 1 :
➔ What do you notice? What do you wonder?
➔ How can we find the missing ________?
➔ What strategies might we use?
➔ Let’s try this out together. (Work with your math partner)

PART 2:
➔ Share with a small group (teacher walks around to observe
what students are doing.
➔ Teacher chooses 3 pieces of work to share with the whole
class. 35
Part 3: Teacher will share student work

WHICH PIECE OF STUDENT WORK WILL YOU SHARE?

-Work that is on the right track but not quite there yet
(struggling student but point out the “good parts”)
-Work that is average (good things with some things missing)
-Perfect or Good work (You can ask the class: What do you
notice?)

Student Reflection

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 24 41
Twenty four Forty one
20 + 4 40 + 1
2 tens and 4 ones 4 tens and 1 ones

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Think: How would you want your students to
show their mathematical thinking and
reasoning? You must reply in the way you
would like your students to show higher order
thinking skills.

We need to MODEL for our students what

higher order thinking looks and sounds like.

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Look at this number line.
What do you notice about the size of the number and the
location on the number line?

If we were to find the location of 24 and 41 on this number

line, which number might we begin with? Why?

0 50
How might we decide the location of 24 and 41 on this
number line? What are some things we would need to
consider? 39
Possible questions:

Look at the number line.

Look at the numbers.
What do you notice?
How might we decide where the numbers go on the
number line?

6, -4

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Student language is very important in

building a deep understanding.

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 What do you notice? What do you wonder?

0 10

0 100

0 1000

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 What would each increment represent on each line?

0 10

0 100

C
0 1000
 Where would 4, 40 and 400 go on the number lines?
What are you noticing?

0 10

0 100

C
0 1000
 If you wanted to locate 70 on a number line, which one
would you choose? Why?

0 10

0 100

C
0 1000
 If you were to estimate where 25 would be on a number
line, which number line would you choose? Why?

0 10

0 100

C
0 1000
What number could it be?
Explain your thinking.

200 300

REFLECT ON YOUR RESPONSE: Did you justify which number the

point represents based on reasoning about its position in the
numberline?
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 What number could it be?
Explain your thinking.

200 300
mid
dle
of th
m e nu
r fro mbe
fa r lin
less mo e
re
o
about close t

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Using the number 1,742 what two thousands would be
benchmarks?
1. Place the benchmark thousands.
2. Place 1,742 on the numberline.
3. Explain your thinking to your partner.

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Using the number 821,059 what ten thousands would be
benchmarks?
1. Place the benchmark ten thousands.
2. Place 821,059 on the numberline.
3. Explain your thinking to your partner.

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What do you notice? What do you wonder?

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Why is ⅓ to the left of ½ if 3 is bigger than 2?

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If ¾ and 3/2 have the same numerator, how do
we know which is greater?

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What fraction is represented by the green
circle? How can you tell?

How are common numerators and

denominators used to compare fractions?
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Big Idea:

Numbers can be compared by

by their ___________________.

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A student who struggles to order

and compare numbers (whole

numbers, fractions, decimals,

negative numbers)

_______________________________.
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Which one doesn’t belong:
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/79077/student/?section=7
https://thestemlaboratory.com/15-brilliant-ways-use-hundred-chart/

https://wodb.ca/

Number Line APP

https://hundredgrid.classworks.com/

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What teaching
strategy are you In what ways
walking away with will your
today that you will teaching change
definitely try next after today’s
week? Why? workshop?

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