4th Grade · Math · 4.NBT.A.1, 4.NF.C.6

Place Value Lesson Plan for 4th Grade

A ready-to-teach place value lesson for 4th Grade. Everything below is classroom-tested structure: an objective, a 45-minute sequence, a way to check who got it, and 6 printable practice pages.

Approximately 45 minutes

Learning objective

Identify the value of each digit in a five-digit number
Write five-digit numbers in standard, word, and expanded forms
Compare and order five-digit numbers using place value reasoning

Materials

5-digit number and Place values - Mask
Build a 4-digit number - Cycling
Build a 6-digit number - Basketball
Missing place value (5 digits) - Piano
Write numbers in expanded form - Garden
Compare decimals (1-2 digits) - Idea
Pencils, and whiteboard space for the modeled examples

Lesson steps

1. Warm up together (5 min)
Open with a quick count-around or number talk that touches place value. Ask students where they have seen place value outside of math class. You are listening for who already has the vocabulary and who does not, so keep it light and let several students answer.
2. Model it (I do) (10 min)
Work two examples of place value on the board, thinking out loud the whole way. Say the quiet parts: what you notice first, which step you do next, and why. Deliberately make one small error on the second example and let the class catch it.
3. Practice together (we do) (10 min)
Work three more problems as a class. Ask a different student to supply each step rather than the whole answer. If a step stalls, drop back to concrete objects or a drawing before moving on.
4. Independent practice (you do) (15 min)
Hand out "5-digit number and Place values - Mask". Students work independently while you circulate. Note who is fluent, who is counting on fingers, and who has not started, because that grouping drives tomorrow's small group.
5. Close the loop (5 min)
Pull the class back. Ask one student to explain a problem they got right and one to name something that is still confusing. End on the confusion, not the success, so students learn that naming a gap is normal.

Check for understanding

Collect the practice pages and sort them into three piles: fluent, developing, and not yet. Any student in the third pile needs place value retaught in a small group before the class moves on.

Differentiation

Extra support. Students who stall: pull them into a small group and rebuild place value with concrete materials or a simpler text before asking for the written work again. Do not send the page home as homework, it will just rehearse the misunderstanding.

Extension. Students who finish early: ask them to write their own place value problem for a partner to solve, then check the partner's work. Creating a problem is harder than solving one and it surfaces whether they really understand place value.

Skills covered in this lesson

Five-digit place value · Four-digit place value · Six-digit place value · Expanded notation · Missing place values · Three-digit place value

Questions teachers ask about teaching place value

How many 4th Grade five-digit place value worksheets are there?

6 printable worksheets, all free to preview. Downloads are included with a ClassWeekly free trial, and every page prints on standard 8.5 x 11 paper.

What age are five-digit place value worksheets for?

These are written for 4th Grade students. Use the free preview to judge the fit for a particular child, since the same sheet often works a grade either side.

Are these five-digit place value worksheets aligned to Common Core?

Yes. Each one shows the Common Core code it covers on its own page, so you can check the alignment yourself rather than taking our word for it.

Can I use these five-digit place value worksheets for homeschool?

Yes. Nothing here assumes a classroom of 25, so they work the same one-to-one at the kitchen table as they do in a 4th Grade classroom, a literacy centre, or a tutoring session.