Working with Place Value

Understanding place value means understanding our number system and how it works. Here’s a couple of examples that you can use or modify. These are designed to work together with our giant Place Value Chart available from LiteracyNumeracyPro.com.

Thanks to ALEC All-star Janet Hogan for these great examples that come from our professional development work delivering the National Certificate in Adult Literacy and Numeracy Education (otherwise known as the NCALNE).

Some examples you can use or modify

We’ve put together some practical examples that you can use to explain place value. Feel free to adapt these to your own particular vocational, trades, or other contexts. Included here are:

• Multiplying and dividing by 10 and its multiples.

Multiplying and dividing by 10 and its multiples

Example 1

You may have to multiply 64.7 by 10.

It is quick and easy to reinforce the concept that as you move to the left in a number the places get bigger by a factor of 10. Therefore to multiply 64.7 by 10 move 64.7 one place to the left on the place value chart.

Example 2

Perhaps you need to divide 47 by 100.

As you move to the right the places get smaller by a factor of 10. So to divide to divide 47 by 100 move 47 two places to the right on the place value chart.

Won’t be long… and you’ll be able to order our Premium Place Value Chart from LiteracyNumeracyPro.com as well as download the free printable version to use with your learners.

Can you think of any other examples that are great for teaching using the Place Value Chart? We’d love to hear more of these from your particular context. Let us know in the comments below.