Lesson Plan Title : Ordering Numbers

Age Range:

Grade 3 through Grade 5 (Elementary School)

Overview and Purpose:

Students will work together to practice ordering groups of six and seven numbers. They will use their phone numbers and birth dates written on index cards.

Objective:

The student will be able to place at least five numbers, each one up to seven digits long, in correct numerical order.

Resources:

Two unlined index cards for each student (mark one set with six equal spaces and the other with seven).

Activities:

Pass out two unlined index cards to each student. Have each student write his birth date (ddmmyy) on one and his telephone number on the one (xxxxxxx). Stack the birthday cards in one pile and the phone numbers in another one.

Explain to the students that they are going to practice putting the cards in numerical order. Review and practice how to compare two numbers.

Divide the class into groups of three and each group five cards from either the birthday pile or the phone number pile. Have them work together to place the cards in order. When each group is finished collect the cards, shuffle them, and pass them back out.

After a few rounds, have the students compete to see who can have their cards ordered the fastest. Pass the cards out face down and have them turn them over all together. When a group is finished they should stand up. Have the class review the first group's cards to see if they are correct.

Closure:

The cards can be collected and used as a review game in the math center. Some students will have difficulty comparing numbers with so many digits. For those students, try color coding each section of the cards so they can compare digits in the same color when they are trying to order the numbers. For more advanced students, combine both sets of cards and have them choose five that they can place in order.