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Human Number Line

Elementary teacher looking for classroom ideas to teach class math? These place value activities will help teach kids about rounding numbers!

In 3rd grade we must teach rounding on a number line. I used a wonderful supplement by Blair Turner to introduce rounding on a number line. She had such a real-work connection that my kids really grasped the concept.

Now my kids need practice.
Sure, I could print of paper copies of number lines and have them plot and search.
But where’s the fun in that?

I’m all about easy and efficient.
So I made my KIDS the number line.

 

Elementary teacher looking for classroom ideas to teach class math? These place value activities will help teach kids about rounding numbers!

I gave my kids a set of cards. We started out with a set from 1-100 counting by tens.
They quickly ordered themselves from least to greatest.

After that, I chose one student to be the plotted number. I gave them a whiteboard with a number written on it. He/she stood up and help up their white board. We then discussed between what two endpoints would this number most likely fall between.

THEN, I chose one student to be the midpoint. I gave them a whiteboard and we discussed what number is the halfway distance. That student wrote the number on the whiteboard and stood in the center of the endpoints. After a few rounds of this activity we began to notice a pattern with the halfway distance markers.

Elementary teacher looking for classroom ideas to teach class math? These place value activities will help teach kids about rounding numbers!

Would our plotted number fall before or after that number? We then placed our plotted number person to the appropriate part of the number line. Would it be closer to 6,500 or closer to 7,000 on the number line?

This is GREAT to reinforce vocabulary.
My kids really had to explain themselves with their thinking.

“6,900 would be close to 7,000 on the number line because the 9 in the hundreds places tells me that it is only 100 away from 7,000 and 400 away from 6,500. So I know that 6,900 rounds to 7,000”.

 

If you would like the cards already made for you click HERE to snag them!
Just print the cards on colored card stock and you’re all set!
What are some ways that YOU teach rounding on a number line?
Amber

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5 Comment

  1. Reply
    Pixie Anne
    October 25, 2014 at 1:20 pm

    Thanks for the freebie – I love a human number line!

    I've nominated you for the Liebster Award – find out more here: http://growinglittlelearners.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/liebster-award.html

  2. Reply
    Katie Foley
    October 26, 2014 at 8:48 pm

    I nominated you for the Liebster Award! Check out my blog to accept it.
    http://thepawsitivepencil.blogspot.com

  3. Reply
    Megan @ I Teach. What's Your Super Power?
    November 11, 2014 at 4:17 am

    Love this idea! Just shared it over on my Five on the Fifth post.

    Megan
    I Teach. What's Your Super Power?

  4. Reply
    Tiffany Vernon
    October 12, 2015 at 3:10 am

    Yes, this is the way rounding should be taught. It teachers the students WHY they are rounding and now just some "trick" to find the answer.

  5. Reply
    Michelle Reed
    September 25, 2016 at 7:04 pm

    Just fell on this through Pinterest and can’t wait for Tuesday. I had a boring old lesson planned but that’s going out the window!!! Thanks so much!

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