4FN3 – Math – Comparing Zeros in Place Value

How do FreeNode lessons work?

FreeNodes are instructor-led schooling lessons with a unique approach, granting you the freedom to independently teach using a personalized lesson plan. This autonomy enables you to tailor your lessons to suit students’ individual needs, learning styles, and interests.

To use a FreeNode, read the provided class outline & follow the formatting provided for each class. Make sure to touch on the Theocratic Connection in each class. Follow the outline closely so it is aligned with our main at-home curriculum.

How Do I Use the FreeNode?

Read this lesson plan before class to familiarize yourself with the ideas and concepts you’ll be teaching the students. You may print this page out if you need to use it as a reference point during live classes.

This lesson is a guide, but feel free to expand on the content or decrease/increase what you teach depending on the learning levels of the students in your class or the amount of time you have to cover the material.

Can I show videos in FN classes?

Yes, feel free to include additional material to supplement the class lesson material. Videos, Physical Objects, Games, Activities, etc. are okay to share in live classes.

Videos should have no advertisements or logos and should be viewed by you before showing them to the students to ensure no offensive or questionable content is included.

The video should make up only 1-3 minutes of the live class and should not take the place of instructor-led instruction. Videos should be supplementary only.

How do bookmarks work?

Bookmarks help you keep track of lessons you’re going to teach in future live classes. The bookmarks you see are for all your bookmarked lessons across all grades.

You can bookmark a lesson by visiting the lesson you want to bookmark and clicking the “bookmark” button in the bookmark section.

You can remove a single bookmark by visiting a lesson you’ve bookmarked and clicking the “bookmark” button again to unbookmark it.

You can clear all of your bookmarks by clicking the “clear all bookmarks” button. Be careful, this will erase all of your bookmarks.

Class Lesson Plan

Objectives:

Students will understand the concept of zero as a placeholder in place value.
Students will recognize that zero is always less than any other digit.
Students will learn two methods to compare numbers with multiple zero digits.

Materials:

Whiteboard/Chalkboard and markers/chalk
Visual aids (place value charts or number examples)
Worksheets or practice problems (optional)

Introduction (3 minutes):

Review place value concepts, focusing on the role of zero as a placeholder.
Explain that zero does not have a value on its own but influences the value of digits in a number.

Theocratic Connections:

Connect the concept of comparing zeros to the biblical principle of faithfulness in the little things. In Luke 16:10, Jesus says, “The person faithful in what is least is faithful also in much” Emphasize that just as zeros play an important role in numbers, the small things that we do don’t go unnoticed by Jehovah and play an important role in our relationship with him.

Activity 1 – Zero as a Placeholder (5 minutes):

Emphasize that zero is used as a placeholder in numbers to indicate empty spaces in place value.
Show examples of numbers with zero as a placeholder, such as 506, 4001, and 900.

Activity 2 – Zero as Less than Any Other Digit (5 minutes):

Illustrate that zero is always less than any other digit in the place value system.
Use examples like 201, 409, and 600 to demonstrate that the leading zero makes these numbers less than numbers with non-zero leading digits.

Activity 3 – Comparing Numbers with Multiple Zeros (15 minutes):

Method 1: Counting Non-Zero Digits
- Present two numbers with multiple zero digits, such as 5004 and 70009.
- Instruct students to compare the numbers by counting the non-zero digits from left to right.
- Explain that the number with more non-zero digits is greater.
Method 2: Ignoring Leading Zeros
- Show two numbers with multiple zeros, such as 00203 and 03007.
- Instruct students to ignore the leading zeros and compare the remaining digits from left to right.
- Explain that the number with the first non-zero digit greater than the other is greater.

Conclusion (3 minutes):

Review the main points about zero as a placeholder, zero being less than any other digit, and the two methods to compare numbers with multiple zero digits.
Encourage students to practice comparing numbers to reinforce their understanding.

Assessment:

Informally assess student understanding during class discussions and activities.
Ask students to individually solve a few practice problems involving comparing numbers with multiple zero digits.