Lesson 11

The purpose of this lesson is for students to compare three-digit numbers using their understanding of place value.

In previous lessons, students learned to compare three-digit numbers using the number line and base-ten diagrams. In this lesson, students compare three-digit numbers in tasks that do not suggest a particular representation. In the first activity, students complete comparison statements to make them true and are encouraged to explain or show their thinking in a way that makes sense to them. In the second activity, students learn a new stage of the Greatest of Them All center. This activity encourages students to reason about place value as they use digits to make three-digit numbers and compare numbers with their partner.

Students shared their thinking multiple times in this lesson. How did students reason about or explain their comparisons? What have you noticed about the language students use that show they understand how to compare three-digit numbers based on the meaning of their digits?