Function: How does our base 10 system work?

As we delve deeper into our enquiry into place values and number systems, we continually look back to our central idea and discuss our questions we generated together that we wanted to find out about:

To help us deepen our understandings of:

FUNCTION: How does our base 10 system work?

Groups of 4 examined and discussed the four diagrams in the centre that explain how our base 10 system is structured and works.

Then, on their own paper attached, they spent some time explaining their understanding of it in words or diagrams etc.

This was a way for the children to reflect on their prior knowledge and expand upon it from discussions and what we had already been discussing in previous activities.  It also served as a very useful assessment tool being able to see each child's understandings and communication skills.

Afterwards, the group rotated their paper every few minutes reading what their group members had explained.  They then discussed the strengths they found in each others explanations and were encouraged to ask for further clarification if they didn't quite understand what a group member had written.

It was incredible to listen to the peer teaching that the children did with each other and I felt it was a useful way for those children with misconceptions, wonderings or stronger understandings to expand upon or rectify.

In the final part of the activity, the children needed to decide as a group, which of the four diagrams they felt best explained how our base 10 number system works and shared their reasoning with the whole class.

We then looked back to our central idea and enquiry questions and discussed what we think we should investigate next......