LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Place Value and Expanded Form
ENGAGE (10 min)
• Review the expectations of working in the outdoor classroom.
• Ask students to record some quick weather observations (as a
whole class or in individual journals).
• Ask students if they have ever thought about how many leaves
they can find on a single plant. How would they estimate this?
(Ask students to share their ideas with a partner).
• Tell students they’ll have some time to estimate how many leaves
are on some of the plants in the garden.
Grade
3rd – 5th
Timeframe
60 minutes
Materials
Student journals/pencils
EXPLORE (20 min)
• Before allowing students to get started, model how to look at a plant and make an estimate of how
many leaves are on the plant. Which operation(s) should be used? (Look at one branch, estimate the
leaves, and then multiply by the number of branches, for example.)
• Model how to write the name of the plant in a journal (or do a quick sketch if name is not known) and
write down the estimate.
• Give students plenty of time to wander the outdoor classroom making at least 5 – 10 different
estimates in their own journals.
EXPLAIN (15 min)
• Bring students back to the central gathering area. Ask students to briefly share their estimates with a
partner and share the strategies they used for making their estimate.
• Ask students to create a place value chart in their journal and put each of their estimates into the chart
(check journals as students work).
• Ask students to share one of their numbers with a partner and have that partner write out their
number with expanded form (check journals as they work). Repeat with 2 – 3 numbers, depending on
available time.
• Ask students to list their numbers in order from least to greatest.
ELABORATE (15 min)
• Provide students with another opportunity to create a list of estimated numbers in their journal and
provide them with a list of the different ways they should process the numbers they gathered
(expanded form, place value, list from greatest to least, etc.).
EVALUATE
• Check students’ journals for work/understanding.
Copyright  2014 REAL School Gardens
www.realschoolgardens.org
OBJECTIVES
Grade 3 Math
WYY Unit 1 Math Strand: Which operation should be used?
Grade 4 Math
WYY Unit 1 Math Strand: Place Value
Grade 5 Math
WYY Unit 1 Math Strand: Place Value
Copyright  2014 REAL School Gardens
www.realschoolgardens.org