Mathematics for Thinking

Main concept of focus: Addition of three-digit numbers

Grade: Fourth standard

Progression of the concept

The concept of addition can be reinforced for the students of the fourth standard through the series of activities mentioned below.

• Explaining numbers through manipulatives.
• Composing and decomposing numbers.
• Grouping numbers based on tens.
• Adding amounts using column addition with regrouping.
• Adding three-digits numbers.
• Applying the knowledge in real life.
• Reinforcing the concept of addition.

The abovementioned progression, if followed, will enable the students to strengthen their grasp over what they learnt in previous grades with respect to the concept of adding numbers.

Expected learning

The students are expected to learn the concept of addition through participation in various activities, which will reinforce their grasp over what they learnt in previous classes as well as make them learn additional concepts related to the addition of three-digit numbers.

Activity ideas

Activity name: 158 = 100 + 50 + 8

Objective: Composing and decomposing numbers.

Procedure: The students have to choose the three-digit numbers and disintegrate them in terms of hundreds, tens, and ones. The teacher can demonstrate how it can be done in front of the students.

Expected outcome: The students are expected to learn about place values, which are essential for doing subsequent additions.

Materials used: Blackboard and notebook.

Activity Name: Grouping tens

Objective: Grouping numbers based on tens

Procedure: The students are to be given a number of ice-cream sticks for bundling them in groups of ten. For this activity, the students are to be divided in groups. After completing the activity, the students are to work in their notebooks to show a number in terms of groups as well as in terms of materials.

Expected outcome: The students are expected to learn about grouping—another essential element for mastering the process of addition.

Materials used: Ice-cream sticks

Activity Name: Ones and Tens

Objective: Composing and Decomposing numbers; Grouping numbers based on tens

Procedure: The students will be divided into groups depending upon the strength of the class. They will be required to choose a three-digit number and bifurcate them in terms of tens and ones. Subsequently, the students have to display the tens using ice-cream sticks and ones using chips. If some of the students find it difficult to work with the three-digit numbers, they can choose to work with the two-digit numbers.

Expected outcome: The students will learn the importance of place values for subsequent learning of addition.

Materials used: Ice-cream sticks and chips.

Activity Name: Any two

Objective: Composing and decomposing numbers.

Procedure: The students can select any three-digit number, and they will be asked to decompose that number into two numbers, which when added yields the chosen number. The students can come up with different combinations. In order to make the activity more challenging, some rules may be imposed, such as ‘the constituent numbers should be either two- or three-digit numbers’. This activity indirectly teaches the children about addition. For example, if students select 254 as their three-digit number, then one possibility would be 250 and 4. It can have many different possibilities.

Expected outcome: Number composition and number decomposition activities further strengthen the knowledge of the students about place value, and it paves the way for learning addition of three-digit numbers.

Materials used: Blackboard and notebook.

Activity Name: Any three

Activity objective: Composing and decomposing numbers

Procedures: The students can any three-digit number to work with, and they will be asked to decompose the number into three numbers, which when added yields their chosen number. The students can come up with different combinations. In order to make the activity more challenging, some rules may be imposed, such as ‘the constituent numbers should be either two- or three-digit numbers’. This activity indirectly teaches the children about addition of numbers.

Expected outcome: Activities relating to number composition and number decomposition further strengthens the knowledge of the students about place value, and it paves the way for learning the addition of three-digit numbers.

Materials used: Blackboard and notebook.

Activity Name: Addition

Objective: Adding numbers using columns through regrouping; Adding three-digit numbers.

Procedure: The students should be divided into groups depending upon the number of students in class. Every group should receive  a three-digit addition problem on the board. They should also show the calculation using Base Ten materials.

Expected outcome: to the students will be able to perform addition using column addition through regrouping.

Materials used: Base Ten materials; Worksheet based on Base Ten materials; Blackboard and notebook.

Activity Name: Base tens

Objective: Grouping numbers based on tens.

Procedure: The students will be asked to explain addition using Base Ten materials without working on their notebooks. Later, they will be asked to do the same in groups. Each group will take a sum and explain it in the same manner.

Expected outcome: The students will be able to strengthen their understanding of place values while learning the process of addition.

Materials used: Base Ten materials

Activity Name: Word problems

Activity objective: Real-life application of knowledge

Procedure: The students will be asked to create a word-based problem involving any two-digit number based on their understanding of the same. They will later be grouped. The word problems created by the students will be illustrated on the blackboard in front of the classroom based on the explanations given by them. Here, the facilitator will discuss the keywords that are present in the word problems, which will help them in identifying the words related to addition.

Expected outcome: The students will learn how to formulate, represent, and solve word problems relating to their daily experiences.

Materials used: Blackboard and notebook.

Activity Name: Addition of money

Objective: Real-life application of the knowledge; Explaining numbers through manipulatives.

Procedures: The students should be given money-based problems, through which they will learn the process of addition process by using the fake-money manipulatives. The students will also connect this activity directly with their real-life experiences of handling money.

Expected outcome: The students will get to know about the real-life applications of addition through the usage of day-to-day objects like money.

Materials used: Fake-money manipulatives.

Activity Name: Sum of fifteen

Objective: Reinforcement of the concept of addition.

Procedure: The students are given a 3 * 3 matrix in which they are asked to enter numbers. The sum of the number should be 15. It can be done both diagonally and vertically.

Expected outcome: The students will get to know about the different variation of numbers that will yield the same number upon addition.

Materials used: Blackboard and notebook

Activity Name: Open-ended addition

Objective: Reinforcement of the concept of addition

Procedure: The students are given a 3 * 3 matrix. Some clues should be given to them, and they should be asked to provide numbers, which upon addition will lead up to the given clues.

Expected outcome: The students will get to know about the various possibilities of numbers that yield the same result upon addition.

Materials used: Blackboard and notebook.

Activity Name: Try your own sum

Objective: Reinforcement of the concept of addition

Procedure: In this activity, the students are asked to choose any number to be entered in the 3 * 3 matrix, upon whose addition will form the sum of the chosen number of theirs.

Expected outcome: The students will get to know about the various possibilities of numbers which can yield the same number upon addition.

Materials used: Blackboard and notebook.

Activity Name: Game with addition of three-digit numbers

Objective: Reinforcement of the concept of addition

Procedure: Each of the students are to be provided with different three-digit numbers. They should be divided in pairs so that each pair receives two three-digit numbers to add. After this is done, the students are shuffled in order to have different numbers to work with in their next turn.

Expected outcome: The concept of addition, which was learnt through the previous activities, will be reinforced among the students.

Materials used: N/A; the school premises are to be used in order to allow students to move about.