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2nd Grade Mathematics Lesson

The Power of Bundling: Unlocking Hundreds, Tens, and Ones

Shared by A STEM Educator

2nd GradeBuilding Thinking Classrooms (BTC)CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.NBT.A.1, CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.NBT.A.1a, CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.NBT.A.350 min
Learning Objective

Students will compose and decompose 3-digit numbers by unitizing hundreds, tens, and ones — including cases with zero in a place — and represent quantities in standard form, expanded form, and base-10 drawings.

Lesson Overview

Students explore unitizing by acting as factory workers packing gum, discovering that 10 tens bundle into 1 hundred. Tasks thin-slice from reading pre-built base-10 representations to flexibly composing and decomposing 3-digit numbers in multiple ways.

Materials

  • Vertical non-permanent surfaces (whiteboards, chart paper taped to wall)
  • Dry-erase markers (one per group)
  • Erasers or socks
  • Physical base-10 blocks (flats, rods, unit cubes) — one set per group
  • Place value chart mats (drawn directly on boards)
  • Visibly random grouping cards
  • Anchor chart paper for Base-10 Rule Book
  • Exit slip half-sheets (pre-printed)

Scaffolded Task Progression

1Task 1
Anchored Problem — Low-Floor Launch (Factory Context): A stick-gum factory packs single sticks of gum into packs of 10. Then they bundle 10 packs into 1 mega-box of 100. The factory manager has 14 packs of 10. How can she re-pack them into mega-boxes, packs, and single sticks so she uses the FEWEST total boxes?
2Task 2
Slice 1 — Building 3-Digit Quantities: The factory ships a crate with mega-boxes, packs, and single sticks. Quick-draw the Base-10 symbols on your board (Square , Line , Dot ). Then write the 3-digit number.

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