Gators ♥ Numbers

If you ask me, October 20th is the perfect day to learn about comparing large whole numbers using <  >  =  symbols. Am I right?

You can compare many things in life, such as cats and mice...

You can also compare numbers.

Before we go any further, let's time travel back to third (or maybe second) grade.

(That's me in 3rd grade, circa 1978. The one in the yellow Dittos.)

In your younger years you might have learned about alligators who liked to eat numbers. 

BIG numbers.

Remember?

The alligator's big mouth and sharp teeth always opened to the bigger number,

as do the < and >  symbols.

Even though we are big fourth graders, we can continue to use this visual to remember the correct way to write the greater than and less than symbols. I still do and I'm an old lady.

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Now let's talk about comparing crazy-big numbers with multiple digits! This is actually really fun. You always start with the digit that has the greatest value (the one on the far left). Compare the numbers with the same place values. If they are the same, move to the right until you find numbers that are different.

The numbers above start out the same 5261. However, when you get to the hundreds column, you notice that the numbers are different . Well, which number is greater (or larger) 8 or 6? 

Soooo...

5,261,884  <  5,261,615

(5,261,884  is greater than  5,261,615)

Done! Move on!

Check out these examples below. The highlighted digits are the ones we compared to find out which was greater. Notice how they have the same place value? That means they can be compared.

Here are a few helpful resources for this concept...

Fruit Splat 
ABCya!
Toon University

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Check your k-mail for a printable version of the notebook page for this week. You can use the Grip and Rip trick to quickly add it to your spiral. Here is a look at my notebook page. Please make sure your spiral is up to date before next Tuesday's class!

Click on any picture on this blog to enlarge it.

Many student have already completed the Quick Check. If you have not, please send me a k-mail numbered 1-8 with your answers. I'd like to have all Quick Checks recorded by Friday. Thanks!

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Finally, here is the happiest math page ever created...

See you later, alligators.