Comparing and ordering whole numbers is one of my favorite things to teach. There are so many fun, engaging ways for students to practice this skill, and students usually walk away from the lesson with a great deal of confidence.
Interactive Notebook
I like to introduce comparing and ordering whole numbers with an interactive notebook activity. Students have a tangible collection of examples and tips, and it’s a tool they can come back to later for review.
When teaching students to compare whole numbers, I avoid the idea that the number with more digits is always larger. This can set them up for trouble later on when they have to compare numbers that include decimals. Instead, we focus on place values.
Usually by this point, students have a good understanding of place values. But ordering multiple numbers, especially larger numbers, can get tricky. That’s why I like to give my students a visual tool to use. I call it our “Comparing Chart.” It’s essentially a place value chart with multiple spaces for students to line up the numbers they’re trying to compare and order. While students go through their chart, they can cross out the numbers as they put them in order. It looks something like this:
Struggling learners sometimes have trouble even with the chart. Ordering groups of numbers can be overwhelming, especially when the numbers go up to a million or higher. These students typically need something more hands-on, so I give them these printable number lines to use.
Instead of using the chart, I have them take the numbers we’re working with and write each one on its own number line. Then, they can take each number and move it around to compare with the other numbers until they figure out which is the largest. They can continue moving the other numbers around to find the correct order.
Make it Fun!
After our lesson, one of my favorite ways for students to practice comparing whole numbers is with a variation of the “War” card game. Instead of playing cards, we use number cards. The rules are simple:
- Two students each place one card down at a time and compare with their partner.
- The student with the larger card keeps both and adds it to his or her deck.
- If they place the same card down, they have a “War.”
- Each student places three more cards face-down on the table.
- Then, they place a fourth card down face-up.
- The student who had the largest card gets to keep all ten cards currently on the table.
- To win, a student must take all of his or her partner’s cards.
You can do this activity with any number cards, but here is the “War” game I made. It’s separated into 3-digit, 4-digit, 5-digit, and 6-digit numbers.
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Mr. Nolan graduated in 2007 from Texas A&M and began teaching 5th grade math & science. Mrs. Nolan graduated from Baylor University in 2012 and earned her Master’s degree in English while teaching 4th grade. We’ve combined our collective 20+ years experience teaching upper-elementary to bring you the information and products found here on our website.
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