Comparing, ordering and writing numbers – Grade 4 math lesson
Lesson 11 of 26 in the Grade 4 math course
US version. US grades, US spelling and dollars ($). · UK Maths Department
A complete 45-minute lesson for grade 4 (ages 9–10) that runs on this page – at school or at home. Every answer is graded right away, with a worked explanation.
- Time
- 45 minutes + 20 min homework
- Grade
- Grade 4 (ages 9–10)
- You need
- Paper, a pencil and this page
- Graded
- Instantly, with explanations
For parents: how to use this lesson
You don't need to know this topic yourself. The lesson explains each step on screen, one tidy step at a time. Every answer is graded straight away with a worked explanation, so you never have to grade anything.
- Read what your child will learn and the big ideas together.
- Press Start the lesson below and sit with your child for the teaching and the worked examples (about 19 minutes).
- Let them do the practice on their own. They choose Getting started, On track or Challenge – start on On track and move up after a few right in a row.
- Finish with the exit ticket and the talk question: “Why is 10,001 greater than 9,999 even though its digits look smaller?”
- Later that day or the next day: the homework (20 minutes), then a practice test.
Watch out for
- Comparing the first digits of numbers with different numbers of digits (thinking 812 > 1,203). Count the digits first: more digits means a bigger whole number.
- Missing zeros when writing numbers from words. Write the number in a place value chart, filling empty columns with 0.
Tip for home: Compare the populations of towns or the prices of houses or cars.
What your child will learn
Learning goal: read, write, compare and order large numbers.
Success looks like
- I can compare two large numbers.
- I can order a set of numbers.
- I can read and write numbers in words and digits.
Key words
- place value
- what a digit is worth because of its position
- ascending
- from smallest to largest
- descending
- from largest to smallest
- digit
- one of the symbols 0 to 9
What to have ready
- Paper and a pencil
- This page on a computer, tablet or phone
- For the hands-on part: Write numbers on cards, shuffle them and race to put them in order. Read each one aloud.
The big ideas (for the adult)
To compare numbers, line them up by place value and compare the highest place first. Only move to the next place if the digits match.
To order a list, compare the numbers in pairs, or sort by the number of digits first, then by the first digit.
Read large numbers in groups of three digits from the left: 4,302,015 is four million, three hundred and two thousand and fifteen.
The lesson, step by step
| Part | Time | How it is checked |
|---|---|---|
| Starter: quick recall | 5 min | Graded by Classfern |
| Teaching input | 10 min | Not assessed, self-checked |
| Worked examples and guided practice | 9 min | Not assessed, graded by Classfern |
| Independent practice | 15 min | Graded by Classfern |
| Closure and exit ticket | 6 min | Graded by Classfern, self-checked |
Starter, "your turn", practice and exit ticket are graded by Classfern. Worked examples and teaching are not assessed. The hands-on task and the reflection are self-assessed. Explanations in talk are judged by the parent and not recorded.
The lesson
It runs here on the page. No sign-up and no names – progress is kept only in this browser.
Homework and practice at home
20 minutes: 10 practice questions, 3 multiple-choice questions and 2 to remember from earlier work, then a short reflection. New questions every time, all graded instantly.
More practice
More Grade 4 math lessons
- Factors and multiples
- Prime and composite numbers
- Multiplication and division
- Solving word problems
- Number patterns
- Place value: the value of each digit
- Rounding to the nearest 10, 100 or 1,000
- Adding with the standard algorithm
- Subtracting with the standard algorithm
- Decimals: tenths, hundredths and thousandths
- Equivalent fractions
- Adding and subtracting fractions with like denominators
- Fractions of a whole number
- Comparing and simplifying fractions
- Fractions, decimals and percentages
- Area of rectangles
- Perimeter
- Finding unknown angles
- Converting units of time
- Line plots
- Converting measurement units
- Measuring angles
- Classifying 2-D shapes
- Lines of symmetry
Curriculum
Common Core State Standards 4.NBT.A.2: “Read and write multi-digit whole numbers using base-ten numerals, number names, and expanded form. Compare two multi-digit numbers based on meanings of the digits in each place, using >, =, and < symbols to record the results of comparisons.”
Our lessons and questions are our own. They are not written or endorsed by any government department, testing agency or exam board.