Base Ten Builders Teacher Guide Instructional Guide
BASE TEN BUILDERS
Comparing, Ordering, and Rounding Three-Digit Numbers
Target Target Date: 06/03/2027 IEP Resource
Objective
Students will compare, order, and round whole numbers up to 999 using place value models with teacher support in 4/5 trials.
Materials Needed
Place Value Builder Mats, Base Ten Blocks, Guided Worksheets, 5-Trial Tracker, dry-erase markers.
Key Accommodations
Color-coded columns, verbal modeling prompts, physical block manipulation, and a "rounding hill" graphic organizer.
1 Warm-Up: Building Numbers (5 Mins)
Reviewing standard, word, and expanded form of 3-digit numbers using the Builder Mat.
Teacher Script:
"Welcome, Base Ten Builders! Today we are building and comparing structures. Let's model the number 342. How many hundreds blocks do we need? That's right, 3. How many tens? 4. How many ones? 2. Let's lay them on our Builder Mat."
2 Explicit Instruction: Comparing (15 Mins)
Focusing on comparing from left to right: starting with the hundreds place.
Teacher Script & Verbal Prompts:
"When we compare, we always start with the largest room in our number house: the Hundreds Place. Let's look at 435 and 298. Put them side-by-side on your mats."
Step 2A: Look at Hundreds
"4 hundreds is more than 2 hundreds. So, 435 is greater than 298. We don't even need to check tens!"
Step 2B: Look at Tens (If Tie)
"If hundreds are the same, like 352 and 371, we check the tens. 7 tens is bigger than 5 tens!"
3 Guided Practice: Ordering (10 Mins)
Arranging three numbers from least to greatest using an anchoring number line.
Coaching Strategy:
Have students locate the smallest number first (the "lightest block") and the largest ("heaviest block"). Write them at opposite ends of the sorting line. Fill in the middle number. Use terms like: "Where does the middle-weight block fit?"
Unit: Whole Number Operations Page 1 of 2
Base Ten Builders Teacher Guide
Part 2: Rounding & Scaffolded Accommodation Matrix
4 Rounding: The Visual Rollercoaster Hill (15 Mins)
Explaining rounding to the nearest ten or hundred using a sensory hill analogy.
Teacher Script & Verbal Prompts:
"Imagine a tiny cart on a hill. Numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 are on the left slope. They don't have enough power to climb over, so they slide back down to the target 0 (or down to the starting number). Numbers 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are at the top and slide down to the other side (up to the next ten or hundred)!"
Tactile Cue for Student:
Have the student place their finger on the number line. Ask: "Is 43 closer to 40 or 50? Which path feels like a shorter slide down?"
Systematic Prompting Hierarchy (For the 4 out of 5 Goal)
To accurately measure the "with teacher support" criterion, follow this structured, fading prompt hierarchy. Document the level of support needed on the tracking sheet.
L1 Visual Prompt
Point to the place value builder mat, color-coded columns, or rounding hill visual chart. Keep verbal instructions minimal.
L2 Verbal Prompt
Ask leading questions: "Which number has more blocks in the hundreds place?" or "Is 7 greater than or less than 5?"
L3 Tactile Model
Physically demonstrate building both numbers with blocks and comparing them, then ask student to reproduce the steps.
Common Misconceptions & Intervention Tips
Comparing Right-to-Left: Student looks at ones place first (e.g., saying 289 > 311 because 9 > 1).Rounding Confusion: Rounding to nearest 10 instead of nearest 100 or vice versa.
Unit: Whole Number Operations Page 2 of 2
Base Ten Builders Visual Toolkit Hands-on Tool
PLACE VALUE BUILDER MAT
Name: ______________________
Date: _________
How to Build & Compare: 1. Write each number in a row. 2. Draw or place blocks in each column. 3. Compare from left to right (Hundreds, Tens, then Ones).
Number 1 Structure Draw or Place Blocks Below
Hundreds Flat
Tens Rod
Ones Unit
Number 1
COMPARE SYMBOL
<
>
Write <, >, or = above
Number 2
Number 2 Structure Draw or Place Blocks Below
Hundreds Flat
Tens Rod
Ones Unit
< Less Than
First is smaller
> Greater Than
First is bigger
= Equal To
Exactly the same
Unit: Whole Number Operations Page 1 of 2
Rounding Tool
THE ROUNDING ROLLERCOASTER
Desk Reference Sheet
The Rounding Rule
5
GO UP!
Previous Ten 0 Slide Back
1 2 3 4
6 7 8 9
Next Ten 10 Slide Forward
Rule 1: 4 or Less? Let it rest (rounds down) Rule 2: 5 or More? Raise the score (rounds up)
3-Step Rounding Blueprint
1
Find the Target
Find the place you want to round to. Draw a line under that digit.
438 (nearest 100)
2
Look to the Right
Draw an arrow pointing to the neighbor on the right.
4 → 38
3
Use the Hill
Is that neighbor 4 or less, or 5 or more? Round accordingly!
400 (3 is "let it rest")
Unit: Whole Number Operations Page 2 of 2
Base Ten Builders Practice Sheets Base Ten Builders: Practice Packet
Comparing Structures
Name: ______________________
Date: _________________
Builder Rule: Always compare the Hundreds Place first! If they are equal, move to the Tens, then the Ones.
A Draw & Compare (Use blocks if needed)
Compare the numbers using < , > , or = in the circle.
Structure 1 345
3H 4T 5O
Structure 2 329
3H 2T 9O
Structure 3 182
1H 8T 2O
Structure 4 201
2H 0T 1O
B Direct Number Challenge
Compare these number pairs directly. Write < , > , or = in the circle.
512
521
874
874
609
599
430
340
753
758
991
919
Need help? Use your Place Value Builder Mat to model the numbers!
Teacher Support level: L1 L2 L3
Unit: Whole Number Operations Page 1 of 3
Base Ten Builders: Practice Packet
Ordering Structures
Name: ______________________
Ordering Guide: To order, compare two numbers first, then add the third. Pay attention: are we going Least to Greatest or Greatest to Least ?
A Least to Greatest (Smallest to Biggest)
Order the three given numbers from least (on the left) to greatest (on the right).
421 241 412
709 790 701
B Greatest to Least (Biggest to Smallest)
Order the three given numbers from greatest (on the left) to least (on the right).
556 565 506
883 838 888
Teacher Support level: L1 L2 L3
Unit: Whole Number Operations Page 2 of 3
Base Ten Builders: Practice Packet
Rounding Structures
Name: ______________________
Rounding nearest 10
Look at the ones digit. 4 or less: round down. 5 or more: round up.
Rounding nearest 100
Look at the tens digit. 4 or less: round down. 5 or more: round up.
Base Ten Builders Progress Tracker Goal Assessment
Goal Mastery Check
IEP Goal Metric: Compare, order, & round whole numbers in 4/5 opportunities.
Name: ______________________
Date: _________________
Assessment Focus
5 Opportunities mapping directly to objective mastery thresholds.
Student Score Met 4 out of 5?
___ / 5
Yes No
1 Comparing: Lead Digit
Write < , > , or = to compare the numbers.
742
498
2 Comparing: Tiebreaker
Write < , > , or = to compare the numbers.
518
562
3 Ordering Three-Digit Numbers
321, 123, 231
Order these three numbers from Least to Greatest .
4 Rounding: Nearest Ten
Round the number 427 to the nearest ten.
427 →
5 Rounding: Nearest Hundred
Round the number 682 to the nearest hundred.
682 →
Teacher Support Log (For Grading)
L1 (Visual Cue) L2 (Verbal Prompt) L3 (Tactile Model)
Unit: Whole Number Operations Page 1 of 2
IEP PROGRESS LOG
Student: ______________________ | Target Mastery Date: 06/03/2027
Goal Metric Instructions
Record the student's progress over 5 discrete opportunities. For each date, list the score (out of 5 matching questions on Page 1) and note the primary accommodation / prompting level required. When student achieves 4/5 or higher with support, they have successfully met a goal threshold trial!
Date Score Met Goal? (4/5) Support Level Observations & Next Steps ___ / ___ / ___ ___ / 5 L1 L2 L3 Indep e.g., Struggled with tens tiebreaker... ___ / ___ / ___ ___ / 5 L1 L2 L3 Indep ___ / ___ / ___ ___ / 5 L1 L2 L3 Indep ___ / ___ / ___ ___ / 5 L1 L2 L3 Indep
