Natalie Nickolas MT 243 Bulletin Board Narrative Place Value 4th/5th Grade

My bulletin board for this course pertains to the topic of place value, and is intended for a 4th/5th grade audience. This topic is found in chapter 2 of our book, which describes place value within our base-ten number system. Because the board is designed for upper elementary students, it seemed appropriate for the place values positions in this display to extend fairly far on both sides of the decimal point, providing students with more of a challenge rather than an introduction to the topic of place value. The board is interactive, inviting students to physically move a decimal point around and to flip cards open to see the answers hidden inside. The bulletin board is titled What is Place Value? and it immediately provides the definition as the value given to a digit based on its position within a number. The display includes labeled place values four digits in front and three digits following the decimal point. Below each place value position is a label depicting which power of 10 the place represents. The lower left quadrant of the bulletin board invites students to practice moving the decimal point to see the variety of ways a number can be described based on the position of the decimal. The number 62,579.351 is provided, and the board asks students to consider exactly how many ones, tens, hundreds, etc., are in the number. A hint is provided, urging students to find the place value position in question and to put the decimal point behind it. The decimal point itself is a small Velcro circle, and between each of the digits is a corresponding white Velcro circle. The original decimal point can be removed and repositioned in the number to help students determine how to rename the number based on the place value in question.

The lower right quadrant of the bulletin board is intended to give a real life example of how place value can be used. A printed one-dollar bill, ten-dollar bill, and one hundred-dollar bill are displayed, followed by questions of how many dollars, dimes, pennies, etc., can be found within the given monetary amount. The materials needed for this display include a border, a header, cardstock or construction paper, money images, and Velcro dots.