Maryland Math 5.NOS.A.1
The Standard
Explain that in a multi-digit number, a digit in one place represents 10 times as much as it represents in the place to its right and 1/10 of what it represents in the place to its left.
Maryland College and Career Ready Standards for Mathematics (2025) · UNDERSTAND THE PLACE VALUE SYSTEM.
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students name the value of a digit in a multi-digit number. They explain how its value compares with the same digit one place to the left or right.
What Mastery Looks Like
- In 4,444, a student explains that the 4 in the hundreds place is worth 400. That is ten times the value of the 4 in the tens place and one tenth the value of the 4 in the thousands place.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may say every 4 in 444 has the same value. Others reverse the direction and say a digit becomes worth ten times more when it moves right.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: In 5,555, what is the value of the 5 in the hundreds place? Explain how it compares with the 5s on either side.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Have pairs build 333 with base-ten blocks, then compare the values of the three groups of 3.
Write 6,666 on the board and ask, “How does the hundreds 6 compare with each neighboring 6?”
Show 333.3 on a chart; partners earn a point each time they name a 3's value and make a correct comparison.
Display a $22.22 price tag and ask students to compare the two 2s in the dollar amounts with the two 2s in the cents.
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Printable 5.NOS.A.1 Worksheet
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Related Standards
- K.NOS.C.9.b
Describe a given number as one ten and the correct number of ones (e.g., 13 is one ten and three ones).
- 1.NOS.B.3.b
Describe a given number as the correct number of tens and ones (e.g., 14 is one ten and four ones; 38 is three tens and eight ones).
- 4.NOS.A.2
Explain that in a multi-digit whole number, a digit in one place represents ten times what it represents in the place to its right (e.g., recognize that 700 ÷ 7...
- 4.NOS.B.4
Extend place value understanding and basic facts to multiply a multi-digit whole number by a multiple of ten.
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