Base 10 Blocks are a great tool for students as they explore the Base 10 system. The size relationships among the blocks make them idea for student understanding. Base 10 Blocks can be used for understanding operations with whole numbers, operations with decimals, rounding, place value, comparing numbers and many other topics in math related to the Base 10 system.
Let’s go over the names of each piece:
This is the notation for drawing Base 10 blocks on paper:
It is important to use the proper names for Base 10 blocks and not what they represent because what they represent can change. For example, a Flat when exploring whole numbers is often used to represent 100, but when we explore decimals, the flat is used to represent 1.
I like to do an activity with students where I say what a block is worth and students have to tell me what the other blocks are worth based on what I told them. For instance, “If a Rod is worth 100, what is each piece worth?” Unit- 10 Rod- 100 Flat- 1,000 Cube- 10,000
You will find lots of ways to use Base 10 blocks here on MathHandsOn.com. Happy exploring!