Cluster 3: Using Place Value to Compare Numbers

In this cluster, students continue to develop thinking in collections, by grouping together items of like size collections and  grouping by tens and showing the number of items as groups of ten and some more. Students make connections among representations including the symbolic number, the number word, and the number of tens and ones. Students use the language of equality and comparison such as greater than, less than, and the same value as, and equal to. At this time students are NOT expected to record the results of comparisons with the symbols < , >, and = but rather with the words “greater than” and “less than.” The symbols will be a focus in Cluster 4. Compare-difference unknown word problems are also introduced in this cluster. Students should use models to directly compare the quantities represented in the problem. (See About this Cluster and the Unpacking Document below for more details on this cluster.)