The idea in brief. A digit is only a mark on the paper. What it is worth is the digit AND the place it sits in, so the same act runs every time: split the number into its place-value parts, name the place the digit sits in, then price the digit by multiplying it by what one of that place is worth. A silent column is still a column, and it is written as a nought.
Lesson video, with the working
Place value: the value of each digit
2 min 48 s
The film teaches 2 questions in turn. Each question shows first; its working is written as the film explains it.
5 ten thousands, 2 thousands, 0 hundreds, 6 tens and 7 ones
52 067 = 50 000 + 2000 + 60 + 7
Answer: 52 067
For parents
How can I help my child understand P4 place value?
Your child learns to read, write and represent whole numbers up to 100 000.
What your child learns here
Your child learns to read, write and represent whole numbers up to 100 000. The MOE Primary 4 outcomes name place values from ten thousands to ones, together with writing numbers in numerals and words. Understanding the value of each place helps your child explain a number, including places with no hundreds, tens or ones.
Distinguish a digit from its value: the same written digit represents different amounts in the tens, hundreds and thousands places.
Read a numeral from the greatest place and write its number words, keeping the thousands part separate from the hundreds, tens and ones.
Translate number words into a numeral, using a zero wherever a place has no value so that the other digits keep their positions.
Build an expanded form from the values of the digits, then add those values to recover the original whole number.
Rename groups when a quantity includes ten or more of one place, using the relationship that ten hundreds make one thousand.
Does the answer make sense?
After writing a number in expanded form, your child can add its parts and check that they recover the numeral exactly. For a numeral written from words, reading it back place by place should reproduce the same amount, including any empty places held by zeros.
How to practise these questions
The Basic question connects an expanded form with its numeral. Intermediate questions then move between words and numerals containing empty places, and distinguish a digit's position from its value. The Challenge questions combine place value with arranging digits or satisfying several digit clues, so your child needs to keep track of all the conditions. Ask for the value represented by each chosen digit before checking the final number. For a clue question that permits more than one answer, organise the possibilities and check that none has been missed. Review the worked solution after an attempt, then have your child explain the role of each zero without copying the steps. The multiple-choice Basic questions ask which number is made of given ten thousands, thousands, hundreds, tens and ones, where a digit has a given value, or which statement about a 5-digit number is true.
Questions parents ask
What does Primary 4 add to place value? Primary 4 extends whole numbers to 100 000 and names the ten thousands place alongside thousands, hundreds, tens and ones. Your child still uses the same ten-to-one relationship between neighbouring places, so knowledge of smaller numbers remains useful when the numeral becomes longer.
Why does my child leave zeros out when writing number words as digits? A zero may have no spoken word of its own, but it keeps the other digits in the right places. Ask your child to name the places before filling them. An unfilled hundreds place still needs a zero when there are digits on both sides of it.
Should I ask for the digit or the value of the digit? Use both questions and compare the answers. Asking for the digit identifies the symbol in a particular place; asking for its value identifies the amount it represents. Your child should be able to explain that distinction before moving on to comparisons between larger numbers.
