Comet's Block Trick: Past 100,000

Learn Comet's block trick: make each small cube worth 10, and build numbers past 100,000 with just a few base-ten blocks. Students count blocks, see the same blocks grow ten times when the small cube's value changes, build 16,520 two ways, and finish with expanded form. Every direction is narrated, and each wrong answer gets a spoken hint before another try.

• 14 narrated scenes with base-ten blocks
• Builds with small cubes worth 1, 10 and 1,000
• A spoken hint after every wrong answer

• Read a number from base-ten blocks, and again when each small cube is worth 10.
• Build big numbers with fewer blocks by giving the small cube a bigger value.
• Write a number in expanded form, like 38,920 = 30,000 + 8,000 + 900 + 20.