Primary 2 Maths — Three- and Four-Digit Numbers: a Tutor Lesson-Prep Guide (place value, comparing, counting on)

2026-11-10

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Primary maths

A pupil counts 799 and then writes 7900, and says 899 is bigger than 901. Both errors come from the same place: he still uses the rule that more digits always means a bigger number.

Objectives — By the end the pupil can: (1) say that the 4 in 472 sits in the hundreds place and is worth 400, and build 472 from four hundreds, seven tens and two ones; (2) compare 899 and 901 by counting digits first, then comparing hundreds, and answer 901; (3) count on in tens from 780 to 810 without skipping 790 or writing a four-digit number.

01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)

If any of these fails, fix it before the lesson starts.

Skill	Quick check	Pass mark
Place value of two-digit numbers	In 47, which place is the 4 in and what is it worth?	Tens place, worth 40
Counting 1 to 100	Count from 88 to 92	88, 89, 90, 91, 92
Comparing two-digit numbers	Which is larger, 68 or 71, and why?	71, because 7 tens beats 6 tens

02 Lesson flow (45 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
0-5 min	Error diagnosis	Write 799 and 899 on the board and ask for the next number and which is larger	Answers and gives a reason
5-12 min	Place value with objects	Build 472 with bundles of 100, bundles of ten and single sticks	Points out four bundles are 400
12-22 min	Three-act teaching	Deliver the scripts on place value, comparing and counting on, pausing after each act	Repeats the comparing rule in his own words
22-32 min	Worked examples	Model one question from each of the four types	Copies one and checks each digit
32-40 min	Independent practice	Hand out three questions, saying only: draw a place-value table if stuck	Works alone and writes the table
40-45 min	Exit check	Collect the three questions, mark them and note the error type	Says which place he got wrong

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: Place value: the same digit is worth different amounts

Hold up three digit cards: 4, 7, 2. Make 472 and ask what the 4 is worth. It is 400, because it sits in the hundreds place. Now move the 4 to the right and make 724; the same 4 is now worth only 4. The whole idea is one sentence: the digit tells you how many, the position tells you how much. Hundreds means how many hundreds, tens means how many tens, ones means how many ones. Have the pupil build 472 once with four hundreds, seven tens and two ones.

The digit tells you how many, the position tells you how much.

Scene 2: Comparing: count the digits first, then compare from the left

Write 99, 100, 899 and 901. Ask which is largest. Step one is always counting digits: 99 has two, the rest have three, so 99 is smallest. Among the three-digit numbers compare hundreds: 8, 8 and 9, so 901 wins. If a pupil says 899, it is because its digits look bigger. Make him say the rule: count the digits, then compare from the highest place, and stop at the first place that differs.

Count the digits, then compare from the hundreds.

Scene 3: Counting on: crossing a hundred needs zeros

Start at 780 and add ten each time. 780, 790, then 800, not 8 and not 7900. Show it in a place-value table: hundreds go from 7 to 8 while tens and ones both become zero. Cross again at 990 to 1000, where a fourth digit appears. Have the pupil count 780 to 810 out loud twice, stopping at 800 to ask what comes next.

Ten ones make one ten, so the table needs a zero.

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
Reading and place value	What is the 4 worth in 472?	Draw the place-value table: 4 hundreds, 7 tens, 2 ones	400
Comparing	Which is larger, 899 or 901?	Same number of digits, so compare hundreds: 8 against 9	901
Counting on	Count on three tens from 780	780 plus 10 is 790, then 800 after regrouping, then 810	790, 800, 810
Digit cards	Make the largest three-digit number from 3, 5, 8	Largest digit in hundreds, next in tens, smallest in ones	853

Sanity check (teach this): Sense check: a three-digit number lies between 100 and 999, and 472 minus 400 leaves 72, which matches the place values. 543 and 345 differ by 198, consistent with five hundreds minus three hundreds, less two. After 800 comes 801, so counting on in tens from 780 must give 810 third, never 7900, which is outside the range.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
Place value	What is the 6 worth in 607?	600, because it sits in the hundreds place
Comparing	Which is larger, 990 or 1009?	1009, because four digits beats three
Counting on	Count on three tens from 596	606, 616, 626, with the hundreds changing at 600
Digit cards	Make the smallest three-digit number from 3, 5, 8	358, smallest digit in the hundreds

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
Reading the digit, not the value	Says the 4 in 472 is 4	You are in the hundreds place, so you are worth 400. Saying 4 tells me the digit, not the value.
Comparing by how big the digits look	Says 899 is larger than 901	Both have three digits, so start at the hundreds: 8 against 9. Nine wins, so 901 is larger.
Skipping a number at the hundred	Counts 780, 800, 900	790 comes before 800. You skipped it, so let us count from 780 again.
Losing the zeros	Writes 800 as 8 or 8000	800 is eight hundreds, zero tens and zero ones, so the table needs all three places.

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

Primary 2 maths place-value practice — Section A, questions 1 to 4
Primary 2 maths comparing and counting — Section A, questions 5 to 8
Primary maths chapter index — All chapters in one table

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
What is the 4 worth in 472?	400	Answering 4 means place value is not secure; reteach act one
Which is larger, 899 or 901?	901	Answering 899 means comparing by digit size; reteach act two
Smallest number from 3, 5, 8	358	Answering 853 means the order is reversed; redo the digit-card task

09 Tutor FAQ

Why insist on a place-value table?

Because reading, comparing and counting errors all come from place. A pupil who writes hundreds, tens and ones will not turn 800 into 8.

Should Primary 2 meet four-digit numbers?

Yes, up to the boundary at 1000, because 999 plus one is 1000. Adding and subtracting four-digit numbers waits until Primary 3.

How long should the digit-card task take?

Five minutes is enough. The point is not the game but the sentence: why does this digit go in the hundreds place?

Find a tutor — free Tutor Registration →

A TutorZone lesson-prep guide. Written by the TutorZone team; questions and lesson flow are original and are not taken from any school or publisher material.