How to use this sheet

  • Have the child say the comparison as a sentence before writing a sign: "45 is greater than 38."
  • For close pairs, compare the tens first, then the ones only if the tens are the same.
  • Model the numbers with base ten blocks or quick drawings of tens and ones for any pair the child gets wrong.

Common mistakes

  • Reading the sign the wrong way, so 45 < 38 is read as "45 is greater". Remind the child that the sign opens toward the larger number.
  • Comparing only the last digit, so 29 seems greater than 41 because 9 is greater than 1. Ask "How many tens?" first.
  • Comparing 99 and 100 by the first digit, so 99 seems greater because 9 is greater than 1. Count the digits first.

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