Part-whole models are used to help children to see the relationship between a number and its component parts.For example: 37 can be made up of 30 and 7It can also be made up in other ways, such as 27 and 10 or 20 and 17.

The key to working successfully with larger numbers is to understand that a digit’s value varies according to its position in that number. Place value grids are great at helping with this, as are part-whole models.

In Year 4 children are expected to work with 4-digit numbers. A good way to help children when looking at a 4-digit number is to not read it as a series of digits (like a telephone number eg three two four eight) but as the number three thousand two hundred and forty eight. The latter reinforces the place value.

We have a great selection of pages on partitioning and place value in Year 4, including our latest set on partitioning numbers using part-whole models.

Go to Year 4 Number