Expand Students’ Understanding of Expanded Notation

Whether you call it index notation, expanded notation or expanded form, learning to represent numbers by breaking them down is a key element of place value instruction. So, how do students remember the value of each digit? Classroom posters to the rescue!

The maths teachers on the Teach Starter team have created this simple visual reference tool to hang up in your classroom.  Available in an easy-to-print PDF or editable Google Slides format, the poster is available in full colour and black and white.

What Is Expanded Notation? A Kid-Friendly Definition

Do you need a kid-friendly definition to introduce expanded notation to your class? Here’s the one you’ll find right on the poster:

Expanded notation is writing a number to show the value of each digit. It represents a number as the sum of each of its digits multiplied by their place value (ones, tens, hundreds, etc.)

For example:

384 = 3 x 100 + 8 x 10 + 4 x 1

= 300 + 80 + 4

= 384

This resource was created by Brittany Kellogg, a teacher and Teach Starter Collaborator.

Expand Your Expanded Notation Lesson Plans

Fill up your lesson plans with ready-made resources for teaching this maths concept!

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Expanded Notation Dominoes (2-Digit Numbers)

Use this set of dominoes when learning how to match 2-digit numbers written in standard form and expanded form.

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Expanded Notation Dominoes (5-Digit Numbers)

Use this set of dominoes when learning how to match 5-digit numbers written in standard form and expanded form.

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Expanded Notation Dominoes (3-Digit Numbers)

Use this set of dominoes when learning how to match 3-digit numbers written in standard form and expanded form.