Comparing and ordering numbers
Compare and order two-digit numbers, and numbers across 100 up to 120, using the symbols >, =, and <, based on place value understanding
Lesson
Set out your lesson
“Comparing and ordering numbers means lining up two-digit numbers—and numbers across 100 up to 120—with >, =, and < by thinking about place value, not guessing which “looks bigger.” We will compare a pair with place-value talk, write the symbol, order a short set that may cross 100, then check a fresh pair.”
Bring to the table
- Number cards or paper slips (for example 34, 43, 50, 50, 67, 76, 105, 112)
- Tens and ones materials or a quick sketch of tens/ones (parent keeps tiny pieces away from mouths)
- Paper and pencil for writing >, =, <
Extra for the adult
Worked example. 34 < 43 because 3 tens is less than 4 tens. 50 = 50. 98 < 112 because 112 has one hundred and 98 does not. Ordering follows place value first.
Optional challenge. For Comparing and ordering numbers, order five cards spanning below and above 100 (up to 120) and write two true statements using > and one using =. Optional: invent a wrong comparison and fix it with place-value words.
What to notice. Keep one parent note: pairs ordered/compared; symbols written; place-value reasons; support used. A photo of cards alone cannot record the reason. This session samples a few items, not mastery of every comparison to 120.
Share and support
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Teaching approaches
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1 approach
Comparing and ordering numbers means lining up two-digit numbers—and numbers across 100 up to 120—with >, =, and < by thinking about place value, not guessing which “looks bigger.” We will compare a pair with place-value talk, write the symbol, order a short set that may cross 100, then check a fresh pair.
Spend about 12 minutes comparing and ordering two-digit numbers and values up to 120 with place-value materials and >, =, <, then checking a new comparison.
Family records and proof options
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Learning resources
Extra practice links — they do not replace Gakuva’s teaching approach.
Illustrative Mathematics · Practice link — not the full lesson
Comparing Numbers
Before you open · source notes
Build two-digit numbers and compare tens and ones with inequality symbols. Paper spinners, dice, or adult-chosen digits can supply the numbers. The partner can be an adult.
Free, no sign-in. A teacher solution is on the same page, so use the student view with your child.
Before you openAsk which digit decides the comparison first. Spinners are a proposed family material, not a website widget confirmed by this GET.
Opening this link does not save learning or assess mastery.
Source, access and review notes
Public Illustrative Mathematics task page. The .html address responds HTTP 308 to this URL. An anonymous GET of this URL on 2026-11-10 returned HTTP 200 with no login or payment prompt. Where a teacher solution is present, it is on the same page as the student task; this check did not find a separate locked student view. An adult can use the student view section and should not read a solution aloud. Advertising was not observed in the fetched HTML text; that is not a browser, device, or ad-free guarantee. This is a paper or discussion task, not an automatically marked interactive game. Opening the link does not save practice or assess mastery. Diagrams on the page use missing or filename-only alt text, so they are not an accessible image equivalent. Accessibility still depends on an adult describing the picture.
Illustrative Mathematics. “Comparing Numbers.” Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. External task; Gakuva does not copy, host, embed, or redistribute it.
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — link only
Check understanding
- Correctly place > or < between 34 and 43
- Order a set of numbers from smallest to largest, including numbers either side of 100 (e.g. 98, 104, 111, 120)
- Explain a comparison by referring to the highest place value first — hundreds when comparing across 100 (e.g. 98 < 104 because 104 has 1 hundred), then tens and ones when needed
“If you show your child cards with 104, 98, 120 and 111, can they put them in order from smallest to largest — and use > or < correctly, such as 98 < 104?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Procedural
- Subject
- Mathematics
- Domain
- Number Representation & Place Value
- Age range
- Ages 3–8
Standards