B. Number · Number Sense: Numbers to 10 000, Fractions and Decimal TenthsReading, Writing and Using Numbers to 10 000
B1.1 A1About 35 minutes
Learning goals- I can read and write numbers up to 10 000 in numerals and in words.
- I can count by thousands to 10 000.
- I can describe how numbers are used in everyday life: to count, to measure, to name or label, and to tell the year.
- I can explain my thinking to someone else.
Words to know
thousand
1000. Ten hundreds make one thousand.
ten thousand
10 000. Ten thousands make ten thousand.
numeral
A number written with digits, like 4250.
number words
A number written in words, like four thousand two hundred fifty.
digit
One of the ten symbols 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9.
Remember from Grade 3
In Grade 3 you worked with numbers up to 1000. You learned that 10 ones make a ten, 10 tens make a hundred, and 10 hundreds make a thousand. In Grade 4 we go ten times farther, all the way to 10 000!
Let's start with a story
The town arena is having a hockey tournament. A sign at the door says: Seats: 4250.
How do we read that? We say: four thousand two hundred fifty.
That is a lot of people! In this lesson you will learn to read, write and use numbers this big.
An arena like this can hold thousands of people. A number like 4250 seats is read "four thousand two hundred fifty". AI-generated imageCounting by thousands
One thousand is 10 hundreds. When we count by thousands, the thousands digit goes up by 1 each time:
1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000, 7000, 8000, 9000, 10 000
After 9000 comes 10 000 (ten thousand). It is the first number with five digits.
Reading a four-digit number
Read a number like 4250 in two parts:
- Read the thousands: "four thousand".
- Then read the rest the way you did in Grade 3: "two hundred fifty".
All together: four thousand two hundred fifty.
We do not say "and" in whole numbers. We say "four thousand two hundred fifty", not "four thousand and two hundred fifty".
| Numeral | Number words |
|---|
| 1000 | one thousand |
| 3416 | three thousand four hundred sixteen |
| 5072 | five thousand seventy-two |
| 6900 | six thousand nine hundred |
| 8005 | eight thousand five |
| 10 000 | ten thousand |
Spaces in big numbers
In Canada, many math books leave a small space in numbers with five or more digits: 10 000. You might also see a comma: 10,000. They mean the same number. Four-digit numbers, like 4250, are usually written with no space.
Worked exampleExample 1: Read a number with a zero
Read 7038 out loud and write it in words.
- Thousands: 7, so "seven thousand".
- Hundreds: 0. We say nothing for the hundreds.
- The rest is 38: "thirty-eight".
seven thousand thirty-eight
Worked exampleExample 2: Words to numerals
Write six thousand four hundred nine as a numeral.
- Six thousand: write 6 in the thousands place.
- Four hundred: write 4 in the hundreds place.
- There are no tens, so write 0 in the tens place to hold it.
- Nine: write 9 in the ones place.
6409. Without the 0, it would say 649, which is a much smaller number!
How do we use numbers in everyday life?
Big numbers are everywhere. They do different jobs:
- Counting how many: 4250 seats in an arena, 1200 students in a big school.
- Measuring how much: a 2500 mL jug, a 1000 g bag of flour, a 3000 m ski trail.
- Money: a $1350 used snowmobile for sale.
- Naming or labelling: house number 1204, a bus route number, a hockey jersey number. These numbers are names. You can't add them up!
- Years: 2026. We read years in a special way: "twenty twenty-six".
Worked exampleExample 3: What job does the number do?
Tell what each number is used for: (a) 2026 on a calendar. (b) 1500 g of potatoes. (c) Apartment 1012. (d) 3200 people at a Canada Day concert.
- (a) 2026 tells the year.
- (b) 1500 g measures how heavy the potatoes are.
- (c) 1012 is a label. It names the apartment so visitors can find it.
- (d) 3200 counts how many people came.
Year, measure, label, count. Only counting and measuring numbers tell how many or how much.
Math talk
When you explain an answer, use full sentences: "I know 6409 has a 0 because there are no tens." Saying your thinking out loud helps you and the person listening. If you get stuck, take a breath and try one part at a time.
Just for funIf you counted out loud to 10 000, saying one number every second without stopping, it would take you about 2 hours and 47 minutes. Better bring a water bottle!
Hands-on activityBig number hunt
You need: grocery flyers, food packages, a calendar, a book with lots of pages, paper and a pencil.
- Hunt for numbers with four digits (like 1500 or 2026). Look at mass on packages (grams), prices of big items in flyers, years, page counts and addresses.
- Find at least 6 numbers. Write each one as a numeral and in words.
- Make a chart with four columns: Counts, Measures, Labels, Years. Put each number in the right column.
- Read your numbers to a grown-up. Explain why you put each one in its column.
Math talk: "Which of your numbers could you add together? Which ones would be silly to add?"
Your turn
1Read and write in words: 2581
two thousand five hundred eighty-one
2Read and write in words: 9040
nine thousand forty. There are no hundreds, so we say nothing for that place.
3Write as a numeral: five thousand three hundred twelve
4Write as a numeral: eight thousand six
8006. Zeros hold the hundreds and tens places.
5What number comes after 9999?
6Count by thousands from 3000 to 8000.
3000, 4000, 5000, 6000, 7000, 8000
7Is the number on a hockey jersey a count, a measure or a label?
A label. It names the player. It does not tell how many.
More practice: warm-up
2Write as a numeral: seven thousand
3Write as a numeral: ten thousand
5What comes next? 5000, 6000, 7000, ...
More practice: on your own
three thousand seventy-five. 0 hundreds, so we say nothing for the hundreds.
2Write as a numeral: six thousand eight hundred
6800. Zeros hold the tens and ones places.
3Write as a numeral: four thousand ninety
4090. There are no hundreds, so 0 goes in the hundreds place. Ninety is 9 tens.
4Count backward by thousands from 10 000 to 5000.
10 000, 9000, 8000, 7000, 6000, 5000. The thousands digit goes down by 1 each time.
5A bag of flour says 2500 g. Is 2500 used to count, to measure or as a label? Read the number in words.
It measures the mass. two thousand five hundred grams.
Challenge
1Sami wrote "two thousand thirty" as 230. What did he do wrong? What is the right numeral?
He forgot the zero that holds the hundreds place, so he only wrote three digits. Two thousand thirty has 2 thousands, 0 hundreds, 3 tens and 0 ones: 2030.
2Use the digits 5, 0, 0, 8 once each to write a number between 8000 and 9000. Then write it in words. (There is more than one answer.)
It must start with 8. Possible answers: 8005 (eight thousand five), 8050 (eight thousand fifty), 8500 (eight thousand five hundred).
3Find two numbers in your home: one that tells how many and one that is a label. Explain why adding two label numbers doesn't make sense.
Answers will vary. Example: 24 eggs in a carton (how many) and house number 1608 (label). Adding two house numbers gives a number that doesn't name any house and doesn't count anything, so it has no meaning.
Quiz
2. Which numeral is seven thousand forty?
3. What number comes right after 9999?
5. Counting by thousands: 6000, 7000, 8000, ___
6. How many digits does 10 000 have?
Big idea: The Ontario curriculum (B1.1) asks Grade 4 students to read, represent, compose and decompose whole numbers up to 10 000 and describe ways they are used in everyday life. This first lesson focuses on reading, writing and the everyday uses of numbers.
Common difficulties:
- Leaving out zeros (writing 230 for two thousand thirty, or 649 for six thousand four hundred nine). Have your child fill in all four places: thousands, hundreds, tens, ones.
- Saying "and" inside whole numbers ("four thousand and fifty"). Gently model "four thousand fifty". "And" will be used later for decimals.
- Thinking all numbers mean "how many". Point out labels (house numbers, jersey numbers) and years in daily life.
How to help: Read big numbers aloud together: prices of big items in flyers, page counts, kilometres on road signs, and the mass on food packages. Ask "Is this number counting, measuring, or naming something?" Strand A (social-emotional learning) is woven in: encourage your child to explain their thinking in full sentences and to keep going when a number looks tricky.