Placing Signs

Introduction

Placing Sign before Numbers is an activity aimed at making children understand the concepts of equal, greater than and lesser than. The symbols for these expressions =,> and < are used in these exercises. Children should be able to use these symbols. Children learn to compare numbers.

How is the activity organised?

The activity of comparing numbers has four levels. They are shown below.

Level one	Level two	Level three	Level four
Single digit numbers	Double-digit numbers	Three-digit numbers	Five-digit and four-digit numbers

In this activity, two numbers are displayed and the challenge is to put the appropriate sign =,> or < between the two numbers.

Tips for you, the parents.

You can observe how your child is performing this task. Does the child have any difficulty in understanding the expressions, “greater than” and “lesser than”? Is the child comfortable using the symbols =, > and <? If they have difficulty in using these symbols, take suitable remedial action. One remedy is to regularly dictate the three symbols and the child has to write the symbols. Regular practice is required.

Another problem area for the child could be related to the ordering of numbers. The child may have gaps in the understanding of sequence of numbers. A thorough understanding of place and place value is required.

Refer to the notes of related activities--- Write the number in the numerical form, Which number comes before, after and between? , Find the biggest and the smallest number. These are useful for teaching the skill required to do this activity of using the symbols, =, > and <.

Encourage your child to prepare questions to test you. Making questions is a great way of reinforcing the concepts learnt.

The internet offers worksheets on this topic. Some of these can be downloaded free.