Math lesson plan · 4th grade (Year 5 in England) · 30 minutes
Roman numerals
Number sense
England: Y3 Number and place valueEngland: Y4 Number and place valueEngland: Y5 Number and place value
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Roman numerals.
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: Hundreds, tens and ones
Leads to: the next skill in this area.
Materials: Place value chart, Base-ten blocks or a number line, Mini whiteboards and pens, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 4 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Hundreds, tens and ones). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- What is the value of the digit 1 in 155? → 100Prompt: Which place is the digit in: hundreds, tens or ones?
- Write as a number: 900 + 10 + 4 → 914Prompt: Each part fills one place: hundreds, tens, ones.
- What is the value of the digit 7 in 457? → 7Prompt: Which place is the digit in: hundreds, tens or ones?
Hook · 3 min
- Show a number in the news or a price tag and ask what each digit is worth.
- Share the objective: Roman numerals. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 7 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: What number is XV?
- Step 1: Split XV into parts and add them.
- Step 2: 15
- Answer: 15
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 6 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- What number is C? → 100Prompt: I is 1, V is 5, X is 10, L is 50 and C is 100.
- Write 1449 in Roman numerals. → MCDXLIXPrompt: Break the number into thousands, hundreds, tens and ones.
You do: independent practice · 7 min
- Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
- Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.
The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 3 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- What number is XLIX? → 49Prompt: I is 1, V is 5, X is 10, L is 50 and C is 100.
- Write 1149 in Roman numerals. → MCXLIXPrompt: Break the number into thousands, hundreds, tens and ones.
Watch out for
- Reading 1,045 as one thousand four hundred five: point to each place and say its value.
- Thinking a longer number is always bigger, even with decimals (0.45 vs 0.5).
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Hundreds, tens and ones.
- Use concrete materials: place value chart.
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/math/grade-4.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder