The worksheet titled "Putting Three-Digit Numbers in Order Using Greater Than, Less Than Symbols" features squares with a list of four three-digit numbers. Below is a series of lines with either four greater-than symbols or four less-than symbols. Students must put the four three-digit numbers in order from smallest to greatest or greatest to smallest, depending on which symbol is used.

Some groups of three-digit numbers are tricky and require students to pay close attention to place value. In some cases, all the numbers in the hundreds place are the same, so they have to look at the tens place to compare numbers. Sometimes, the numbers in the tens place are the same, too, so they must look at the ones place to properly order the numbers. Doing this gives students practice comparing the digits in the largest place values before comparing the numbers in smaller place values.

Young students get pretty good at comparing single-digit numbers and knowing which one is bigger and which one is smaller. Eventually, they need a challenge, which means having them compare numbers with two, three, or even four digits.

For example, you can give students a list of four three-digit numbers and have them put the numbers in order. You can model how to look at the hundreds place to compare the numbers there first. If the numbers are the same, you can show students how to look at the tens place. If they're the same, they can look at the ones place.

Students can start by writing the numbers in a vertical list from biggest to smallest. Then, you can ask them to write their list from smallest to biggest. Eventually, you can introduce greater than and less than symbols and have them write the numbers from biggest to smallest or smallest to biggest from left to right, depending on which symbol they're using.