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Mastering the Internal Zero

Understanding the internal zero is a key element for success in place value concepts.

The Place Value Twister inherently maintains the internal zero when stacking the cups. Unlike other number cup resources, the Place Value Twister will always show the internal zeroes when a cup is omitted.


The concept is best taught by self discovery by the student as it can be an abstract concept to explain.

Use variations of the “Place Value Lucky Dip” lesson:

  • Instead of providing all the colour coded counters, remove a colour such as the green (hundreds).

  • Students will start compiling their cups and realise that there are no tens.

  • Stacking the cups without the hundreds will still show the internal zero of the thousands.

  • Explain to the student that there is still a tens value, but that number is zero!

  • The student then includes the tens cup and dialing the number to zero.


Use variations of the “Words to Numbers” and “Place Value Shootout” lessons:

  • Use numbers that have internal zeroes.

  • For example, provide numbers such as “Three hundred and five” or “Two thousand and seventy-five” which are numbers with a zero in the tens and hundreds respectively.

  • Have the students make the number with and without the cups with zeroes.

Use variations of games which involve trading such as “Place Value Bank”, “Place Value Lucky Dip” and “Place Value Blocks”:

  • Games with trading require the student to recognise that once they have 10 of each place value magnitude, they trade up.

  • Trading will often result in a cup having a zero value, which can be forced with by the teacher setting up specific questions or altering the distribution of resources.

  • After making a number, have the student call back the number but in partitioned form. For example, if they make the number 2018, have them call back “Two thousands, plus zero hundreds, plus one tens, plus eight ones”



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