4th Grade · Number & Operations in Base Ten
4.NBT.A.3: Round large numbers to any place, like 6,812 to 7,000
4.NBT.A.3 is a 4th grade Common Core math standard in Number & Operations in Base Ten. Here’s what it really covers, and how you can help your students learn it.
By Robert “Bobby” BarnettMath teacher, parent, and founder of Bobby’s Math Club
The standard
Use place value understanding to round multi-digit whole numbers to any place.
In plain words
Round large numbers to any place, like 6,812 to 7,000.
Sample questions from student practice
These questions from Bobby's Math Club are the kinds of questions your students will see. You can try answering them to see what a student might see.
Question 1 of 3
A bakery baked 1,287 bagels last week. Round 1,287 to the nearest ten.
- 1,280
- 1,300
- 1,290
Where students can get stuck
- Looking at the wrong digit, such as the 1 in the tens place, and rounding 6,812 to the nearest thousand as 6,000.
- Changing the digits after the rounding place wrongly, writing 6,812 to the nearest hundred as 6,810 instead of 6,800.
- Getting stuck when rounding makes a carry, writing 3,962 to the nearest hundred as 3,1000 instead of 4,000.
Effective teaching strategies
- Place 6,812 on a number line between 6,000 and 7,000, mark the halfway point at 6,500, and ask students which thousand it is closer to.
- Have students circle the digit in the rounding place and underline the digit right after it, then explain what the underlined digit tells them to do.
- Round 3,962 to the nearest hundred on a number line and discuss why 39 hundreds plus 1 more hundred is 40 hundreds, or 4,000.
Units that teach this standard
Find where 4.NBT.A.3 lands in the program you teach. Each unit has a guide written for families. Unit names and order vary between editions and districts, so your school’s own materials have the exact sequence.
Bridges in Mathematics
enVision Mathematics
i-Ready Classroom Mathematics
Illustrative Mathematics
Don’t see your curriculum? Contact Bobby and we’ll see if we can help!
Share it with families
Families can read Rounding big numbers to any place for a plain-language look at this skill, with three questions to try together and ideas for helping at home.
Help every student practice place value at home
In Bobby's Math Club, students practice at just the right level, with a hint when they need one, a clear explanation after every question, and kid-friendly videos. Unlimited practice is free for every family.
See how it works for teachers
Written by Robert “Bobby” Barnett
Bobby is an award-winning math teacher, the author of Meet Every Learner’s Needs, and the father of two elementary-school math learners. He uses Bobby’s Math Club with his own kids a few times every week. Learn more or contact Bobby.