Is it Closer to 1,000 or 2,000?

Students locate numbers between 1,000 and 2,000 on an open number line. Then they determine whether the number is closer to 1,000 or 2,000. Students reflect on their work. Then they locate a final number between 1,000 and 2,000 on an open number line that has a tick mark in the middle. Students reflect on why the tick mark does or does not help them decide whether the number is closer to 1,000 or 2,000. The goal is to have a conversation that brings students to consider the importance of halfway points (benchmarks) when rounding numbers.

By Amy Duffy