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Common Core Math4th GradeNumbers in Base Ten

4.NBT.1: Ten Times the Place to the Right

Also written as 4.NBT.A.1 and CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NBT.A.1 · Cluster: Generalize place value understanding for multi-digit whole numbers.

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The Official Wording

Recognize that in a multi-digit whole number, a digit in one place represents ten times what it represents in the place to its right. For example, recognize that 700 ÷ 70 = 10 by applying concepts of place value and division.

Common Core State Standards, Grade 4, Number & Operations in Base Ten · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026

What 4.NBT.1 Means in Plain English

Fourth graders see that a digit grows ten times over with each step to the left. In 3,333 the threes are worth 3, 30, 300 and 3,000, and each is ten of the one on its right: ten 300s make 3,000.

They connect it to division too: 600 ÷ 60 = 10, because 600 is ten 60s. It is also why multiplying by 10 shifts every digit one place left. In 5th grade the pattern runs both ways, one tenth to the right, and past the decimal point (5.NBT.1).

4.NBT.1 I Can Statements

  • I can tell what a digit is worth from its place.
  • I can show that 300 is ten 30s.
  • I can use place value to divide, like 600 ÷ 60.

4.NBT.1 Worked Example

One digit repeated across four places, so the only thing that changes is where it sits.

3,333 by place value
3Thousands
3Hundreds
3Tens
3Ones
Read the columns right to left: 3, 30, 300, 3,000. Each 3 is worth ten times the 3 just to its right. Ten 3s make 30, ten 30s make 300, ten 300s make 3,000. Divide to check: 3,000 ÷ 300 = 10.
3,000 + 300 + 30 + 3

three thousand, three hundred thirty-three

Common Mistakes with 4.NBT.1

Treating “ten times” as “ten more”

“300 is 10 more than 30”

Try this: Skip-count by 30 ten times: 30, 60, 90, up to 300. Ten 30s is 300, while 30 + 10 is only 40.

Naming the digit instead of its value

“In 3,333 the 3 in the hundreds place is worth 3”

Try this: Have students read the digit with its place name, “three hundreds,” then write its value, 300, under that column of the chart.

Calling places two apart “ten times”

“The 3 in 3,000 is ten times the 3 in 30”

Try this: Make one hop at a time on the chart. Two hops left is ten times ten, so 3,000 is a hundred times 30.

Where 4.NBT.1 Fits

Comes Before2.NBT.1Know that 100 is a bundle of ten tens.3.NBT.3Multiply one-digit numbers by multiples of 10, like 4 × 70.
Alongside4.NBT.2Read, write and compare multi-digit numbers in every form.4.NBT.5Multiply by place value, like 3,000 × 4 = 12,000.
Comes Next5.NBT.1Add the other direction: a digit is one tenth of what it is in the place to its left.5.NBT.2Explain the zeros when multiplying by 10, 100 or 1,000.

Practice 4.NBT.1

Math Worksheet GeneratorFree ToolValue-of-a-digit items at the 4th grade level, plus “how many times greater” questions, like the 6 in the thousands place of 6,600 against the 6 beside it.Grade 4Place valueAnswer key
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Quick Check

  1. In 5,555, what is the 5 in the hundreds place worth? How does it compare with the 5 to its right?
  2. What is 800 ÷ 80? Explain with place value.
  3. How many hundreds are in 4,000?

4.NBT.1: Other Names

4.NBT.14.NBT.A.1CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NBT.A.1

Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. Official wording from the Common Core State Standards PDFs at corestandards.org, last checked October 14, 2026. The explanation, I can statements, example, mistakes and practice on this page are EMStudio’s own, written beside the official wording. They are not part of the standard.