Greater than, less than, or equal to

Using the symbols greater than, less than, or equal to students will compare two-digit numbers.

The students need to understand what compare and symbols mean along with greater than, less than, and equal to and how each of them are represented. Once they have an understanding they will begin their activity with two students in each group.

By displaying the symbols of greater than, less than, and equal to the students will be given an opportunity to determine which one is which and how they know. To make this fun and interesting as the teacher I can explain that the "Alligator's mouth" always eats the largest number, therefore helping the student understand better and making it a fun activity at the same time. 

The students will be divided up equally into groups of two and one will draw two cards and lay them face down and they will place one of the following symbols (<, >, =) between the two cards for which they believe is correct. I will observe and evaluate each group and help them if they do not understand or are unsure. After doing this in a small group we will do this activity as a whole. I will have students volunteer one at a time to come up to the board and place the appropriate symbol between two cards that I randomly select. As a class we will discuss if we think it is right or wrong and why. After every student has had two opportunities to come up we will move on to taking the quiz individually.

The students will be given a 20 question quiz where they will have the option to circle which symbol best fits between two given numbers. The quiz should take the student about 15 minutes to complete and when they are finished it will be turned into an assigned tray. After each student completes his or her quiz they will sit at their desk quietly and read a book until all students have completed their quiz. Once all of the students turn their quiz in we will move to our next activity of the day until our next assigned day to work on greater than, less than, or equal to symbols.

Students will be given credit by the way they participate during this activity and be given bonus points on their quiz if they make a perfect score.

This assignment can be practiced twice a week for 30 minutes a day for two weeks or until the students understand how to properly use all three symbols. Once they have achieved this goal the next step would be being able to identify greater than, less than, or equal to with three-digit numbers.