2nd Grade Place Value up to Thousands Worksheet: Value of the Underlined Digit

Ask a seven-year-old what the 7 in 7,201 is worth and you will often hear "seven." The digit looks small, so the value must be small too. This 2nd grade place value up to thousands worksheet shows why that answer is only half right. It opens with a worked example: 7,201 placed in a chart with thousands, hundreds, tens and ones, and the 7 turning into 7,000. Seven more numbers follow, from 598 to 8,428, each with one digit underlined. Your child writes the value of that digit beside the arrow. One of them has two underlined digits, which keeps everyone alert. A second page gives the answer key.

Why the same digit can be worth 8 or 8,000

Our number system uses only ten digits, so the place does all the work. A digit is worth more each time it moves one step to the left. That is place value, and it is the backbone of every calculation your child will do.

This page shows it clearly. The place value chart at the top splits 7,201 into four columns, then writes each value underneath: 7,000, 200, 0 and 1. That last row is the key idea.

The numbers below repeat it with a twist. In 1,926 the underlined 9 sits in the hundreds. In 2,214 the underlined 1 sits in the tens, so it is worth 10, not 1.

So the value of a digit always means digit plus place. Short rule, big idea.

At the table: the two 8s in 8,428

Item f, 8,428, holds two 8s. Many children see the first one and write 8,000, but the line sits under the last digit. Point to the line and ask, "Which 8 has the line under it?"

Item g brings the opposite surprise. In 2,214 the underlined digit is a 1, and some children simply copy 1. Ask, "How many places from the right is it?"

Item h underlines two digits, the 4 and the 7 in 4,017. Let your child give a value for each one.

Also, a quick sketch of the chart helps. For example, draw four boxes, write the number inside, and touch each box while saying thousands, hundreds, tens, ones. Then read the value aloud before writing it.

House numbers and a book about zero

Numbers with four digits are all around. On a walk, read house numbers or the year on a building and ask what one digit is worth. Prices, page numbers in a thick book, and the car's odometer all work too.

At home, write a four-digit numbers challenge on a sticky note, such as 3,505, and ask your child to point to the digit worth 500. Then swap roles and let them quiz you.

For a story, A Place for Zero by Angeline Sparagna LoPresti tells how Zero finds his job holding places in numbers. It fits well with the 0 in 7,201.

Finally, check the page with the answer key and praise the looking: "You checked which digit was underlined every time." Careful eyes matter.