When comparing three-digit numbers, look at the hundreds place first. If they're equal, look at the tens place; if still equal, look at the ones place. You can represent comparisons with symbols (<, >, =) or ordered lists (least to greatest).
Use base-ten blocks to visually compare quantities. Practice comparing numbers without blocks, verifying answers with blocks. Order sets of numbers and explain the reasoning.
You already know how place value works: in a three-digit number like 352, the 3 stands for 3 hundreds (300), the 5 stands for 5 tens (50), and the 2 stands for 2 ones (2). Comparing two numbers is really asking: which one represents a bigger total? The smartest way to find out is to start with the most powerful digit — the hundreds place — because a single hundred is worth more than all nine tens and nine ones combined (100 > 99).
Here is the rule: look left first. Compare the hundreds digits of the two numbers. If one is larger, that number is greater — and you are done. You never even need to look at the tens or ones. For example, 472 vs. 318: 4 hundreds beats 3 hundreds, so 472 > 318, full stop. Only when the hundreds digits are *equal* do you need to move right and compare the tens digits. And only if the tens are also equal do you look at the ones.
The symbols <, >, and = are shorthand for this comparison. The symbol always "opens toward" the larger number — think of it as a hungry mouth eating the bigger meal. So 472 > 318 means "472 is greater than 318." You can flip it and write 318 < 472 — same relationship, different direction. When you need to order several numbers — say, from least to greatest — you apply this same left-to-right comparison repeatedly, like sorting a hand of cards by color first, then by value within each color. Start by sorting on hundreds, then break ties with tens, then with ones. The result is a line of numbers from smallest to largest, each one checked systematically against its neighbors.