Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v5 - Grade 1

Lesson Video

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Performance objectives

• This week's lessons focus on building a strong foundation with numbers up to 20. For Grade 1 learners in South Africa, numbers are all around them. They see them on taxis, at the spaza shop when buying bread for R15, counting out coins, sharing sweets with friends, or even counting the players in a game of soccer in the park. This topic connects directly to their daily lives, making mathematics feel real and useful. By learning to count, order, and represent these numbers, learners develop essential number sense, which is the cornerstone for all future mathematical concepts like addition, subtraction, and problem-solving. This week, we move beyond just reciting numbers and focus on understanding the relationship between them.
• By the end of this week, learners will be able to:
• Count fluently: Confidently count forwards and backwards in 1s between 0 and 20, starting from any given number.
• Order numbers: Arrange a set of given numbers from 0 to 20 in order, from smallest to greatest (ascending) and greatest to smallest (descending).
• Identify adjacent numbers: Determine the number that is 'one more' or 'one less' than any given number up to 20.

Lesson summary

This week's lessons focus on building a strong foundation with numbers up to

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0. For Grade 1 learners in South Africa, numbers are all around them. They see them on taxis, at the spaza shop when buying bread for R15, counting out coins, sharing sweets with friends, or even counting the players in a game of soccer in the park. This topic connects directly to their daily lives, making mathematics feel real and useful. By learning to count, order, and represent these numbers, learners develop essential number sense, which is the cornerstone for all future mathematical concepts like addition, subtraction, and problem-solving.

Lesson notes

a) Counting Forwards and Backwards (0-20) Counting is more than just saying numbers in order. It's about understanding that each number is one more than the number before it. We practise counting forwards (getting bigger) and backwards (getting smaller).

Counting Forwards: When we count forwards, the numbers increase in value. For example, starting from 13, we count: 13, 14, 15, 16...

Counting Backwards: When we count backwards, the numbers decrease in value. This is important for learning subtraction later. For example, starting from 18, we count: 18, 17, 16, 15... A number line is a fantastic tool to help us see this. When we count forwards, we move to the right. When we count backwards, we move to the left.

Example: Sipho is playing a board game. His counter is on square

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1. He has to move forward 4 spaces. Where will he land?

Step 1: Start at

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1. Step 2: Count 4 numbers forward: 12 (one), 13 (two), 14 (three), 15 (four).

Answer: Sipho will land on square 15. b) Ordering Numbers (Smallest to Greatest & Greatest to Smallest) Ordering, or sequencing, means putting numbers in the correct place based on their value.

Smallest to Greatest (Ascending): We start with the number that has the least value and end with the number that has the greatest value.

Greatest to Smallest (Descending): We start with the number that has the greatest value and end with the number that has the least value.

Example: Three friends are selling vetkoek. Nomsa sold 16, Ben sold 9, and Lindiwe sold

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9. Let's order the numbers from smallest to greatest to see who sold the least and who sold the most.

Step 1: Look at the numbers: 16, 9,

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9. Step 2: Find the smallest number. 9 is smaller than 16 and

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9. Step 3: Look at the remaining numbers: 16 and 19. 16 comes before 19, so it is smaller.

Step 4: The biggest number left is

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9. Answer: The order from smallest to greatest is 9, 16,

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9. This means Ben sold the least and Lindiwe sold the most. c) One More and One Less This concept is the beginning of addition and subtraction.

One More: This means the number that comes directly after a given number. It's like adding

1. One Less: This means the number that comes directly before a given number. It's like taking 1 away.

Example: What is one more than 17?

Method: We can think about counting. The number that comes after 17 is

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8. Answer: One more than 17 is

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8. What is one less than 15?

Method: We can think about counting backwards. The number that comes before 15 is

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4. Answer: One less than 15 is 14. d) Representing Numbers We can show what a number means in different ways.

Concrete: Using real, physical objects we can touch. For example, 12 can be shown with 12 bottle tops.

Pictorial: Using drawings or pictures. For example, 12 can be shown by drawing 12 suns.

Symbolic: Using the number symbol (the numeral). For example, 12 is written as '12'.

Example: Show the number fourteen (14) in all three ways.

Concrete: Place 14 stones in a row.

Pictorial: Draw 14 triangles: Δ Δ Δ Δ Δ Δ Δ Δ Δ Δ Δ Δ Δ Δ Symbolic: Write the number: 14 Guided Practice (With Solutions)

Question 1: You have these four number cards: 17, 11, 20,

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4. Work with your partner to put them in order from greatest to smallest. Solution and

Commentary: Step 1: We look at all the numbers: 17, 11, 20,

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4. Step 2: We need to find the biggest number first because the question asks for 'greatest to smallest'. We can look at a number line or think about which number would come last if we were counting. The number 20 is the biggest.

Step 3: Now we look at the numbers left: 17, 11,

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4. The next biggest is

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7. Step 4: The numbers left are 11 and 14. 14 is bigger than

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1. Step 5: The last number, and the smallest, is

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1. Final Answer: The correct order from greatest to smallest is 20, 17, 14,

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1. Question 2: Thabo has 18 marbles. He loses one on his way home. How many marbles does he have now? What is one less than 18? Solution and

Commentary: Step 1: The question uses the word 'loses', which means the number will get smaller. It asks for 'one less'.

Step 2: We start with the number

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8. Step 3: To find one less, we count one number backwards from

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8. Step 4: Counting back from 18, we say "17".

Final Answer: Thabo has 17 marbles left. One less than 18 is

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7. Question 3: Draw a picture to show the number of players on a soccer team, which is

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1. Then, write the number symbol next to your drawing. Solution and

Commentary: Step 1: The number we need to represent is

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1. Step 2: We need to draw a picture. We can draw 11 stick people or 11 soccer balls.

Drawing: ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ Step 3: Next to the drawing, we write the number symbol for eleven.

Symbol: 11 Final Answer: The learner should have a drawing of 11 objects and the numeral '11' written beside it. This shows they can connect the quantity to the symbol. Independent Practice (Questions Only)

Fill in the missing numbers: 15, 16, ___, 18, ___,

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0. Count backwards from 19 to

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2. Write all the numbers. What number is one more than 14?