Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v5 - Grade 1

Lesson Video

This page supports the lesson note with a companion video and a short classroom-ready summary.

For class groups and homework, share this lesson page so learners also get the summary, objectives, and full lesson context.

Performance objectives

• Count forwards and backwards between 0 and 20.
• Order numbers from smallest to largest and largest to smallest.
• Show numbers using objects, drawings, and symbols.
• Find the number before and after a given number.
• Compare two groups of objects to see which has more or less.

Lesson summary

This week, we're going to become experts at working with numbers from 0 to 20! Knowing how to count, order, and show numbers is super important. Imagine you're helping your mom or dad at the spaza shop. You need to count the sweets to see how many to sell, or arrange the cool drinks in order of price. Or imagine sharing sweets with your friends – you need to know who gets how many! Understanding numbers helps us in so many ways every single day, from sharing toys to figuring out how many stickers we have.

Lesson notes

Let's dive into our number adventure!

Counting: Counting means saying the numbers in order, starting with one and going up (or down). When we count, each number comes after the one before it.

For example: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… are in order. Counting backwards is the opposite!

We start with a bigger number and go down: 5, 4, 3, 2,

1. Important: Zero (0) means "nothing" or "none." Ordering: Ordering numbers means putting them in the right sequence.

Ascending Order (Smallest to Largest):* Like climbing stairs! We start with the smallest number and get bigger and bigger: 2, 5, 8, 12,

1

9. Descending Order (Largest to Smallest):* Like sliding down a slide! We start with the biggest number and get smaller and smaller: 20, 15, 10, 6,

1. Representing: Representing numbers means showing them in different ways.

We can use: Concrete Objects:* Like using counters, beads, stones, or even your fingers to show a number. If you have 7 stones, you are representing the number

7. Drawings:* We can draw pictures to represent numbers. We can draw circles, squares, or even pictures of our favourite things! Five apples represents the number

5. Number Symbols:* These are the written numerals we use every day: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19,

2

0. Before and After: Each number (except 0 and 20 in this range) has a number that comes before it and a number that comes after it. What comes before 6? It's

5. What comes after 12? It's

1

3. Comparing: Comparing numbers means seeing which is bigger or smaller. We use words like "more than," "less than," or "the same as." If you have 8 crayons and your friend has 5 crayons, you have more than your friend. If your other friend has 10 stickers and you have 12 stickers, you have more than your friend.

Worked example

Counting Forwards: Let’s count forwards from 9 to 15: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14,

1

5. Explanation: We start with 9 and add one each time until we reach

1

5. Ordering: Let's order these numbers from smallest to largest: 13, 5, 9, 17,

2.

The smallest number is

2. The next smallest is

5. Then 9, then 13 and finally

1

7.

So, the ordered list is: 2, 5, 9, 13,

1

7. Explanation: We looked at each number and compared it to the others until we found the smallest one. Then, we repeated this process to find the next smallest, and so on.

Representing: Let’s represent the number 11 using drawings.

We can draw 11 stars: ★★★★★★★★★★.

Explanation: We drew one star for each "one" in the number eleven. Each star represents a unit.

Before and After: What number comes before 18? What number comes after 14?

The number before 18 is

1

7.

The number after 14 is

1

5. Explanation: The number before is one less than the given number. The number after is one more than the given number.

Comparing: You have a bag with 14 marbles, and your friend has a bag with 16 marbles. Who has more?

Your friend has more marbles. 16 is more than

1

4. Explanation: We compare the two numbers to see which is bigger. Because 16 comes later than 14 when counting forwards, it is the bigger number.

Guided Practice (With Solutions)

Question 1: Continue the number pattern: 7, 8, 9, ____, ____, ____.

Solution: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11,

1

2. Commentary: We are counting forwards, adding 1 to each number.

Question 2: Order these numbers from largest to smallest: 6, 18, 1, 12,

9. Solution: 18, 12, 9, 6,

1. Commentary: We start with the biggest number (18) and work our way down to the smallest (1).

Question 3: Represent the number 15 using circles.

Solution: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Commentary: We draw 15 circles, each representing one unit.