Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v5 - Grade R

Numbers 0–10: counting forwards and backwards – Week 2 focus

Download the Lessonotes Mobile South Africa app for faster lesson access on Android and iPhone.

Subject: Mathematics

Class: Grade R

Term: 2nd Term

Week: 2

Theme: General lesson support

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

Lesson summary

This week, we're diving deeper into the exciting world of numbers! Specifically, we're focusing on counting forwards and backwards from 0 to

1

0. Learning to count isn't just about saying numbers; it's a building block for understanding how many of something we have, sharing fairly with our friends, and even helping our families when we go shopping! Imagine you're buying sweets at the tuck shop. Knowing how to count helps you make sure you get the right amount and pay the correct price! Counting also helps us understand time, like how many sleeps until our birthday or the next big soccer match.

Lesson notes

What does "counting forwards" mean? Counting forwards means saying the numbers in order, starting from a smaller number and moving towards a bigger number.

Think of it like climbing stairs: you start at the bottom (0) and go up, step by step, to the top (10). Each step is the next number. So, counting forwards is like saying: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,

1

0. What does "counting backwards" mean? Counting backwards is the opposite of counting forwards. It means saying the numbers in reverse order, starting from a bigger number and moving towards a smaller number.

It's like sliding down a slide: you start at the top (10) and slide down, getting closer to the ground (0). So, counting backwards is like saying: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,

0. Understanding "before" and "after": When we count, each number has a number that comes before it and a number that comes after it (except for 0 and 10 at the ends). The number after is always one more than the number we're looking at. The number before is always one less than the number we're looking at.

Worked example

Example 1: Counting Forwards with Stones

Let's say we have a pile of stones. We start with no stones (0). Then, we pick up one stone (1). Then another (2). We keep adding stones, one at a time, and counting: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4,

5. Each time we add a stone, we say the next number. Imagine these are small pebbles you found near the spruit!

Example 2: Counting Backwards with Sweets

Imagine you have 5 delicious sweets. You decide to eat one (now you have 4), then another (now you have 3), and so on.

We are counting backwards: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,

0. When you get to 0, you've eaten all the sweets!

Example 3: Finding the Number Before and After

Let's take the number

6. What number comes before 6? It's 5!

We can check by counting: ..., 4, 5, 6, ...

What number comes after 6? It's 7!

We can check by counting: ..., 6, 7, 8, ...

Example 4: Counting with Number Line

Imagine a number line (you can draw one on paper or in the sand). A number line is just a line with numbers written on it in order. To count forwards, you move to the right. To count backwards, you move to the left. If you start at 3 and count forwards 2 steps, you land on

5. If you start at 8 and count backwards 3 steps, you land on

5.

Guided Practice (With Solutions)