First class
During the month of October 1st class children will be learning about Counting, Numeration and Addition in their maths lessons.
Your child will continue to learn about numbers 11 – 20. They need to practice how to read, write and order the numbers.
Maths Language – Here is the vocabulary that the children will be learning:
- 14, 15,16, words fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, how many?, count on, count forwards, count backwards, number, numeral
- Add, make, combine, altogether, in total, How can we make 14, 15, 16? how many more do you need to make 14, 15, 16?
Practical games and activities – Here are some games to play at home:
- Go Fish (minimum two players required) – Place number cards on the table. Give your child a target e.g. Today we are making a total of 14’. Each player takes turns at picking up two cards. If the total is 14 they keep the cards. If not they place the cards face down back on the table. The person with the most cards at the end is the winner. (The next time the target could be 15).
*Challenge: This game can be made more difficult by combining three number cards that total 14/15.
- Problem solving – Pose simple addition problems (can be done orally)
Examples
(1) Granny has 8 sweets in her pocket. Dad has 6 sweets in his pocket? How many sweets have they altogether/in total?
(2) Jake has 8 football cards. How many more does he need to buy to have 14?
- Beat the Clock Give your child a number e.g. 16. Using a timer, give them 1 or 2 minutes to write down as many possible combinations that total to 16.
During the month of September 1st class children have been learning about Counting and Numeration and Addition in their maths lessons.
Maths Language – Here is the vocabulary that the children have learned:
- 11,12,13, words eleven, twelve, thirteen, how many? count on, count forwards, count backwards, number, numeral
- Add, make, combine, altogether, in total, how can we make 11, 12,13? how many more do you need to make 11,12,13?
The children have been and will continue to learn about numbers 11 – 20. They need to practise how to read, write and order the numbers.
Practical games and activities – Here are some games to play at home:
- Count objects around the home that are familiar to your child. E.g. apples, toy cars, cutlery etc.
- Count to 20 as you walk to the car, go up and down stairs etc.
- Place magnetic numbers on your fridge and your child can order them.
- Call out a number to your child and ask them how many more are needed to make 11,12,13.
- Using blocks/Lego explore all the number facts that make up eleven. Next, progress to 12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20.
- Play this game with your child. Both of you put your hands behind your back. Say this rhyme:
Add them together 1,2,3
How many fingers can you see?
Next, you both take your hands out again with some fingers showing and others hidden. Ask your child how many fingers there are altogether.
- Scavenger Hunt Give your child a number card, for example the number 11. He/she must look for groups of objects at home that make 11 e.g. 6 forks and 5 spoons.
- Board Games such as snakes and ladders are a great way of practising reading numbers on dice and counting forwards and backwards on the number line.
During the month of June 1st class children will be learning about Money, Capacity, Weight and Addition in their maths lessons.
Maths Language – Here is the vocabulary that the children will be learning:
Money coin, cent, price, euro, spend, sell, pay, buy, change, too much/little, enough, costs less/least, costs more/most, equals, exchange, cheap, cheaper, cheapest, more/most expensive, total, amount, altogether, same value as, how much?
Capacity full, empty, compare, estimate, measure, litre, container, holds more/less, capacity
Addition/ Skip counting/Group Counting how many?, altogether, total, count in twos, fives and tens, count on, count back, add, equals, plus, sum
Weight weight, heavy, heavier, heaviest, light, lighter, lightest, the same as, kilogram, appropriate, balance
Practical games and activities – Here are some games to play at home:
Money
- Set up a shop, practice-exchanging coins, and calculate change from 50c. Encourage the children to count on to the nearest 5c or 10c and use coins to calculate their change.
- Feely Bag: Place a variety of coins in a bag. The children extract a given number of coins and calculate the amount. When the children have mastered this, you can encourage them to calculate the change from 50c.
Capacity
- Your child should understand capacity through estimating, measuring and recording capacity using non-standard units and using a litre. Compare containers according to their capacity, estimate and measure the capacity of a container using non-standard units, estimate and measure a litre using different containers.
- Place different containers on the table – some small, some large (teaspoons, ladles, cups, bowls, jugs, saucepans, etc.) Ask your child, ‘Which holds more? ‘How do you know?’
- Using a number of different sized containers, investigate which hold more/less. Which object is best to investigate capacity, e.g. would you use an eggcup or a glass to find the capacity of a bucket?
- A litre: show your child a number of different litre containers but explain that all hold the same amount, even if the containers look different. Investigate this by using an eggcup or class to fill both.
Addition
- Ask the children what would you count in 2s, 5s and 10s-ears, fingers, toes, pairs of socks/shoes, etc.
- Use a 100 square and ask the children to colour or place counters on it to show stopping places when counting in 2s ,5s and 10s.
- Place a number of 2c coins in a container. The children find out how much money is in their container by skip container. Repeat this activity with 5c and 10c coins.
- Count in 2s, 5s and 10s around the room.
- Start with three bags of 10 marbles and then remove a bag of marbles. How many marbles are left now?
Weight
Revise what they have already learned about using a balance to investigate the weight of an object. Until now your child will only have used non-standard units e.g. cubes for measuring.
This year your child will be introduced to 1kg. Using a 1kg weight, e.g. a bag of sugar investigate the weight of different things at home. E.g. favourite toy, shoe, book, game, three apples, etc. Ask your child to estimate first if they think the object will be heavier or lighter than 1kg.
Ask your child some simple weight problems, e.g. if a bag of sugar weighs 1kg, how heavy would four bags of sugar weigh?
Select a range of items that all weigh 1kg. Investigate the fact that even though objects do not look the same they can weigh the same.
Remember: Hands on activities and lots of practice will help your child understand these concepts.
First class
During the month of May 1st class children will continue learning about Addition and Subtraction in their maths lessons. Ordinal Numbers and Spatial Awareness.
Maths Language – Here is the vocabulary that the children will be learning:
Addition – Tens, units, make, add, altogether, bundle of 10, stick of 10, combine, plus, count, notation board, abacus, estimate, how many?
Subtraction – tens, units, number, less than, more than, minus, take away, subtract, how many more, how many less? Difference between, forwards, backwards, symbol, sign, equals.
Ordinal Number – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, position, last, place, order, sequence
Spatial Awareness – between, underneath, on top of, around, through, left, ride, beside, above, below
Practical games and activities – Here are some games to play at home:
Addition
We will be learning more about addition. Renaming is used in addition where there are more than 9 units. For example, take 15 lollipop sticks. We bundle them together into a group of ten. We have now renamed the units. They have become I ten and 5 units. We do the same thing for written addition:
t u
2 9
+ 1 6 9 + 6=15, so we rename it as 1 ten and 5 units
We write the 5 in the unit’s column……
t u
2 9
+ 11 6
4 5
And the bundle of ten in the tens column.
Remind your child to always add the units first.
Encourage them to line up the numbers correctly underneath each other when writing an addition sum.
Encourage them to talk through their strategy (the methos they are using) while they are working.
Subtraction
The children use a 100 square to help them subtract in 10’s. To help them with this, make sure your child can count up and back in 10’s.
In class your child will be shown some ‘tricks’ to help them add and subtract more quickly using a 100 square. For example, they will learn that to add on 10 you simply jump to the number on the next line and to subtract 10 they simply jump back one line. Use a 100 square at home as the more you practise this with your child the more proficient they will become.
Ordinal Number
Revise the terms 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and last with your child – they discovered this in Junior and Senior Infants.
When you are in queue, for example at the shop or post office or waiting for the swings in the park. Point out the person who is first, second, fifth, seventh or last in the queue.
Have some races… who came first, third, sixth?
Who was the first person to put their plate in the sink/dishwasher? Who was the last to finish their dinner?
When you are on your way to school, discuss what your child did between waking up that morning and leaving for school. Ask them to put what they did in order; first, second, third, then last.
Race some toy cars. Discuss which car came first, second, third and so on.
Spatial Awareness
To help your child understand and use the language of spatial relations:
Place a toy e.g. a favourite teddy in various locations, talking aloud as you do so, e.g. above the books on the shelf, below the jigsaws, to the right of the fridge, to the left of the sink, underneath the bed, on top of the wardrobe, through the hula hoop, behind the radiator. Ask your child to place teddy somewhere and you describe his location – ‘I am behind the plant.’
Place teddy in funny/unusual place and ask your child ‘Where is teddy now?’
Hide an object and give your child clues to find it using the following vocabulary: above, below, near, far, right, left, through, behind, underneath, on top of, around, through
When on a journey describe the route you are taking.
Remember: Hands on activities and lots of practice will help your child understand these concepts.
First class
During the month of April 1st class children will continue learning about Addition and Subtraction in their maths lessons. They will also be learning about 3D Shapes, Ordinal Numbers and Spatial Awareness.
Maths Language – Here is the vocabulary that the children will be learning:
Addition – Tens, units, make, add, altogether, bundle of 10, stick of 10, combine, plus, count, notation board, abacus, estimate, how many?
Subtraction – tens, units, number, less than, more than, minus, take away, subtract, how many more, how many less? Difference between, forwards, backwards, symbol, sign, equals.
Ordinal Number – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, position, last, place, order, sequence
3D Shape – cube, cuboid, cylinder, sphere, 3D, 2D, shape, faces, edges, corners, slide, stack, roll
Spatial Awareness – between, underneath, on top of, around, through, left, ride, beside, above, below
Practical games and activities – Here are some games to play at home:
Addition
We will be learning more about addition. Renaming is used in addition where there are more than 9 units. For example, take 15 lollipop sticks. We bundle them together into a group of ten. We have now renamed the units. They have become I ten and 5 units. We do the same thing for written addition:
t u
2 9
+ 1 6 9 + 6=15, so we rename it as 1 ten and 5 units
We write the 5 in the unit’s column……
t u
2 9
+ 11 6
4 5
And the bundle of ten in the tens column.
Remind your child to always add the units first.
Encourage them to line up the numbers correctly underneath each other when writing an addition sum.
Encourage them to talk through their strategy (the methos they are using) while they are working.
Subtraction
The children use a 100 square to help them subtract in 10’s. To help them with this, make sure your child can count up and back in 10’s.
In class your child will be shown some ‘tricks’ to help them add and subtract more quickly using a 100 square. For example, they will learn that to add on 10 you simply jump to the number on the next line and to subtract 10 they simply jump back one line. Use a 100 square at home as the more you practise this with your child the more proficient they will become.
3D Shape
We will be learning about 3D Shapes: sphere, cylinder, cube and cuboid.
There are lots of these shapes in your kitchen cupboard. Allow your child to sort and play with these shapes. You could collect boxes to encourage imaginative play; your child can use them to make lots of interesting things, e.g. a house, an apartment block, a fence for horses to jump etc. This will help your child discover which shapes fit/do not fit together, which are best for stacking/building, etc. Count the numbers of corners and edges.
Discuss the use of 3D shapes in the environment – boxes, packets, containers, fish tanks, footballs etc.
Set up a simple slope or ramp to investigate which shapes roll or slide.
You can also draw around the sides (faces) of these shapes. This activity will help your child discover the 2D shape on the 3D shape.
Ordinal Number
Revise the terms 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and last with your child – they discovered this in Junior and Senior Infants.
When you are in queue, for example at the shop or post office or waiting for the swings in the park. Point out the person who is first, second, fifth, seventh or last in the queue.
Have some races… who came first, third, sixth?
Who was the first person to put their plate in the sink/dishwasher? Who was the last to finish their dinner?
When you are on your way to school, discuss what your child did between waking up that morning and leaving for school. Ask them to put what they did in order; first, second, third, then last.
Race some toy cars. Discuss which car came first, second, third and so on.
Spatial Awareness
To help your child understand and use the language of spatial relations:
Place a toy e.g. a favourite teddy in various locations, talking aloud as you do so, e.g. above the books on the shelf, below the jigsaws, to the right of the fridge, to the left of the sink, underneath the bed, on top of the wardrobe, through the hula hoop, behind the radiator. Ask your child to place teddy somewhere and you describe his location – ‘I am behind the plant.’
Place teddy in funny/unusual place and ask your child ‘Where is teddy now?’
Hide an object and give your child clues to find it using the following vocabulary: above, below, near, far, right, left, through, behind, underneath, on top of, around, through
When on a journey describe the route you are taking.
Remember: Hands on activities and lots of practice will help your child understand these concepts.
During the month of March 1st class children will be learning about Money and Length in their maths lessons. They will also be learning about Fractions and Place Value.
Maths Language – Here is the vocabulary that the children will be learning:
Money – money, coin, cent, price, euro, spend, sell, pay, buy, change, too much, too little, enough, costs less/least, costs more/most, equals, exchange, cheap, cheaper, cheapest, more/most expensive, total cost, amount, altogether, same value as, how much?
Length – long, short, longer, shorter, longest, shortest, small, big, smaller, bigger, smallest, biggest, tallest, span, count, how many?, metre stick, stride, estimate, shorter than 1 metre, about the same as 1 metre, longer than 1 metre, length, width, height, measure.
Fractions – whole, half, equal, parts, pieces, share, split, divide
Place Value – tens, units, number, place value, set, digit, altogether, separate, 100-square, group, more, less, on top of, over, beside, before, after, underneath, below, above, big, bigger, small, smaller, notation board, abacus
Practical games and activities – Here are some games to play at home:
Money
- Your child should be able to recognise 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cent coins and use coins up to 50cent.
- When shopping, ask your child what items can be bought with these coins. E.g. a bar costs 50 cents. Allow your child to pay for items using these coins.
- Show your child the prices on food when shopping.
- Play shop with your child using toys, cereal boxes etc. Price the items from 1 cent to 50 cents.
- When playing in the shop, allow your child to use the appropriate coins.
- Ask questions using the vocabulary associated with money:
How many coins have you got?
What coin/coins do you need to buy the book?
How much money do you have?
How much does the book cost?
How much did you spend?
What change did you get?
Have you too much/ too little money?
Through these experiences your child will learn the value of coins: 10c and 10c make 20c, 20c and 20c and 10c makes 50c, also 10c + 10c + 10c + 10c + 10c = 50c.
Encourage your child to count on to find the change. If a bar costs 18c and you have a 20c coin, count on from 18 to find the change: 18c and 2c more make 20c, so the change is 2c.
Some children find this concept quite difficult, but given lots of shopping opportunities (real and imaginary) your child will grasp it.
Length
- Compare objects in the home and outdoors, e.g. ask your child to identify the taller/shorter tree.
- Compare roads, paths, bridges, rivers, the spines of books, slices of cake etc. Identify the widest/wider/ narrowest/ narrower.
- Compare scarves, pieces of playdough, pencils, trousers, tights, socks, dresses, kitchen utensils etc. Identify the longest/longer/shortest/shorter.
- Ask your child to find an item that is as long as/ as wide as/ as short as/ as tall as/ as narrow as the item you have.
- The language of length can easily be included in conversation when you are walking in the park, for example. Compare as many different things as you can to broaden the concept.
- Use a one metre measure of string or a metre stick to investigate the length of rooms at home, the garden, the front door etc. Ask your child to estimate their answer first before measuring.
- Discuss different rooms, houses, gardens, e.g. ‘Is Granny’s garden longer or shorter than ours? If our garden is 12 metres long, how long do you think Granny’s would be?
Fractions
- The concept of half is best taught through lots of hands on activities. Involve your child in cutting vegetables, fruit, cake etc. into halves. Clearly show that two halves make up 1 whole. Take the 2 halves apart and put them back together, showing that the whole is made up of 2 halves.
- Draw some shapes, ask your child to cut them out and fold them in half. Emphasise that both sides must be exactly the same.
- Your child finds half of different numbers. This must be investigated in a practical way. Using up to 20 objects get your child to divide them into 2 halves. Clearly explain that both halves must have the same number of objects in them.
- Get your child to halve a selection of his/her toys or sweets.
- Ask your child to divide an apple, orange, bar of chocolate between them and their friend.
- The more of these activities you do the clearer this concept will become to your child.
Place Value
- The children are now moving on to looking at bigger numbers, up to 99.
- It is important that your child can count in 10’s to help them work with bigger numbers.
- We will be using notation boards and the abacus. Write a number on a page and ask your child to fill in the correct number of tens and units on the notation board or abacus.
- When out walking look at the numbers on the houses in your neighbourhood. Ask your child to tell you the number of tens and units in each number.
Remember: Hands on activities and lots of practice will help your child understand these concepts.
First class
During the month of February 1st class children will be learning about Addition and Subtraction in their maths lessons.
Maths Language – Here is the vocabulary that the children will be learning:
Addition – Tens, units, make, add, altogether, bundle of 10, stick of 10, combine, plus, count, notation board, abacus, how many?
Subtraction – tens, units, number, less than, more than, minus, take away, subtract, how many more, how many less? Difference between, forwards, backwards, symbol, sign, equals.
Practical games and activities – Here are some games to play at home:
Addition
- Practice quick fire questions. Say a number to your child and ask them to tell you the number that can be added to it to make 50, e.g. you say ‘20’, then your child answers ‘30’, because 20 + 30 = 50
- Keep it simple and give them time to work it out. Include zero and make sure they can add zero to various numbers.
Subtraction
- Your child has been introduced to subtraction using the language ‘take away’. This lends itself very well to number stories and number sentences that you can do at home. For Example: You have 10 crayons. Take away 5 of them. How many are left?
- Do this as often as you can with your child using many different examples. Place the objects you are discussing on the table and physically take them away to illustrate the point.
- The children were also introduced to the symbol ‘-‘. Practise using this symbol it will really help your child. Again use concrete materials (real objects) but write down each sum to show your child that the – symbol means take away.
- In school your child will use a number strip to help them complete these tasks, so lots of practise with a number strip will benefit your child. Clearly show them that we put our finger on the bigger number and jump backwards on the strip. For Example: 9 – 4: start with your finger on 9 and count back 4 jumps. Where do you land?
- When your child is comfortable with numbers up to 10 continue to 20, again using a number strip. Lots of practise at home will help your child, e.g. 17 – 8 = ?
- Your child has also explored simple word problems. Use family members to help create simple word problems e.g. Daddy had 18 sweets. He gave 6 to Mummy. How many had he left?
Remember: Hands on activities and lots of practise will help your child understand these concepts.
First class
During the month of January, First class children will be learning about Time, Subtraction, Comparing and Ordering and Counting and Numeration/100 square in their maths lessons.
Maths Language – Here is the vocabulary that the children will be learning:
- Time – days of the week, months of the year, seasons, before, after, early, late, earlier, later, next, yesterday, tomorrow, school day, weekend, morning, afternoon, evening, night, minute, calendar.
- Subtraction – tens, units, number, less than, more than, minus, take away, subtract, forwards, backwards, symbol, sign, equals, how many did you have? How many did you take away? How many have you left?
- Comparing and Ordering – more than, less than, equals, the same as, higher, lower, bigger, smaller, symbol, greater than, true, false, correct, number sentence.
- Counting and Numeration – 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, odd, even, colour, fill in, what comes before/after? what comes between? Row, column. Ten, units, number, numeral, and, add, is the same as, makes, is equal to, count on, count back, 1/2/3 etc. How many more do I need to make? How many is that altogether?
Practical games and activities – Here are some games to play at home:
Subtraction
- Your child will be introduced to the concept of subtraction using the language take away. You can explore this at home, for example: you have 10 crayons. Take away 5 of them. How many are left? Start with numbers up to 10 only.
- Do this as often as you can with your child using different examples. Place the objects on the table and physically take them away to illustrate the point.
- Your child will also be introduced to the symbol – (‘take away’). Doing some practice using this symbol will really help your child. Use concrete materials, write down each sum using the ‘take away’ symbol -.
- In school your child uses a number line/strip. We put our finger on the bigger number and jump backwards on the line/strip. For example, 9-4: Start with your finger on 9 and count back 4 jumps. Where do you land?
- Your child will also explore word problems. Use family members to help create word problems your child can complete, e.g. ‘Daddy had 8 sweets. He gave 6 to Mammy. How many had he left?’
- Remember: hand-on activities and lots of practice will help your child to understand this concept.
Comparing and Ordering
- More than/ less than – use concrete materials to illustrate this concept. E.g. Use 10 grapes and 7 grapes and position the grapes in two rows directly underneath each other. This will clearly show your child that 10 is more than 7 and your child will see that there are 3 more in the 10 row. Therefore 10 is more than 7 by 3. Repeat this process for less than and how many less than.
- Get some everyday items – cutlery, pens, toys, socks, books, etc. You will need some plates/boxes/baskets. Place 1 spoon on 1 plate; place 2 socks on another; continue with 3 pens, 4 books etc. Your child must first match number cards to the corresponding sets and then put the sets in order starting with 0 and finishing with 20.
- Repeat this several times using as many different objects as possible. Try reversing the order: start with 20 and finish with 0.
- Using these objects, discuss whether there are more or fewer spoons, socks etc. Then investigate how many more or fewer there are of each object. It is a good idea to use only two numbers at a time when investigating more and less than in each set.
Counting and Numeration/ 100 Square
- Counting on/back 100 square game: The child is given a hundred square and must follow your instructions for counting on/back from a base number. For example, start at 21. Count on 5. What number are you on now?
- Play board games with numbers up to 100 e.g. snakes and ladders.
Time
- Sing songs and say rhymes about time. (See below)
- Record important events on a calendar, e.g. birthdays, holidays, Easter etc. Countdown to events using the calendar – how many months/weeks/days?
- Record the child’s schedule on a daily calendar.
- Discuss the season when out and about – point out signs of winter/spring etc.
Songs and Rhymes
Seasons
(Tune: ‘This Old Man’)
Winter, spring, summer, fall
There are seasons, 4 in all.
Weather changes, sun and rain, and snow,
Leaves fall down and flowers grow.
Winter, spring, summer, fall
There are seasons, 4 in all.
Look outside and you will see
Just what season it will be!
Mrs Duck Says
On Sunday I swim in the lake,
On Monday, I watch the waves I make.
On Tuesday, I have lots of fun,
On Wednesday, I sit all day in the sun.
On Thursday I dive upside down,
On Friday, I waddle off to town.
Sometimes on Saturday, I just lie down.
The Months of the Year
January, February, March,
Time for buds on the larch.
April, May, June,
School holidays will be here soon.
July, August, September,
Hear the woodcutter shout ‘Timber!’
October, November, December,
Hope Santa will remember.
First class
During the month of December 1st class children are learning about Counting and Numeration, Algebra and Data in their maths lessons.
Maths Language – Here is the vocabulary that the children will be learning:
- Counting and Numeration – Ten, unit, place value, set, digit, altogether, separate, group, more, less, on top of, over, beside, before, after, underneath, below, above, big, bigger, small, smaller, count, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, 20, 30, 40, 50.
- Algebra – Pattern, what comes next? Recognise, jump on, 100 square, odd and even, beside, before, after, above, under.
- Data – sort, more, less, the same, popular, altogether, favourite, order, most, least, how many more? How many less?
Practical games and activities – Here are some games to play at home:
Counting and Numeration
- Count objects found in the home that are familiar to your child e.g. apples, toy cars, cutlery etc.
- Talk to your child about what you see while on a journey or going for a walk, e.g. There are 30 cars in the carpark. Count shells on the beach.
- Play snakes and ladders and other board games with numbers up to 100.
- Number Cards- Make number cards with the numbers 1 to 99 written on them. Ask your child to give you the card with number 36 on it, continue with the other numbers. Turn the cards upside down and ask your child to select one and tell you the number on it. Ask what numbers come before/after it.
Algebra
- Identify patterns in the home e.g. carpets, flooring, curtains, wallpaper etc.
- Discuss what odd and even numbers are – Use objects the child is familiar with to help them understand this, e.g. matching socks – see how many even pairs there are and if there are any odd socks.
- Show how an even number can be divided out evenly. For example, divide 4 sweets equally between you and your child. 4 is an even number. Do the same with 7 sweets. There is 1 left over. 7 is an odd number.
Data
- Ask your child to sort the clothes as you take them out of the dryer or off the line. They may decide to sort them into socks, t-shirts, trousers etc.
- When tidying up toys ask your child to sort them into different categories e.g. red toys, big toys, plastic toys, toy cars, wooden toys, teddy bears, dolls etc.
- Carry out a survey based on favourite family desserts. Use paper and some crayons to record the results on a pictogram. (A pictogram uses pictures to record data). Discuss the results of the survey asking questions: Which dessert was the most/least popular? How do you know? How many prefer ___ than ___?
During the month of November first class children will continue to be learning about Counting and Numeration and Addition in their maths lessons.
Maths Language – Here is the vocabulary that the children will be learning:
- 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty
- how many?, count on, count forwards, count backwards, number, numeral
- Add, make, combine, altogether, in total, form, jump forward, how can we make 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20? How many more do you need to make 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20?
- Double, near double, double plus one
Practical games and activities – Here are some games to play at home:
- Double Trouble Place number cards face down on the table. The children take turns to pick 2 cards, looking for doubles. When they find 2 cards that are the same they must total them correctly to keep the cards. If they answer incorrectly the cards are returned to the table. The child with the most cards at the end is the winner.
- Beat the clock Give children a number e.g. 20 Using a timer, give them 1 or 2 minutes to write down as many different combinations as possible to total to 20.
- Doubles Rap
It’s the doubles rap, baby.
Let’s go! Let’s go!
It’s the doubles rap, baby
And we’ll start with zero!
0+0=0 Yo!
1+1=2 Ooooh
2+2=4 More
3+3=6 Kicks
4+4=8 Great
5+5=10 Again!
6+6=12 that’s swell
7+7=14 let’s lean
8+8=16 you’re supreme
9+9=18 Jellybean
10+10=20 that’s plenty
During the month of October 1st class children will be learning about Counting, Numeration and Addition in their maths lessons.
Your child will continue to learn about numbers 11 – 20. They need to practice how to read, write and order the numbers.
Maths Language – Here is the vocabulary that the children will be learning:
- 14, 15,16, words fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, how many?, count on, count forwards, count backwards, number, numeral
- Add, make, combine, altogether, in total, How can we make 14, 15, 16? how many more do you need to make 14, 15, 16?
Practical games and activities – Here are some games to play at home:
- Go Fish (minimum two players required) – Place number cards on the table. Give your child a target e.g. Today we are making a total of 14’. Each player takes turns at picking up two cards. If the total is 14 they keep the cards. If not they place the cards face down back on the table. The person with the most cards at the end is the winner. (The next time the target could be 15).
*Challenge: This game can be made more difficult by combining three number cards that total 14/15.
- Problem solving – Pose simple addition problems (can be done orally)
Examples
(1) Granny has 8 sweets in her pocket. Dad has 6 sweets in his pocket? How many sweets have they altogether/in total?
(2) Jake has 8 football cards. How many more does he need to buy to have 14?
- Beat the Clock Give your child a number e.g. 16. Using a timer, give them 1 or 2 minutes to write down as many possible combinations that total to 16.
First class
During the month of September 1st class children have been learning about Counting and Numeration and Addition in their maths lessons.
Maths Language – Here is the vocabulary that the children have learned:
- 11,12,13, words eleven, twelve, thirteen, how many? count on, count forwards, count backwards, number, numeral
- Add, make, combine, altogether, in total, how can we make 11, 12,13? how many more do you need to make 11,12,13?
The children have been and will continue to learn about numbers 11 – 20. They need to practise how to read, write and order the numbers.
Practical games and activities – Here are some games to play at home:
- Count objects around the home that are familiar to your child. E.g. apples, toy cars, cutlery etc.
- Count to 20 as you walk to the car, go up and down stairs etc.
- Place magnetic numbers on your fridge and your child can order them.
- Call out a number to your child and ask them how many more are needed to make 11,12,13.
- Using blocks/Lego explore all the number facts that make up eleven. Next, progress to 12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20.
- Play this game with your child. Both of you put your hands behind your back. Say this rhyme:
Add them together 1,2,3
How many fingers can you see?
Next, you both take your hands out again with some fingers showing and others hidden. Ask your child how many fingers there are altogether.
- Scavenger Hunt Give your child a number card, for example the number 11. He/she must look for groups of objects at home that make 11 e.g. 6 forks and 5 spoons.
- Board Games such as snakes and ladders are a great way of practising reading numbers on dice and counting forwards and backwards on the number line.
During the month of May 1st class children will continue learning about Addition and Subtraction in their maths lessons. They will also be learning about 3D Shapes, Ordinal Numbers and Spatial Awareness.
Maths Language – Here is the vocabulary that the children will be learning:
Addition – Tens, units, make, add, altogether, bundle of 10, stick of 10, combine, plus, count, notation board, abacus, estimate, how many?
Subtraction – tens, units, number, less than, more than, minus, take away, subtract, how many more, how many less? Difference between, forwards, backwards, symbol, sign, equals.
Ordinal Number – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, position, last, place, order, sequence
3D Shape – cube, cuboid, cylinder, sphere, 3D, 2D, shape, faces, edges, corners, slide, stack, roll
Spatial Awareness – between, underneath, on top of, around, through, left, ride, beside, above, below
Practical games and activities – Here are some games to play at home:
Addition
We will be learning more about addition. Renaming is used in addition where there are more than 9 units. For example, take 15 lollipop sticks. We bundle them together into a group of ten. We have now renamed the units. They have become I ten and 5 units. We do the same thing for written addition:
t u
2 9
+ 1 6 9 + 6=15, so we rename it as 1 ten and 5 units
We write the 5 in the unit’s column……
t u
2 9
+ 11 6
4 5
And the bundle of ten in the tens column.
Remind your child to always add the units first.
Encourage them to line up the numbers correctly underneath each other when writing an addition sum.
Encourage them to talk through their strategy (the methos they are using) while they are working.
Subtraction
The children use a 100 square to help them subtract in 10’s. To help them with this, make sure your child can count up and back in 10’s.
In class your child will be shown some ‘tricks’ to help them add and subtract more quickly using a 100 square. For example, they will learn that to add on 10 you simply jump to the number on the next line and to subtract 10 they simply jump back one line. Use a 100 square at home as the more you practise this with your child the more proficient they will become.
3D Shape
We will be learning about 3D Shapes: sphere, cylinder, cube and cuboid.
There are lots of these shapes in your kitchen cupboard. Allow your child to sort and play with these shapes. You could collect boxes to encourage imaginative play; your child can use them to make lots of interesting things, e.g. a house, an apartment block, a fence for horses to jump etc. This will help your child discover which shapes fit/do not fit together, which are best for stacking/building, etc. Count the numbers of corners and edges.
Discuss the use of 3D shapes in the environment – boxes, packets, containers, fish tanks, footballs etc.
Set up a simple slope or ramp to investigate which shapes roll or slide.
You can also draw around the sides (faces) of these shapes. This activity will help your child discover the 2D shape on the 3D shape.
Ordinal Number
Revise the terms 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and last with your child – they discovered this in Junior and Senior Infants.
When you are in queue, for example at the shop or post office or waiting for the swings in the park. Point out the person who is first, second, fifth, seventh or last in the queue.
Have some races… who came first, third, sixth?
Who was the first person to put their plate in the sink/dishwasher? Who was the last to finish their dinner?
When you are on your way to school, discuss what your child did between waking up that morning and leaving for school. Ask them to put what they did in order; first, second, third, then last.
Race some toy cars. Discuss which car came first, second, third and so on.
Spatial Awareness
To help your child understand and use the language of spatial relations:
Place a toy e.g. a favourite teddy in various locations, talking aloud as you do so, e.g. above the books on the shelf, below the jigsaws, to the right of the fridge, to the left of the sink, underneath the bed, on top of the wardrobe, through the hula hoop, behind the radiator. Ask your child to place teddy somewhere and you describe his location – ‘I am behind the plant.’
Place teddy in funny/unusual place and ask your child ‘Where is teddy now?’
Hide an object and give your child clues to find it using the following vocabulary: above, below, near, far, right, left, through, behind, underneath, on top of, around, through
When on a journey describe the route you are taking.
Remember: Hands on activities and lots of practice will help your child understand these concepts.
During the month of April 1st class children will continue learning about Addition and Subtraction in their maths lessons. They will also be learning about Money and Length.
Maths Language – Here is the vocabulary that the children will be learning:
Addition – Tens, units, make, add, altogether, bundle of 10, stick of 10, combine, plus, count, notation board, abacus, how many?
Subtraction – tens, units, number, less than, more than, minus, take away, subtract, how many more, how many less? Difference between, forwards, backwards, symbol, sign, equals.
Money – money, coin, cent, price, euro, spend, sell, pay, buy, change, too much, too little, enough, costs less/least, costs more/most, equals, exchange, cheap, cheaper, cheapest, more/most expensive, total cost, amount, altogether, same value as, how much?
Length – long, short, longer, shorter, longest, shortest, small, big, smaller, bigger, smallest, biggest, tallest, span, count, how many?, metre stick, stride, estimate, shorter than 1 metre, about the same as 1 metre, longer than 1 metre, length, width, height, measure.
Practical games and activities – Here are some games to play at home:
Money
- Your child should be able to recognise 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cent coins and use coins up to 50cent.
- When shopping, ask your child what items can be bought with these coins. E.g. a bar costs 50 cents. Allow your child to pay for items using these coins.
- Show your child the prices on food when shopping.
- Play shop with your child using toys, cereal boxes etc. Price the items from 1 cent to 50 cents.
- When playing in the shop, allow your child to use the appropriate coins.
- Ask questions using the vocabulary associated with money:
How many coins have you got?
What coin/coins do you need to buy the book?
How much money do you have?
How much does the book cost?
How much did you spend?
What change did you get?
Have you too much/ too little money?
Through these experiences your child will learn the value of coins: 10c and 10c make 20c, 20c and 20c and 10c makes 50c, also 10c + 10c + 10c + 10c + 10c = 50c.
Encourage your child to count on to find the change. If a bar costs 18c and you have a 20c coin, count on from 18 to find the change: 18c and 2c more make 20c, so the change is 2c.
Some children find this concept quite difficult, but given lots of shopping opportunities (real and imaginary) your child will grasp it.
Length
- Compare objects in the home and outdoors, e.g. ask your child to identify the taller/shorter tree.
- Compare roads, paths, bridges, rivers, the spines of books, slices of cake etc. Identify the widest/wider/ narrowest/ narrower.
- Compare scarves, pieces of playdough, pencils, trousers, tights, socks, dresses, kitchen utensils etc. Identify the longest/longer/shortest/shorter.
- Ask your child to find an item that is as long as/ as wide as/ as short as/ as tall as/ as narrow as the item you have.
- The language of length can easily be included in conversation when you are walking in the park, for example. Compare as many different things as you can to broaden the concept.
- Use a one metre measure of string or a metre stick to investigate the length of rooms at home, the garden, the front door etc. Ask your child to estimate their answer first before measuring.
- Discuss different rooms, houses, gardens, e.g. ‘Is Granny’s garden longer or shorter than ours? If our garden is 12 metres long, how long do you think Granny’s would be?
Remember: Hands on activities and lots of practice will help your child understand these concepts.
During the month of March 1st class children will be learning about Addition and Subtraction in their maths lessons.
Maths Language – Here is the vocabulary that the children will be learning:
Addition – Tens, units, make, add, altogether, bundle of 10, stick of 10, combine, plus, count, notation board, abacus, how many?
Subtraction – tens, units, number, less than, more than, minus, take away, subtract, how many more, how many less? Difference between, forwards, backwards, symbol, sign, equals.
Practical games and activities – Here are some games to play at home:
Addition
- Practice quick fire questions. Say a number to your child and ask them to tell you the number that can be added to it to make 50, e.g. you say ‘20’, then your child answers ‘30’, because 20 + 30 = 50
- Keep it simple and give them time to work it out. Include zero and make sure they can add zero to various numbers.
Subtraction
- Your child has been introduced to subtraction using the language ‘take away’. This lends itself very well to number stories and number sentences that you can do at home. For Example: You have 10 crayons. Take away 5 of them. How many are left?
- Do this as often as you can with your child using many different examples. Place the objects you are discussing on the table and physically take them away to illustrate the point.
- Your child was also introduced to the symbol -. Doing some practice using this symbol will really help your child. Again use concrete materials (real objects) but write down each sum to show your child that the – symbol means take away.
- In school your child will use a number strip to help them complete these tasks, so lots of practice with a number strip will benefit your child. Clearly show them that we put our finger on the bigger number and jump backwards on the strip. For Example: 9 – 4: start with your finger on 9 and count back 4 jumps. Where do you land?
- When your child is comfortable with numbers up to 10 continue to 20, again using a number strip. Lots of practice doing similar practice at home will help your child, e.g. 17 – 8 = ?
- Your child has also explored simple word problems. Use family members to help create simple word problems e.g. Daddy had 18 sweets. He gave 6 to Mummy. How many had he left?
Remember: Hands on activities and lots of practice will help your child understand these concepts.
During the month of February 1st class children will be learning about Subtraction, Comparing and Ordering and Counting and Numeration/ 100 square in their maths lessons.
Maths Language – Here is the vocabulary that the children will be learning:
- Subtraction – tens, units, number, less than, more than, minus, take away, subtract, forwards, backwards, symbol, sign, equals, how many did you have? How many did you take away? How many have you left?
- Comparing and Ordering – more than, less than, equals, the same as, higher, lower, bigger, smaller, symbol, greater than, true, false, correct, number sentence.
- Counting and Numeration – 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, odd, even, colour, fill in, what comes before/after? what comes between? Row, column. Ten, units, number, numeral, and, add, is the same as, makes, is equal to, count on, count back, 1/2/3 etc. How many more do I need to make? How many is that altogether?
Practical games and activities – Here are some games to play at home:
Subtraction
- Your child will be introduced to the concept of subtraction using the language take away. You can explore this at home, for example: you have 10 crayons. Take away 5 of them. How many are left? Start with numbers up to 10 only.
- Do this as often as you can with your child using different examples. Place the objects on the table and physically take them away to illustrate the point.
- Your child will also be introduced to the symbol – (‘take away’). Doing some practice using this symbol will really help your child. Use concrete materials, write down each sum using the ‘take away’ symbol -.
- In school your child uses a number line/strip. We put oyur finger on the bigger number and jump backwards on the line/strip. For example, 9-4: Start with your finger on 9 and count back 4 jumps. Where do you land?
- Your child will also explore word problems. Use family members to help create word problems your child can complete, e.g. ‘Daddy had 8 sweets. He gave 6 to Mammy. How many had he left?’
- Remember: hand-on activities and lots of practice will help your child to understand this concept.
Comparing and Ordering
- More than/ less than – use concrete materials to illustrate this concept. E.g. Use 10 grapes and 7 grapes and position the grapes in two rows directly underneath each other. This will clearly show your child that 10 is more than 7 and your child will see that there are 3 more in the 10 row. Therefore 10 is more than 7 by 3. Repeat this process for less than and how many less than.
- Get some everyday items – cutlery, pens, toys, socks, books, etc. You will need some plates/boxes/baskets. Place 1 spoon on 1 plate; place 2 socks on another; continue with 3 pens, 4 books etc. Your child must first match number cards to the corresponding sets and then put the sets in order starting with 0 and finishing with 20.
- Repeat this several times using as many different objects as possible. Try reversing the order: start with 20 and finish with 0.
- Using these objects, discuss whether there are more or fewer spoons, socks etc. Then investigate how many more or fewer there are of each object. It is a good idea to use only two numbers at a time when investigating more and less than in each set.
Counting and Numeration/ 100 Square
- Counting on/back 100 square game: The child is given a hundred square and must follow your instructions for counting on/back from a base number. For example start at 21. Count on 5. What number are you on now?
- Play board games with numbers up to 100 e.g. snakes and ladders.
During the month of January 1st class children are learning about Counting and Numeration, Algebra, Data and Time in their maths lessons.
Maths Language – Here is the vocabulary that the children will be learning:
- Counting and Numeration – Ten, unit, place value, set, digit, altogrther, separate, group, more, less, on top of, over, beside, before, after, underneath, below, above, big, bigger, small, smaller, count, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty.
- Algebra – Pattern, what comes next? Recognise, jump on, 100 square, odd and even, beside, before, after, above, under.
- Data – sort, more, less, the same, popular, altogether, favourite, order, most, least, how many more? How many less?
- Time – days of the week, months of the year, seasons, before, after, early, late, earlier, later, next, yesterday, tomorrow, school day, weekend, morning, afternoon, evening, night, minute, calendar.
Practical games and activities – Here are some games to play at home:
Counting and Numeration
- Count objects found in the home that are familiar to your child e.g. apples, toy cars, cutlery etc.
- Talk to your child about what you see while on a journey or going for a walk, e.g. There are 30 cars in the carpark. Count shells on the beach.
- Play snakes and ladders and other board games with numbers up to 100.
- Number Cards- Make number cards with the numbers 1 to 99 written on them. Ask your child to give you the card with number 36 on it, continue with the other numbers. Turn the cards upside down and ask your child to select one and tell you the number on it. Ask what numbers come before/after it.
Algebra
- Identify patterns in the home e.g. carpets, flooring, curtains, wallpaper etc.
- Discuss what odd and even numbers are – Use objects the child is familiar with to help them understand this, e.g. matching socks – see how many even pairs there are and if there are any odd socks.
- Show how an even number can be divided out evenly. For example, divide 4 sweets equally between you and your child. 4 is an even number. Do the same with 7 sweets. There is 1 left over. 7 is an odd number.
Data
- Ask your child to sort the clothes as you take them out of the dryer or off the line. They may decide to sort them into socks, t-shirts, trousers etc.
- When tidying up toys ask your child to sort them into different categories e.g. red toys, big toys, plastic toys, toy cars, wooden toys, teddy bears, dolls etc.
- Carry out a survey based on favourite family desserts. Use paper and some crayons to record the results on a pictogram. (A pictogram uses pictures to record data). Discuss the results of the survey asking questions: Which dessert was the most/least popular? How do you know? How many prefer ___ than ___?
Time
- Sing songs and say rhymes about time. (See below)
- Record important events on a calendar, e.g. birthdays, holidays, Easter etc. Countdown to events using the calendar – how many months/weeks/days?
- Record the child’s schedule on a daily calendar.
- Discuss the season when out and about – point out signs of winter/spring etc.
Songs and Rhymes
Seasons
(Tune: ‘This Old Man’)
Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
There are seasons, 4 in all.
Weather changes, sun and rain and snow,
Leaves fall down and flowers grow.
Winter , Spring, Summer, Fall
There are seasons, 4 in all.
Look outside and you will see
Just what season it will be!
Mrs Duck Says
On Sunday I swin in the lake,
On Monday I watch the waves I make.
On Tuesday I have lots of fun,
On Wednesday I sit all day in the sun.
On Thursday I dive upside down,
On Friday I waddle off to town.
Sometimes on Saturday I just lie down.
The Months of the Year
January, February, March,
Time for buds on the larch.
April, May, June,
School holidays will be here soon.
July, August, September,
Hear the woodcutter shout ‘Timber!’
October, November, December,
Hope Santa will remember.
During the month of December 1st class children will be learning about
Place Value and 2D Shapes in their maths lessons.
Maths Language – Here is the vocabulary that the children will be learning:
- 2D Shapes, circle, square, rectangle, triangle, semi-circle, 4-sided/not 4-sided, curved/not curved, straight, corner, flat
- Ten, unit, place value, set, digit, altogether, separate, group, more, less, on top of, over, beside, before, after, underneath, below, above, big, bigger, small, smaller, count, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, 20, 30, 40, 50
Practical games and activities – Here are some games to play at home:
- 2D Shape hunt – Look for 2D shapes in the environment e.g. the clock could be a circle, a window could be a rectangle etc. Take pictures of them or draw them.
- 2D Shape pictures – draw and cut out 2D shapes. Use them to make pictures.
- 2D Shape Who am I? Child has a 2D shape stuck on their back. They must find out what shape it is by asking questions. E.g. Do I have a curved side? Do I have 4 corners?
- Use matchsticks or lollipop sticks to make bundles of tens and units.
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During the month of November first class children will continue to be learning about Counting and Numeration and Addition in their maths lessons.
Maths Language – Here is the vocabulary that the children will be learning:
- 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty
- how many?, count on, count forwards, count backwards, number, numeral
- Add, make, combine, altogether, in total, form, jump forward, how can we make 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20? How many more do you need to make 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20?
- Double, near double, double plus one
Practical games and activities – Here are some games to play at home:
- Double Trouble Place number cards face down on the table. The children take turns to pick 2 cards, looking for doubles. When they find 2 cards that are the same they must total them correctly to keep the cards. If they answer incorrectly the cards are returned to the table. The child with the most cards at the end is the winner.
- Beat the clock Give children a number e.g. 20 Using a timer, give them 1 or 2 minutes to write down as many different combinations as possible to total to 20.
- Doubles Rap
It’s the doubles rap, baby.
Let’s go! Let’s go!
It’s the doubles rap, baby
And we’ll start with zero!
0+0=0 Yo!
1+1=2 Ooooh
2+2=4 More
3+3=6 Kicks
4+4=8 Great
5+5=10 Again!
6+6=12 that’s swell
7+7=14 let’s lean
8+8=16 you’re supreme
9+9=18 Jellybean
10+10=20 that’s plenty
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During the month of October 1st class children will be learning about Counting and Numeration and Addition in their maths lessons.
Maths Language – Here is the vocabulary that the children will be learning:
- 14, 15, words fourteen, fifteen, how many?, count on, count forwards, count backwards, number, numeral
- Add, make, combine, altogether, in total, How can we make 14, 15?, how many more do you need to make 14, 15?,
Practical games and activities – Here are some games to play at home:
- Go Fish (minimum two players required) – Place number cards on the table. Give your child a target eg Today we are making a total of 14’. Each player takes turns at picking up two cards. If the total is 14 they keep the cards. If not they place the cards face down back on the table. The person with the most cards at the end is the winner. (The next time the target could be 15).
*Challenge : This game can be made more difficult by combining three number cards that total 14/15.
- Problem solving – Pose simple addition problems (can be done orally)
Examples
(1) Granny has 8 sweets in her pocket. Dad has 6 sweets in his pocket? How many sweets have they altogether/in total ?
(2) Jake has 8 football cards. How many more does he need to buy to have 14 ?