Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v5 - Grade 1

Numbers 0–34: operations and problem solving – Week 5 focus

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

Subject: Mathematics

Class: Grade 1

Term: 2nd Term

Week: 5

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 move from simply knowing our numbers to using them as powerful tools! We will focus on solving everyday problems using addition, subtraction, doubling, and halving with numbers up to

3

4. This is a crucial step in a learner's mathematical journey, as it connects abstract numbers to their real world. In South Africa, this is the mathematics of everyday life: working out how much money you need for the spaza shop, sharing sweets with friends at break time, or counting the cattle in the kraal. By mastering these operations, learners build a foundation for financial literacy and logical reasoning, empowering them to understand and interact with the world around them.

Lesson notes

a)

Addition: Putting Things Together What it is: Addition is when we join two or more groups of things to find out how many we have altogether. We use the 'plus' sign (+).

Keywords to look for in stories are: more, add, plus, altogether, total, sum.

How to do it: Using Counters: Use bottle tops, stones, or blocks. Make one pile for the first number and another pile for the second number. Then, push them all together and count the total.

Using a Number Line: Start at the first number. Then, 'hop' forward the number of times shown by the second number. The number you land on is the answer.

Worked example

Zola has 16 green marbles. Her friend gives her 7 more blue marbles. How many marbles does Zola have altogether?

The Question: 16 + 7 = ?

Method 1: Counting On

Start with the bigger number in your head:

1

6. Count on 7 more using your fingers: 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22,

2

3. Method 2: Using a Number Line

Find 16 on your number line.

Make 7 jumps to the right (forwards).

Jump 1: 17, Jump 2: 18, Jump 3: 19, Jump 4: 20, Jump 5: 21, Jump 6: 22, Jump 7:

2

3.

You land on

2

3. Answer: Zola has 23 marbles altogether.

b)

Subtraction: Taking Away

What it is: Subtraction is when we start with a group and take some away. We want to find out how many are left. We use the 'minus' sign (-).

Keywords are: take away, minus, less, left, difference.

How to do it:

Using Counters: Count out the starting number of counters. Then, physically take away the second number of counters. Count how many are left.

Using a Number Line: Start at the first number. Then, 'hop' backward the number of times shown by the second number. The number you land on is the answer.

Worked

Example:

Tata has 28 cows in his kraal. He sells 5 cows at the market. How many cows are left?

The Question: 28 - 5 = ?

Method 1: Counting Backwards

Start with the first number:

2

8. Count back 5 times: 27, 26, 25, 24,

2

3. Method 2: Using a Number Line

Find 28 on your number line.

Make 5 jumps to the left (backwards).

Jump 1: 27, Jump 2: 26, Jump 3: 25, Jump 4: 24, Jump 5:

2

3.

You land on

2

3. Answer: Tata has 23 cows left.

c)

Doubling: Making Two of the Same