Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v5 - Grade R

Lesson Video

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

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Performance objectives

• Count forwards from 0 to 10.
• Count backwards from 10 to 0.
• Name numbers from 0 to 10.
• Use objects to show numbers.
• Put numbers in the correct order.

Lesson summary

Welcome to our exciting journey into the world of numbers! This week, we're going to explore the numbers from 0 to 10, learning how to count forwards like a rocket taking off and backwards like a bird flying back to its nest. Understanding numbers is like having a magic key that unlocks so many things in our daily lives. Imagine sharing sweets with your friends fairly, knowing how many crayons you have, or even understanding how many minutes until your favourite cartoon starts! These are all made easier by knowing our numbers. In South Africa, we use numbers every day – from counting the change we get at the spaza shop to knowing how many children are in our class.

Lesson notes

What is Counting? Counting is the process of naming numbers in a specific order. It's like singing a song with number words! When we count forwards, we start with the smallest number and go to the biggest. When we count backwards, we start with the biggest number and go to the smallest.

Counting Forwards (Ascending Order): Counting forwards means starting at 0 and going up one number at a time. Each number is one more than the number before it. 0 (Zero) – Represents nothing, like an empty plate. 1 (One) – Represents one thing, like one apple. 2 (Two) – Represents two things, like two shoes. 3 (Three) – Represents three things, like three balloons. 4 (Four) – Represents four things, like four fingers. 5 (Five) – Represents five things, like five toes. 6 (Six) – Represents six things, like six crayons. 7 (Seven) – Represents seven things, like seven days in a week. 8 (Eight) – Represents eight things, like eight legs on a spider. 9 (Nine) – Represents nine things, like nine players on a baseball team. 10 (Ten) – Represents ten things, like ten fingers on both hands.

Let's try counting forwards together: "0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!" Counting Backwards (Descending Order): Counting backwards means starting at 10 and going down one number at a time. Each number is one less than the number before it. Think of it as taking away one item each time.

Let's try counting backwards together: "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0!" It's like a rocket launching and then falling back to Earth! Why is this important? Knowing how to count forwards and backwards helps us understand how much we have of something, compare amounts, and solve simple problems.

Worked example

Example 1 (Forwards): Let's say you have 3 sweets, and your friend gives you 2 more. How many sweets do you have in total?

Start with 3 (sweets).

Count forward 2 (more sweets): 4,

5.

You have 5 sweets in total.

Example 2 (Backwards): You have 7 toy cars, and you give 3 to your brother. How many toy cars do you have left?

Start with 7 (toy cars).

Count backward 3 (cars given away): 6, 5,

4.

You have 4 toy cars left.

Example 3 (Number Recognition): I show you a card with the number "6" on it. Can you tell me what number it is?

The card shows the number

6. Example 4 (Representing Numbers): I ask you to show me the number 4 using counters.

You would place 4 counters on the table.

Example 5 (Sequencing): Arrange these numbers in the correct order from smallest to largest: 2, 5, 1, 3,

4. The correct order is: 1, 2, 3, 4,

5.

Guided Practice (With Solutions)

Here are some practice questions to help you master counting forwards and backwards:

Question 1: Count forwards from 2 to

7. Solution: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,

7. We started at 2 and added one each time until we reached

7. Question 2: Count backwards from 9 to

4. Solution: 9, 8, 7, 6, 5,

4. We started at 9 and subtracted one each time until we reached 4.