Maths Language Across the Strands
This is a summary of the language, which can be used at each level. It can be used to support language in the
class, as a support to substitute teachers, as a guide to planning, or as a help to ancillary staff working with
students in the classroom or within the school context.
28
Junior Infants
Senior Infants
Long / short, longer/shorter
More than/less than/ same as
First / last
Over, under, up, down, on, beside, in
Shape
Square, circle, rectangle, triangle
Roll / do not roll
Fit / do not fit
Round / not round, thick, thin Long /Short, tall/ short, wide/narrow,
longer, shorter, wider than
Heavy/light, heavier/lighter, balance,
Weigh
Full / nearly full / empty / holds more
/holds less / holds as much as
Morning / evening , night / day,
Lunchtime, bedtime, early / late, days of the week, schooldays, weekends
Buy, sell, spend, coins, how much? Cent
Enough / more /as many as / less
As Junior Infants plus;
Ordinal number – first , second , third , last
Above, below, near , far, right , left
Cube, cuboid, sphere, cylinder
Edge, corner, face, straight, curved, round,
Flat, side, corner
As long as/ as wide as/ longest/ shortest Yesterday/ today/ tomorrow/ seasons/ soon/ not yet/ birthday
Cost/ price/ cheap/ expensive/ change/ too much / too little
Pictogram
sets
1st
Class
2nd
Class
As Senior Infants plus; Between / underneath/ on top of/
Around/ through/ left/ right/
Semicircle
Half Length/ width/ height/ measure/ nearly a metre/ a bit more than/
A bit less than a metre
Heavy/ heavier/ heaviest, light/ lighter/ lightest, balance Pour/ fill/ full/ empty/ holds more/ less/ or the same amount as
Reading day/ date and month using calendar
Hour/ half hour
Metre / litre/ kilogram
As 1st class plus: Quarter
Cone/ oval
Euro
Symmetry
Area
Digital clock/time
Block graph
Corners
29
3rd
Class
4th
Class
As 2nd Class plus: Regular/ Irregular shapes Sphere/ triangular prism/ prism/ pyramid
Sides/ angles/ parallel and non-parallel lines
Tessellate
Nets
Symmetry
Vertical/ horizontal and parallel lines Clockwise/ anti-clockwise
Gramme,
Possible/ Impossible/ Might/ Certain/ not sure
Roll/ toss/ spin/ chance/ random/
Tenths
Minute/ Equivalent/ Bar chart
As 3rd Class plus: Equilateral, isosceles, scalene triangle,
Parallelogram, rhombus, pentagon,
Octagon
Diagonal Oblique, perpendicular lines
Acute, obtuse and right angles
Perimeter
Hundredths
Chance, likely, unlikely, never, definitely
Bar line graph
Scale
5th
Class
6th
Class
As 4th class plus: Thousandths
Prime and composite numbers
Square and rectangular numbers Factors, multiples
Positive and negative numbers
Equations
Quadrilaterals
Diameter, radius, chord, circumference, Arc, sector, tangent
Tetrahedron
Vertices
Reflex angle, degrees
Millimetre
Square metres/centimetres
Millilitres
Pie chart, Multiple bar chart
Statistics
Likelihood
Rotation
As 5th class plus Square roots
Quotients
Octahedron Scale
Trend graph
Number Operations
30
Addition
Recording How is the sum written?
t u
2 4
+ 1 3
3 7
Ans: 37
Oral How do you read the sum?
24 plus 13.
Start with the units.
4 plus 3 is 7. Place
the 7 under the units.
Then add the tens.
2 plus 1 is 3
The answer / sum is 37
Language
adding / addition
units
tens
plus
equals
total
sum
answer
Materials unifix cubes
base ten blocks
notation boards
lollipop sticks
Number Operations
31
Addition with re-grouping
Recording How is the sum written?
t u
2 4
+ 11 8
4 2
Ans: 41
Oral How do you read the sum?
Start with the units.
4 plus 8 is 12.
Re-group to make 1 ten and 2 units.
Write down the 2 under the units
and carry the 1 ten over to the tens.
Now add the tens
2 plus 1 is 3 plus the carried 1 is 4
Our answer / sum is 41
Language
adding / addition
units
tens
too many
makes altogether
re - group
plus
equals
total
answer
Materials
unifix cubes
base ten blocks
notation boards
lollipop sticks
Number Operations
32
Subtraction
Recording How is the sum written?
t u
2 7
- 1 4
1 3
Ans: 13
Oral How do you read the sum?
Start with the units.
7 take away/minus/subtract 4 is /
leaves/equals 3.
Now subtract the tens.
2 take away/minus/subtract 1
is /leaves/equals 1
The answer is 13
Language
subtract
take away
minus
tens
units
difference is
answer
equals
Materials
unifix cubes
base ten blocks
notation boards
lollipop sticks
Number Operations
33
Subtraction with re-grouping
Recording How is the sum written?
t u t u
3 7 23 17 - 1 9 -1 9
1 8 1 8
Ans: 18
Oral How do you read the sum?
Start with the units.
7 take away 9 you cannot do/take
So, re-name a ten.
(Cross out the 3 and change it to a 2.
That gives you 2 tens and 17 units)
17 take away 9 equals 8
Now subtract the tens.
2 take away 1 leaves 1
The difference / answer is 18
Language
subtract
take away
minus
tens
units
difference is
re-name
cross out
Materials
unifix cubes
base ten blocks
notation boards
lollipop sticks
Number Operations
34
Multiplication ( simple )
Recording How is the sum written?
t u
2 3
x 1 4
9 2
Ans: 92
Oral How do you read the sum?
Start with the units.
4 times / multiplied by 3 is 12.
( 4 threes are 12 )
Put down your 2 in the units and
carry the 1 over to the tens.
Now multiply the tens.
4 times / multiplied by 2 is 8.
Now add the 1
The product / answer is 92
Language
tens
units
multiply
multiplied by
times
carry
product
answer
Materials
calculator to check answer
multiplication square
tables book
Number Operations
35
Long Multiplication
Recording How is the sum written?
t u
2 3
x 21 4
9 2
+ 4 6 0
5 5 2
Ans: 552
Oral How do you read the sum?
We would always begin with teaching
and revision of estimation skill. eg
rounding 23 to 20 and 24 to 25. Then
the children can multiply this
mentally to get a rough estimation of
what their answer should be.
Start with the units.
4 threes are 12
Put down your 2 and carry your 1.
4 twos are 8 plus the 1 we carried is
9.
Now multiply by the two groups of
ten.
Put down a zero
Multiply by the 2.
2 threes are 6.
2 twos are 4.
Add the two figures together.
The answer / total is 552
Language
multiply
tens
units
bundles of ten carry
add a zero
add together
Materials
calculator to check answer
multiplication square
tables book
Number Operations
36
Division ( simple )
Recording How is the sum written?
2 4
8 24 ÷ 8
8 2 4 8 24
Oral How do you read the sum?
24 divided by 8.
How many group of 8 are in 24?
THink of you tables: 8 times what is
24?
How many times can I take 8 out of
24
24 divided by 8 = 3
3 1 3 12
0 4 4
Ans: 44
How many groups of 3 are in 1?
none. Put a 0 under the 1.
How many groups of 3 are in 13?
4 and 1 left over. Put the 4 down
under the 3 and carry over the 1
beside the 2 to make 12
Now, how many groups of 3 are in
12?
4.
The answer is 44
Language divisor
numerator, denominator
remainder etc.
Materials base ten
counters
Number Operations
37
Long Division
Recording How is the sum written?
0 1 3 24 √3 1 2
7 2
-7 2
0 0
2 4_
Oral Using the 4 step method?
E - Estimate
M - Multiply
S - Subtract
B - Bring down
1. Estimate how many times 24 into 3
It does not go/Zero times. Place a 0
above the 3. Estimate how many times
24 into 31. It goes once.
2. Multiply: 1 multiplied by 24 = 24
Write 1 over the 1 and write 24 beneath
31.
3. Subtract.
That leaves 7
4. Bring down the 2.
Repeat
5. Estimate how many times 24 divides
into 72
6. Multiply 24 by the Estimate in your
rough work space.
3 is a good estimate.
That gives you 72.
Write the 3 on the top line above the 2.
Then 72 – 72 = 0 so no remainder.
7. Sum is complete as there are no more
numbers to bring down
The answer is 13
-
Minus
8 – 5 = 3
Subtract
Find difference
Take away
How many left?
How many more? How much greater? How
much bigger? How many less? How many
fewer? How much smaller?
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