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

x

Multiply

3 x 5 = 15

Times

By

Groups of

Repeat

Product

Of

x

+

Add

3 + 4 = 7

Altogether

Plus

And

In all

Sum of

+

÷

Share

12 ÷ 4 = 3

Divide

Separate into

parts

÷

=

Equals

8 – 5 = 3

makes

is the same as

=

-

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?

-