Maths in Action (Primary 1-3)

📚 Mathematics Curriculum: Primary 1 to Primary 3

Bringing math to life, one adventure at a time!

🗂️ Content Strands

Strand	Key Topics
Number	Numbers up to 5-digits, Basic Operations (Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division), Fractions.
Measures	Length and Distance, Money, Time, Capacity, Weight.
Shape & Space	2-D Shapes, 3-D Shapes, Directions and Positions, Angles, Quadrilaterals, Triangles.
Data Handling	Pictograms, Bar Charts.
Further Learning	Inquiry and Investigation.

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🎯 Core Learning Objectives

• Cognitive: Master the base-10 structure up to 5-digits, understand foundational arithmetic (including fractions), and identify standard units of measurement and geometric properties.
• Skill-Based: Perform multi-digit calculations, represent data visually, measure physical objects accurately, and classify 2-D/3-D shapes.
• Affective: Develop "number sense," an efficiency mindset for problem-solving, and spatial awareness while reducing math anxiety.

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📝 Lesson Plans Overview

🔹 Lesson 1: Number Sense (20 to 100)

The Big Question: How can we quickly count 87 jellybeans without losing our place?

• Core Concepts: Base-10 system, place value (Tens/Ones), regrouping, estimating, and skip-counting.
• Instructional Flow: 1. Activation: Count scattered cubes, discovering the need for bundles of ten.

2. Acquisition: Introduce the "Place Value House" and Base-10 blocks.
3. Practice: "Secret Number Mystery Bags" to write, expand, and order numbers.
4. Application: A Hundred Chart scavenger hunt using logic clues.

• Review & Extension: Address digit reversal and "teen vs. ty" auditory confusion. Use number lines for advanced challenges.

🔹 Lesson 2: Mastering Addition & Subtraction

The Big Question: How do we track inventory for 100 toy cars?

• Core Concepts: Sum, difference, regrouping (carrying/borrowing), inverse operations, and vertical algorithms.
• Instructional Flow: 1. Activation: "Human Place Value" game to physically demonstrate regrouping limits.

2. Acquisition: Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract (CPA) approach for 3-digit vertical math.
3. Practice: Reconstruct a "torn grocery receipt" with missing totals.
4. Application: Budget a $500 party, calculating costs and remaining change.

• Review & Extension: Correct "smaller-from-larger" subtraction errors. Offer cryptarithms (SEND + MORE = MONEY) for advanced learners.

🔹 Lesson 3: Exploring Large Numbers

The Big Question: How do we count people in a massive stadium using just 10 digits?

• Core Concepts: 5-digit numbers, expanded form (12,345 = 10,000 + 2,000 + 300 + 40 + 5), zero as a placeholder, and comparing magnitudes.
• Instructional Flow: 1. Activation: Visualize scale from 1 cube to 10,000 people.

2. Acquisition: Expand the Place Value Chart to Ten-Thousands.
3. Practice: Overlap "Secret Code Cards" to build expanded forms.
4. Application: Sort and document intergalactic cargo shipments.

• Review & Extension: Emphasize zero's role to prevent writing 10,005 as 105. Introduce the concept of one million for a challenge.

🔹 Lesson 4: Intro to Multiplication & Division

The Big Question: What is the "mathematical superpower" to share 24 stickers instantly?

• Core Concepts: Equal groups, arrays, factors, products, dividends, and quotients.
• Instructional Flow: 1. Activation: Build Lego stacks to show repeated addition.

2. Acquisition: Translate models to equations (e.g., 3 \times 4 = 12).
3. Practice: Gallery walk to write equations for various visual arrays.
4. Application: Plan a party using division for cupcake boxes and multiplication for juice.

• Review & Extension: Differentiate the \times and + symbols. Introduce remainders and fact families.

🔹 Lesson 5: The World of Fractions

The Big Question: How do we share one chocolate bar fairly among four friends?

• Core Concepts: Whole, equal parts, numerator, denominator, and unit fractions.
• Instructional Flow: 1. Activation: Attempt to share a paper pizza unequally to provoke a discussion on fairness.

2. Acquisition: Introduce the Fraction Bar (Numerator = Upstairs, Denominator = Downstairs).
3. Practice: Sort "Fraction vs. Impostor" visual cards.
4. Application: Act as a "Sandwich Chef" completing orders based on fractional shading.

• Review & Extension: Correct the "more is more" fallacy (e.g., 1/4 is not larger than 1/2). Explore equivalent fractions.

🔹 Lesson 6: Length, Distance, and Money

The Big Question: How do we build a bridge charged by the centimeter?

• Core Concepts: Standard units (cm, m), currency ($, ¢), zero-point rule, and cost equations.
• Instructional Flow: 1. Activation: Measure desks with hands vs. rulers to prove the need for standard units.

2. Acquisition: Demonstrate rulers, trundle wheels, and coin trading.
3. Practice: A "Mini-Market" simulation measuring ribbons and calculating costs.
4. Application: Design a park on grid paper within a strict $100 budget.

• Review & Extension: Ensure measuring starts at 0, not 1. Practice calculating exact change and converting 125cm to 1.25m.

🔹 Lesson 7: Time, Weight, and Capacity

The Big Question: How do numbers help us capture the invisible (time) or the physical (weight)?

• Core Concepts: Analog/digital time, mass (g, kg), volume (mL, L), and equipment calibration.
• Instructional Flow: 1. Activation: "Human Estimation" for 1 minute, heavy vs. light boxes, and container volumes.

2. Acquisition: Teach clock faces, reading a meniscus, and the kilogram standard.
3. Practice: Rotate through Time, Weight, and Capacity measurement stations.
4. Application: Solve "The Baker's Dilemma" by converting metric recipe units and calculating elapsed baking time.

• Review & Extension: Disconnect visual size from weight/capacity. Track elapsed time across the 12-hour AM/PM boundary.

🔹 Lesson 8: Shapes and 3-D Structures

The Big Question: Why do we need "depth" to build the world?

• Core Concepts: Faces, edges, vertices, 3-D solids (cube, sphere, cylinder), and stability principles.
• Instructional Flow: 1. Activation: Identify shapes by touch inside a "Mystery Bag."

2. Acquisition: Trace faces and highlight vertices/edges on wooden blocks.
3. Practice: Sort items by properties (e.g., "rollers" vs. "stackers").
4. Application: Build skeletal structures using toothpicks and marshmallows.

• Review & Extension: Clarify 2-D vs. 3-D naming (square vs. cube). Introduce unfolded 2-D "Nets."

🔹 Lesson 9: Angles, Directions, and Quadrilaterals

The Big Question: How can a robot architect design a city where no one gets lost?

• Core Concepts: Right angles, cardinal directions (NEWS), and quadrilateral hierarchy.
• Instructional Flow: 1. Activation: "Simon Says" using compass directions and angle bodily poses.

2. Acquisition: Use a "Right Angle Monster" tester and map the 4-sided shape family tree.
3. Practice: A scavenger hunt on a fictional park map to locate specific shapes and directions.
4. Application: Draw a "Secret Island" and write navigation codes to find treasure.

• Review & Extension: Ensure orientation doesn't confuse shape identity (a rotated square is not just a "diamond").

🔹 Lesson 10: Data Visualization

The Big Question: How do we tell a class story using pictures instead of numbers?

• Core Concepts: Tally marks, pictograms, bar charts, axes, and legends/keys.
• Instructional Flow: 1. Activation: Attempt to quickly count a messy pile of plastic fruits.

2. Acquisition: Move from tallies to pictograms, introducing the Key (1 symbol = X items).
3. Practice: Count pencil case items to build a frequency table and pictogram.
4. Application: Design a bar chart for a "Candy Factory" variety pack.

• Review & Extension: Fix floating bars and inconsistent symbol scaling. Use "half-symbols" for advanced scaling.