Facilitator’s Guide G04 ~ Mathematics
Unit
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LESSON 1: WHOLE NUMBERS In this lesson learners will work with different notations of numbers for the first time. It is important to ensure that learners understand notations. It lays the foundation for the language of mathematics
and if learners are already comfortable with this, it can simplify the introduction of new mathematical
concepts. In this lesson, learners will work with whole numbers and do the following: • count • order • compare • represent • indicate place value (which is very important for the calculations that will be done later in the term) Do you know what a whole number is? Whole numbers are numbers without fractions or decimals. Whole numbers are always positive and never negative. Remember: 0 is also a whole number.
Learners were introduced to whole numbers in Grade 3, even if they did not necessarily call them whole numbers. Ensure that learners know that a whole number is not a fraction. Different games may be used to reinforce this concept.
Example Write down different numbers, including fractions and whole numbers. Learners close their eyes and randomly point to a place on the page. They identify the number they chose as a whole number or not. Examples of whole numbers {0; 1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; ...}
If numbers such as the above are placed in curly brackets { }, we call it a set of numbers. This means that {0; 1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; ...} is a set of whole numbers.
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