4
Before, after and letters
Learner’s Book 1: Unit 1, pp. 30–31
GoalWrite the number word that comes before or after another number word, and notice how many letters number words have.
New words
letter · a sign we use to write words, like a, b or cbefore · just ahead ofafter · just next to, when we count on
Explanation
Number words come in an order, just like numbers. The word after one is two. The word before four is three. The number track helps you to find them. Number words are made of letters. Some words have 3 letters, some have 4 letters and some have 5 letters. To count the letters in a word, touch each letter and count: s, e, v, e, n is 5 letters.
| 3 letters | 4 letters | 5 letters |
|---|---|---|
| one, two, six, ten | zero, four, five, nine | three, seven, eight |
Worked examples
| five | ? |
| ? | nine |
How many letters are in the word seven? Touch and count: s, e, v, e, n. There are 5.
Class activity
Letter hunt: write each number word from zero to ten on a strip of paper. Count the letters in each one. Sort the strips into three piles: 3 letters, 4 letters and 5 letters. Is there a word with the same number of letters as its number?
Practice
1
Write the number word that comes after two.
| two | ? |
three
2
Write the number word that comes before seven.
| ? | seven |
six
3
How many letters are in the word eight?
5
4
Which word has only 3 letters: three, ten or seven?
ten