To learn to read, you first need to learn the letters of the alphabet. Once you know the alphabet, you put the letters together to make words, then sentences, then paragraphs and then stories.

Those letters become the “tools” used to write everything.

The same is true for math. In math we use digits. The digits are:

0   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9

Digits are named after our fingers. Our fingers are also called digits. The mathematics term comes from the days of counting on our fingers. We have ten fingers and there are ten digits. We use the letters of the alphabet to make up words, and we use digits to make up numbers. There are two ways to write numbers. You can write them as numerals. You can write them using word names.

Counting is matching the number name to the things being counted. You see a bowl of apples on the table. You want to know how many apples are in the bowl. You answer that question by saying, “There are one, two, three, four apples.” You are giving the number names “one”, “two”, “three,” and “four” to the apples. The last number you say is the total number of apples.

Exercise 1

Count the number of shapes in each picture. Then write the numeral and the word name. Check your work using the answer key at the end of the exercise.

Picture	Answer
	Numeral: 3 Word name: Three
	Numeral: Word name:
	Numeral: Word name:
	Numeral: Word name:
	Numeral: Word name:
	Numeral: Word name:
	Numeral: Word name:
	Numeral: Word name:
	Numeral: Word name:

Answers to Exercise 1

1. 2, two
2. 6, six
3. 8, eight
4. 9, nine
5. 1, one
6. 5, five
7. 7, seven
8. 4, four

Topic A Self-Test

Mark        /18        Aim      15/18

1. Count the number of things in each picture, then write the numeral and the word name.
   1. 
   2. 
   3. 
   4. 
2. Write the numerals from one to ten.

Answers to Topic A Self-Test

1. 1. 0, zero
   2. 6, six
   3. 8, eight
   4. 9, nine

2. 1. 1

      2

      3

      4

      5

      6

      7

      8

      9

      10