Ordinal numbers
By the end of this lesson a child can tell how many things there are apart from which place one thing holds. Three children is the number 3. The third child is the one in third place, and that is a different question.
What the child can do at the end
- Say first, second, third, fourth, fifth from the front of a line.
- For the line Ana, Luka, Mia, Petar, say that Mia is third.
- Does not start at zero, and does not count from the back unless told to.
A number and a place
The number 4 says how many people are in the line. The word “fourth” says where one person stands. A line is counted from the end that is the start: who arrived first, or who stands by the door.
One problem, step by step
Ana, Luka, Mia, and Petar stand in a line. Ana is first, by the door. Who is third?
- Start at the front, with Ana. Ana is first.
- Next is Luka. He is second.
- Next is Mia. She is third.
- Petar is fourth. Four children are in the line, and Mia holds the third place.
A common mistake
The child hears “three” and points at the third child, then says there are three children in the line. “Who is third” asks for a place. “How many are there” asks for everyone. Here there are four children, and the third is Mia.
The other mistake is counting from the back. If you start at Petar, Mia becomes second. The front of the line has to be stated. Here the front is Ana.
Practice
The line is: 1 Ana, 2 Luka, 3 Mia, 4 Petar, 5 Eva.
- Who is first?
- Who is fourth?
- Which place is Eva in?
- How many children are in the line?
Answers
- Ana
- Petar
- fifth
- five
Eva is fifth, and there are five children. The place and the amount use related words here, but the questions differ: “who” and “how many”.
After the lesson
When the child separates “how many” from “which place” without hesitating, open the lesson on tens and ones. There, a digit has a place: the first from the right is the ones.
For a parent
Ask three different questions about the same line: who is first, who is last, how many are there. If the child points to the same person for all three, the front of the line is not clear yet.