If a child does not respond to a mathematical question it may be because they do not understand the words or instructions used. Another difficulty can arise when a mathematical term has a different meaning in everyday English eg ‘table’.
In the Year 1 maths category there is an excellent list of the vocabulary children need to understand and use in year 1. For example, the following list has the new words that they should come across in school during year 1 to do with calculating and solving problems.
Words to do with calculating and solving problems:
plus near double
how much more is…? how much less is…?
subtract minus
half halve
equals sign
number sentence
operation
There are similar lists for calculating, measures and position. These words can be printed larger so that they can be used as ‘flash cards’ or displayed on the wall.