Zero 0
Strand: Number
Strand unit: Numeration
Curriculum Objectives
Identify the empty set and the numeral 0.
Practise formation of the numeral 0.
Addition activities involving the empty set.
Pages in the textbook: 40 and 41
Count
Fig xxx-xx
Meet Zero. His shopping bag is empty!
Add
Fig xxx-xx
Write the numeral.
1 + 0
+ 0
3 + 0
4 + 0
5 + 0
Look in Zero’s bag and count.
=
=
=
=
=
0
0
0
0
0
+
+
+
+
+
1 =
=
3 =
4 =
5 =
Write the missing numerals.
Number
Numeration
Identify the empty set and numeral zero.
1
Page 41
Strand
Strand
Strand Unit
Strand Unit
Number
Number
Numeration
xx
Objectives
Objectives
Strand
Strand Unit
0
Objectives
Page 40
40
4
0
Write the numeral.
Combining sets of objects including the ‘empty set’.
X
41
Let’s look back: What the Junior Infants programme covered
1.
2.
3.
4.
Identify the empty set and the numeral 0.
Show an empty bag/box: How many apples/cubes in it?
Remove items from a jar until none are left.
Counting down to 5 from 0.
Maths skills used in this topic
Integrating and connecting
Recognise the relationship between concrete, verbal, pictorial and symbolic modes of
representing numbers
Reasoning
Reason, predict and observe
Communicating and expressing
Mathematical ideas in oral and written form
Concrete materials
Bears, cubes, counters, beads, pegs, blocks, picture of two
shopping bags on a card (See page 166)
Vocabulary
Count the items in the set, How many…?, How many altogether?, more than, less than, the same
as, equal, empty, zero, How many more?, How many less?, Are the sets the same/equal?
Linkage
Number: Commutative property of addition, counting on the number line
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All strands: Problem solving
Integration
SPHE: Sharing toys
Physical Education: Keeping a score tally
Pre-page ideas
Page 40:
Use stories/problems to revise and consolidate the concept of one-to one correspondence (the
children can solve these problems mentally or use concrete materials). For example:
Here are 5 pencils. How many children can I give 1 each to?
I have 4 sweets. Can I give my 5 friends a sweet each? How many more sweets do I need to get?
There are 4 people in my family. How many cups/plates/spoons do I need to set the table for
tea? Gran is coming for tea on Sunday. How many cups/plates/spoons will I need then?
3 children went to play in the park. They brought 2 kites and 1 ball with them. Can they each
play with a kite? How many more kites would they need in order to have 1 each? How many
more balls would they need in order to have 1 each?
Display sets of classroom items in clear plastic bags and invite volunteers to point to the
appropriate numerals matching each set on the number line. Include some empty bags, i.e.
empty sets containing 0 items.
Page 41:
Display a set of 4 pencils in a clear plastic bag. Invite a volunteer to stand at the number
line. Distribute the pencils 1 at a time until the bag is empty while the volunteer points to the
appropriate descending numerals on the number line.
Here is a set of 4 pencils
Here is a set of 3 pencils
Here is a set of 2 pencils
Here is a set with 1 pencil
Here is an empty set, there are 0 pencils in this bag
Repeat this procedure with various sets of classroom items, e.g. 5 books, 3 copies, 2 crayons.
Lesson suggestions
Distribute shopping bag cards and invite the children to leave Zero’s bag empty and to make sets
of ‘food’ items for him in the second ‘shopping bag’ using cubes. (sets should comprise of not more
than 6 items). Encourage children to use appropriate language to describe their sets, e.g. ‘I have 4
buns in my bag, but Zero’s bag is empty.’ Invite volunteers to come up to the blackboard and write
an addition sum to match the displayed sets. For example:
0+3=3
0+1=1
0+5=5
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Just look at Zero’s empty bag
He rarely shops, it’s such a drag!
He sits and sleeps and rests all day
When he’s awake he’d rather play.
Now Zero has no food to eat
No buns, no eggs, no fruit, no meat
Whatever can our poor friend do?
What would you say if he asked Y-O-U?
Teach the following response and invite a volunteer to chant the rhyme inserting the items
displayed on his/her shopping bag card.
Zero’s bag is empty with nothing nice you see
But my bag has 4 buns in it, he can share with me.
The pupil can then write the appropriate addition sum, e.g. 0 + 4 = 4, on the blackboard, or
alternatively, all the children can record the responses as addition sums in their copybooks.
Parental involvement
1. Simple addition problems, e.g. 3 buns + 0 buns =_____.
2. When all our apples are eaten, how many apples are left in the fruit bowl?
3. When the biscuit tin/cookie jar is empty, we have 0 biscuits/
cookies left.
Photocopiable templates
Give the snakes some spots.
Zero’s bag
0 spots
4 red
2 green
6 yellow
My bag
Page 166: Number
166
1
3
2
3
Page 167: Number
Name: _______________________________________
4
6
© Folens Photocopiables
Date: ___________________
© Folens Photocopiables
Name: _______________________________________
4 green
1 blue
Fill in the missing numbers.
5
Date: ___________________
167
Notes
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
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