Vocabulary

The National Curriculum (2014) states that children in:

• Key Stage 1: Pupils should read and spell mathematical vocabulary, at a level consistent with their increasing word reading and spelling knowledge.
• Lower Key Stage 2: Pupils should read and spell mathematical vocabulary correctly and confidently, using their growing word reading knowledge and their knowledge of spelling.

Why is vocabulary so important?

• Encourages a higher level of thinking.
• Shows a deeper understanding of a concept.
• Helps children associate words with given concepts.
• A wider vocabulary demonstrates to children that words have different meanings in a range of contexts.
• Maths dictionaries are also a great way to help children build their mathematical vocabulary and the pictures help children build a conceptual image of what the numbers actually mean in real life.