Mathematical vocabulary

The purpose of this book, from the National Numeracy Strategy, is to identify the words and phrases that students need to understand and use if they are to make good progress in mathematics. It was designed to support the National Numeracy Strategy alongside the Framework for Teaching Mathematics.

There are four pages of vocabulary checklists for each year group. The first three pages for each year cover mathematical vocabulary relating to the Framework for Teaching Mathematics, organised according to its five strands:

Numbers and the number system
Calculations
Solving problems
Handling data
Measures, shape and space

Using and applying mathematics is integrated throughout.

The fourth page for each year group lists the language commonly used when giving instructions about mathematical problems, both in questions in national tests and in published resources.

The words listed for each year include vocabulary from the previous year, with new words for the year printed in red from Year One onwards. Some words may appear under different strands in different years, as their meaning is expanded or made more specific.

A section on questioning skills includes a classification of types of questions, open and closed questions and a set of questions that can help students at different times during a lesson or investigation.