Measurement and Data

Time helps us know when things happen. We use clocks, calendars, and words like 'before', 'after', 'morning', 'afternoon', 'evening', 'night'. We learn about days of the week, months of the year, and seasons. We tell time to the hour, half-hour, quarter-hour, and even to the minute using analogue (with hands) and digital clocks.

Length tells us how long or short something is, or how tall. We can compare lengths directly (e.g., 'This pencil is longer than that one'). We can also measure length using non-standard units (like hand spans or footsteps) and standard units like centimetres (cm), metres (m), and kilometres (km). A ruler or tape measure helps us measure accurately.

Mass tells us how heavy or light something is. We can compare masses directly (e.g., 'This book is heavier than that feather'). We can also measure mass using non-standard units (like blocks or marbles on a balance scale) and standard units like grams (g) and kilograms (kg). A kitchen scale or bathroom scale helps us measure mass.

Money is what we use to buy things. In South Africa, we have different coins (5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, R1, R2, R5) and banknotes (R10, R20, R50, R100, R200). We learn to recognise them, count them, and solve problems about buying and selling, and calculating change.

Data is information we collect. We can collect data by asking questions or observing things. We then organise this data, for example, using tally marks. We can represent data using pictographs (pictures) or bar graphs (bars) to make it easy to understand. After representing the data, we can interpret it to answer questions and draw conclusions.