Planning a Mathematics lesson every week takes time. This Primary 4 Mathematics first term lesson note gives you ready-made notes for the whole term. Each week follows the same clear layout, so you can teach with confidence from the first day.

First Term Scheme of Work

The notes follow the NERDC scheme of work for Primary 4. Here is the full term at a glance:

Weeks 1 to 6

Week	Topic	Content
1	Whole Numbers (Part 1)	Counting and writing numbers 1 to 1,000; place value (ones, tens, hundreds, thousands); reading and writing numbers in words and figures; expanded notation (345 = 300 + 40 + 5); comparing numbers with >, < and =; ordering numbers in ascending and descending order
2	Whole Numbers (Part 2)	Counting in 2s, 5s, 10s, 25s, 50s and 100s; skip counting patterns and number sequences; odd and even numbers up to 1,000; rounding to the nearest 10 and 100; number line activities (0 to 1,000)
3	Whole Numbers (Part 3)	Roman numerals I, V, X, L, C, D, M; reading and writing Roman numerals up to 100; converting between Roman and Hindu-Arabic numerals; factors and multiples; prime numbers (2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13); square numbers (1, 4, 9, 16, 25)
4	Fractions (Part 1)	Fractions as parts of a whole; naming 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/5, 1/8 and 1/10; numerator and denominator; fractions with shapes and diagrams; equivalent fractions (1/2 = 2/4 = 3/6); comparing fractions with the same denominator
5	Mid-term examination	Assessment of Weeks 1 to 4
6	Mid-term break	Holiday and rest

Weeks 7 to 13

Week	Topic	Content
7	Addition and Subtraction (Part 1)	Addition of 2-digit and 3-digit numbers without and with regrouping (carrying); adding three or more numbers; vertical and horizontal addition; word problems; mental addition strategies
8	Addition and Subtraction (Part 2)	Subtraction of 2-digit and 3-digit numbers without and with regrouping (borrowing); subtraction across zeros (500 – 237); vertical and horizontal subtraction; word problems; mental subtraction strategies
9	Addition and Subtraction (Part 3)	Mixed addition and subtraction problems; money in Naira and Kobo; checking subtraction using addition; multi-step word problems; shopping, saving and spending; problem-solving strategies
10	Multiplication (Part 1)	Multiplication as repeated addition; 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10 times tables; the commutative property (3 x 4 = 4 x 3); multiplying by 10 and 100; 2-digit by 1-digit multiplication without regrouping; word problems
11	Revision	Review of whole numbers, fractions, addition, subtraction and multiplication
12	Examination	End of term assessment
13	Closing and vacation	Term ends

Free Sample: Weeks 1 and 2

Read the full lesson notes for the first two weeks below. Every other week uses the same layout.

WEEK 1: Whole Numbers (Part 1)

Class: Primary 4   |   Subject: Mathematics   |   Duration: 40 minutes

Topic: Whole Numbers (Part 1)   |   Sub-topic: Place Value, Reading & Writing Numbers, Expanded Notation, Comparing and Ordering

Instructional material

• Place value chart (Thousands, Hundreds, Tens, Ones)
• Number cards 0-9
• Naira notes and coins (real or cut-out) for place value demonstration
• Chart showing >, <, = symbols
• Number line (0-1,000)

Learning objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils will be able to:

• Identify the place value of digits in numbers up to 1,000 (Thousands, Hundreds, Tens, and Ones)
• Read and write numbers in figures and words up to 1,000
• Expand whole numbers using their place values
• Compare and order numbers using the symbols > (greater than), < (less than), and = (equal to)

Entry behaviour / prior knowledge

Pupils can already count objects up to 100, recognize numbers up to 100 in figures, and have a basic idea of tens and units from Primary 3 work.

Content

Place Value (Thousands, Hundreds, Tens, Ones)

Think of a number like a house. Each digit lives in its own room. The room tells us its value. For numbers up to 1,000, we have four rooms: Thousands (Th), Hundreds (H), Tens (T), and Ones (O).

Example: 1,452. The digit 1 is in the Thousands room (value 1000). The digit 4 is in the Hundreds room (value 400). The digit 5 is in the Tens room (value 50). The digit 2 is in the Ones room (value 2).

Imagine you have 1,452 Naira. You have 1 one-thousand Naira note, 4 one-hundred Naira notes, 5 ten Naira coins, and 2 one Naira coins.

Reading and Writing Numbers

Numbers can be written in figures (like 250) or words (like “two hundred and fifty”).

• Figures to Words: 3,450 is “Three thousand, four hundred and fifty.”
• Words to Figures: “Six hundred and five” is 605.

Note: We use the word ‘and’ to join the hundreds to the tens and ones. For example, 615 is “six hundred and fifteen.”

Expanded Notation

Expanding a number means breaking it apart to show the full value of each digit. It’s like unpacking a bag to see everything inside.

• Example 1: Expand 738. 7 Hundreds + 3 Tens + 8 Ones. Expansion: 700 + 30 + 8.
• Example 2: Expand 2,504. 2 Thousands + 5 Hundreds + 0 Tens + 4 Ones. Expansion: 2000 + 500 + 0 + 4.

Comparing and Ordering Numbers

We use special symbols to compare numbers, like using a see-saw. The bigger number is heavier and goes down.

• > means Greater Than. Example: 10 > 6.
• < means Less Than. Example: 3 < 8.
• = means Equal To. Example: 7 = 7.

How to Compare: Start comparing from the left-most digit (the biggest place value). Example: Compare 540 and 520. Hundreds: 5 and 5 are the same. Move to Tens: 4 and 2. 4 is bigger than 2. So, 540 > 520.

• Ascending Order: Arranging from the smallest to the biggest. Example: 50, 100, 200, 500.
• Descending Order: Arranging from the biggest to the smallest. Example: 500, 200, 100, 50.

Lesson presentation

Introduction (Step 1): The teacher reviews counting and place value ideas from Primary 3, then introduces numbers up to 1,000 using Naira notes as a real-life example.

Explanation (Step 2): The teacher uses a place value chart to show Thousands, Hundreds, Tens, and Ones, demonstrating with example numbers like 1,452 and 738.

Pupil participation (Step 3): Pupils practice reading and writing numbers in words and figures, expand given numbers, and compare pairs of numbers using >, <, =.

Evaluation and conclusion (Step 4): The teacher asks questions, corrects errors, summarizes the key place value concepts, and gives the assignment.

Lesson evaluation

1. In the number 6,782, the digit 6 is in the ____

a. Ones place   b. Tens place   c. Hundreds place   d. Thousands place

2. “Two thousand and fifteen” written in figures is ____

a. 2,015   b. 2,150   c. 2,500   d. 2,105

3. 904 written in words is ____

a. Nine hundred and four   b. Ninety-four   c. Nine hundred and forty   d. Nine thousand and four

4. The expanded form of 456 is ____

a. 400 + 5 + 6   b. 400 + 50 + 6   c. 40 + 50 + 6   d. 400 + 56 + 0

5. Which symbol correctly fills the gap: 800 ___ 801? ____

a. >   b. <   c. =   d. none of these

6. Which symbol correctly fills the gap: 150 ___ 150? ____

a. >   b. <   c. =   d. none of these

7. Arranged in ascending order, 200, 100, 500, 50 becomes ____

a. 500, 200, 100, 50   b. 50, 100, 200, 500   c. 100, 50, 200, 500   d. 50, 200, 100, 500

8. The value of the digit 4 in 2,504 is ____

a. 4   b. 40   c. 400   d. 4000

Theory

1. Expand the number 567 using place values.
2. Write 1,308 in words.

Assignment

• Oral/Written: Read these numbers aloud to your parent, then write them in words: (a) 1,200 (b) 555 (c) 901.
• Written: Expand these numbers: (a) 342 (b) 890.
• Practical: Find three price tags at home or in the market. Write them down and arrange them in descending order.

WEEK 2: Whole Numbers (Part 2)

Class: Primary 4   |   Subject: Mathematics   |   Duration: 40 minutes

Topic: Whole Numbers (Part 2)   |   Sub-topic: Skip Counting, Odd and Even Numbers, Rounding to Nearest 10 and 100

Instructional material

• Number line (0-1,000)
• Hundred square chart
• Counters or bottle tops for odd/even demonstration
• Rounding number line chart

Learning objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils will be able to:

• Count in steps of 2s, 5s, 10s, and 100s to complete number sequences
• Identify odd and even numbers up to 1,000
• Round whole numbers to the nearest 10
• Round whole numbers to the nearest 100

Entry behaviour / prior knowledge

Pupils can already count in 2s, 5s, and 10s up to 100, and are familiar with reading and writing numbers up to 1,000 from the previous lesson.

Content

Skip Counting and Patterns

Skip counting is like jumping on a number line. It helps us count quickly. We jump by the same number each time.

• Counting in 2s: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10… (Like counting pairs of shoes).
• Counting in 5s: 5, 10, 15, 20… (Like counting fingers on hands).
• Counting in 10s: 10, 20, 30, 40… (Like counting bundles of ten sticks).
• Counting in 100s: 100, 200, 300, 400… (Like counting one-hundred Naira notes).

Odd and Even Numbers

• Even Numbers: Numbers that can be shared fairly between two people with nothing left over. They always end in 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8. Examples: 12, 44, 100, 568.
• Odd Numbers: Numbers that cannot be shared fairly between two people; there is always one left over. They always end in 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9. Examples: 11, 35, 79, 903.

Rounding Numbers to the Nearest 10

Rounding helps us find a friendly, close number. Think of the numbers on a street. Is a house number closer to 40 or 50? Look at the digit in the Ones place.

• If it is 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4, we round DOWN to the previous ten. Example: 42 rounds down to 40.
• If it is 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9, we round UP to the next ten. Example: 47 rounds up to 50.

Rounding Numbers to the Nearest 100

Now, think of a bigger street with house numbers like 300, 400, 500. Look at the digit in the Tens place.

• If it is 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4, we round DOWN. Example: 320 rounds down to 300.
• If it is 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9, we round UP. Example: 380 rounds up to 400.

Lesson presentation

Introduction (Step 1): The teacher leads the class in a skip-counting clap-and-count warm-up (counting in 2s and 5s).

Explanation (Step 2): The teacher uses a hundred square chart to demonstrate odd and even numbers, then a number line to show how rounding works to the nearest 10 and 100.

Pupil participation (Step 3): Pupils complete skip-counting patterns on the board, sort numbers into odd/even groups, and practice rounding given numbers.

Evaluation and conclusion (Step 4): The teacher reviews answers, clarifies misunderstandings, summarizes the rounding rule, and assigns homework.

Lesson evaluation

1. The next two numbers after 20, 22, 24 are ____

a. 25, 26   b. 26, 28   c. 26, 27   d. 28, 30

2. The next two numbers after 50, 100, 150 are ____

a. 160, 170   b. 200, 250   c. 175, 200   d. 155, 160

3. 45 is an ____

a. Even number   b. Odd number   c. Prime number   d. Square number

4. 88 is an ____

a. Odd number   b. Even number   c. Negative number   d. Fraction

5. 63 rounded to the nearest 10 is ____

a. 60   b. 70   c. 63   d. 65

6. 125 rounded to the nearest 100 is ____

a. 100   b. 120   c. 130   d. 200

7. 450 rounded to the nearest 100 is ____

a. 400   b. 450   c. 500   d. 550

8. Numbers ending in 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9 are called ____

a. Even numbers   b. Odd numbers   c. Square numbers   d. Round numbers

Theory

1. Explain how to round a number to the nearest 10, using 76 as an example.
2. List four even numbers between 50 and 70.

Assignment

• Written: Write the next three numbers when counting in 10s: 10, 20, 30, ___, ___, ___.
• Practical/Oral: Walk around your home and find 5 objects. Count them. Are they odd or even? Tell a sibling.
• Written: Round these to the nearest 10: (a) 78 (b) 21 (c) 55.

Weeks 3 to 13 (Locked)

The remaining weeks are in the full lesson note. Each one has objectives, content, the four-step lesson presentation, evaluation questions, theory questions and an assignment.

What You Get

• Thirteen weeks of lesson notes, from Whole Numbers to Revision, Examination and Closing
• Learning objectives, instructional materials and entry behaviour for every week
• Clear content in simple English that suits Primary 4 pupils
• A four-step lesson presentation: introduction, explanation, pupil participation, evaluation
• Evaluation questions, theory questions and an assignment each week
• An editable Word file, so you can add your school name and change any part

Price and How to Order

The full Primary 4 Mathematics first term lesson note costs ₦3,000. After payment, we send your file on WhatsApp.

Related Lesson Notes

Teaching other Primary 4 subjects this term? These first term lesson notes follow the same layout:

• Primary 4 PHE first term lesson note
• Primary 4 CRS first term lesson note
• Primary 4 English Language first term lesson note
• Primary 4 Cultural and Creative Arts first term lesson note
• Primary 4 Social and Citizenship Studies first term lesson note
• Primary 4 Nigerian History first term lesson note

Frequently Asked Questions

Which class and term is this lesson note for?

It is for Primary 4, first term, and it follows the NERDC curriculum.

What format do I receive?

You receive an editable Word file. You can print it or change it to suit your school.

Can I read a sample before I buy?

Yes. Weeks 1 and 2 are free on this page, so you can check the quality first.

How long does delivery take?

We send the file on WhatsApp soon after your payment is confirmed.

Do you also have exam questions for this subject?

Yes. The Primary 4 Mathematics exam paper costs ₦500, and the bundle of all 12 subjects costs ₦2,000.