Today's Topic

Topic: Basic Arithmetic Operations
Difficulty: beginner
Category: Daily English / Mathematics

Key Vocabulary

Important words and phrases for this topic

• addition: The mathematical operation of combining two or more numbers to find their total.

  • Example: "In addition, you combine numbers: 5 plus 3 equals 8."

• subtraction: The mathematical operation of taking one number away from another.

  • Example: "Subtraction means taking away: 10 minus 4 equals 6."

• multiplication: The mathematical operation of adding a number to itself a specified number of times.

  • Example: "Multiplication is repeated addition: 3 times 4 equals 12."

• division: The mathematical operation of splitting a number into equal parts.

  • Example: "In division, you split numbers: 20 divided by 5 equals 4."

• sum: The result of adding two or more numbers together.

  • Example: "The sum of 7 and 5 is 12."

• difference: The result of subtracting one number from another.

  • Example: "The difference between 15 and 8 is 7."

• product: The result of multiplying two or more numbers.

  • Example: "The product of 6 and 7 is 42."

• quotient: The result of dividing one number by another.

  • Example: "The quotient of 24 divided by 6 is 4."

Examples & Application

Provide practical examples or application scenarios

Example 1: Shopping Calculations

"Let me do the addition: three items at $15 each, the sum is $45. With a $10 discount through subtraction, the difference is $35."

Example 2: Cooking Measurements

"The recipe requires multiplication: if one serving needs 2 cups and we're making 4 servings, the product is 8 cups total."

Example 3: Sharing Equally

"We need to use division to share 36 cookies among 9 children. The quotient is 4 cookies per child."

Practice Activities

Practice today's topic through various methods, focusing on practical application and speaking

Speaking Practice

Read aloud and practice saying the following sentences, focusing on pronunciation and fluency

• "Addition uses the plus sign (+), and subtraction uses the minus sign (-)."

• "When doing multiplication, we use the times sign (×), and the result is called the product."

• "In division, we use the divided by sign (÷), and the answer is the quotient."

• "To find the sum, add all numbers together; to find the difference, subtract the smaller from the larger."

Role Play Scenarios

Simulate real situations and practice using today's learning in conversation

Scenario: Helping a child with math homework

Parent: "Let's start with addition. What's 8 plus 5?"
Child: "The sum is 13!"

Parent: "Great! Now try subtraction. What's the difference between 20 and 7?"
Child: "That's 13 too!"

Parent: "Perfect! Now for multiplication. What's the product of 4 times 6?"
Child: "4 times 6 equals 24!"

Parent: "Excellent! Last one - division. What's the quotient when you divide 18 by 3?"
Child: "18 divided by 3 is 6!"

Practice Notes

Record your discoveries, difficulties, or interesting observations during practice

Pronunciation Tips:

• "addition" - stress on second syllable: ad-DI-tion
• "subtraction" - stress on second syllable: sub-TRAC-tion
• "multiplication" - stress on fourth syllable: mul-ti-pli-CA-tion
• "division" - stress on second syllable: di-VI-sion

Common Expressions:

• Addition: "plus," "add," "and," "sum of," "total"
• Subtraction: "minus," "subtract," "take away," "less," "difference between"
• Multiplication: "times," "multiplied by," "product of"
• Division: "divided by," "split into," "quotient of," "per"

Operation Symbols:

• Addition: + (plus sign)
• Subtraction: - (minus sign)
• Multiplication: × or * (times sign)
• Division: ÷ or / (division sign)

Reading Math Expressions:

• 5 + 3 = 8: "Five plus three equals eight" or "The sum of five and three is eight"
• 10 - 4 = 6: "Ten minus four equals six" or "The difference between ten and four is six"
• 3 × 4 = 12: "Three times four equals twelve" or "The product of three and four is twelve"
• 20 ÷ 5 = 4: "Twenty divided by five equals four" or "The quotient of twenty and five is four"

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Daily Reflection

Key Takeaway: I wanted to document this series because I thought it would be nice to revisit these elementary math concepts I originally learned in Chinese during primary school, so here we are recording them XD!