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Grade 4 Mathematics on Temari has 38 revision cards, arranged by the chapters of the Ethiopian national curriculum. Every card says when the rule applies, what each symbol in it stands for, and the mistake students most often make with it. They are free to read and need no account.
The Grade 4 Mathematics textbook is on this page as a free PDF, Ministry of Education edition, 189 pages. Go to the download
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When you use it
Use this rule to determine which of two numbers is larger or smaller.
Watch out
First count the number of digits. If the digit counts are equal, compare digits starting from the leftmost place.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 1-28, then checked twice before it went up
| Position from right | Place value multiplier |
|---|---|
| 1st | |
| 2nd | |
| 3rd | |
| 4th | |
| 5th | |
| 6th |
When you use it
Use this to identify the value of any digit in a number up to six digits.
Watch out
Always count positions starting from the rightmost digit, which is the ones place.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 1-28, then checked twice before it went up
When you use it
Use when converting words or expanded forms containing zero places into standard digits.
Watch out
Writing seven hundred thousand nine as 709 instead of 700,009 loses the place value holders.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 1-28, then checked twice before it went up
When you use it
Use this to express a whole number as the sum of the values of each of its digits.
Watch out
Do not confuse the digit with its place value. A digit 4 in the ten thousands place has a value of 40,000, not 4.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 1-28, then checked twice before it went up
When you use it
Use when arranging numbers vertically before performing addition or subtraction.
Watch out
Align digits starting from the ones place on the right, never from the leftmost digit.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 29-50, then checked twice before it went up
When you use it
Use these properties to reorder or group whole numbers to compute sums more easily.
Watch out
Commutative and associative properties apply to addition, not to subtraction.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 29-50, then checked twice before it went up
When you use it
Use this relationship to check the correctness of a subtraction result.
Watch out
To check subtraction, add the difference to the subtrahend to get the minuend.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 29-50, then checked twice before it went up
When you use it
Use this formula to check subtraction results or to find a missing minuend.
Watch out
Subtraction is not commutative, so swapping minuend and subtrahend gives an incorrect result.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 29-50, then checked twice before it went up
When you use it
Use when adding multi-digit whole numbers vertically from right to left.
Watch out
Always add the carried over digit to the next place value column on the left.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 29-50, then checked twice before it went up
When you use it
Use when evaluating expressions involving zero as a divisor or dividend.
Watch out
Dividing any number by zero is impossible, while zero divided by any non-zero number is zero.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 83-106, then checked twice before it went up
When you use it
Use this to verify whether a division calculation with or without a remainder is correct.
Watch out
The remainder must always be strictly less than the divisor.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 83-106, then checked twice before it went up
| Expression | Equivalent Form |
|---|---|
When you use it
Use these properties to simplify calculations and reorder whole number factors.
Watch out
Division does not have commutative or associative properties.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 83-106, then checked twice before it went up
When you use it
Use this to multiply numbers by breaking them into place value parts before multiplying.
Watch out
Multiply every split component by the multiplier before adding the partial products.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 83-106, then checked twice before it went up
When you use it
Use for quick mental computation when scaling whole numbers by 10.
Watch out
When dividing a number that does not end in zero by 10, the ones digit becomes the remainder.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 83-106, then checked twice before it went up
When you use it
Use this when two fractions have the same denominator and you need their sum or their difference.
Watch out
Add or subtract only the numerators and keep the denominator unchanged. For example 2/5 + 1/5 = 3/5, not 3/10.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 51-82, then checked twice before it went up
When you use it
Use this when you must decide which of two decimals, such as 0.9 and 0.09, is larger, or put several decimals in order.
Watch out
Compare digit by digit from the left, starting with the whole number. Do not decide by counting the digits after the point: 0.9 is larger than 0.09 because its tenths digit 9 is greater than the tenths digit 0 of 0.09.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 51-82, then checked twice before it went up
When you use it
Use this to find a fraction with the same value as a given fraction, or to reduce a fraction to its lowest equivalent form.
Watch out
Multiply the numerator and the denominator by the same number. Adding the same number to both does not keep the value: adding 1 to both parts of 1/2 gives 2/3, which is not equal to 1/2.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 51-82, then checked twice before it went up
| Fraction | Decimal |
|---|---|
| 0.1 | |
| 0.3 | |
| 0.01 | |
| 0.75 |
When you use it
Use this when a fraction with denominator 10 or 100 must be written as a decimal, or a decimal must be read back as a fraction.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 51-82, then checked twice before it went up
When you use it
Use this when a fraction has a denominator such as 4 or 5 and must be written as a decimal.
Watch out
First change the denominator to 10 or 100 by multiplying the numerator and the denominator by the same number: 3/4 = 75/100 = 0.75. Do not join the digits 3 and 4 to write 0.34.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 51-82, then checked twice before it went up
| Angle type | Size |
|---|---|
| Acute angle | Less than 90° |
| Right angle | Exactly 90° |
| Obtuse angle | More than 90° and less than 180° |
| Straight angle | Exactly 180°, forming a straight line |
When you use it
Use this when you have measured an angle with a protractor or when a question asks you to sort angles by type.
Watch out
Do not confuse obtuse (ዝርጥ) with straight (ዝርግ). A straight angle is exactly 180°, while an obtuse angle is any angle between 90° and 180°.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 107-118, then checked twice before it went up
When you use it
Use this when you write or read the name of an angle given by three points, such as <ሀመለ.
Watch out
The middle letter is always the vertex. In <ሀመለ the vertex is መ, so writing <ሀለመ, which has ለ in the middle, names a different angle. Find the vertex first, then check the two arms.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 107-118, then checked twice before it went up
| Shape | Parallel sides | Equal sides | Angles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trapezium | 1 pair | Not given | Not given |
| Parallelogram | 2 pairs | 2 pairs | Not given |
| Rhombus | 2 pairs | 4 equal | Not given |
| Rectangle | 2 pairs | 2 pairs | 4 right angles |
| Square | 2 pairs | 4 equal | 4 right angles |
When you use it
Use this table to name a four-sided shape after counting its parallel sides, equal sides and right angles.
Watch out
A square has every property of a rhombus (4 equal sides) and of a rectangle (4 right angles), so a square is both. In this book a trapezium has only 1 pair of parallel sides, so a shape with 2 pairs of parallel sides is a parallelogram.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 107-118, then checked twice before it went up
| Basis | Name | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Sides | Equilateral | All three sides are equal |
| Sides | Isosceles | Two sides are equal |
| Sides | Scalene | All three sides differ in length |
| Angles | Acute | All three angles are acute |
| Angles | Right | One angle is a right angle |
| Angles | Obtuse | One angle is obtuse |
When you use it
Use this when a question asks you to name a triangle from its side lengths or from its angles, for example a triangle with sides 12 cm, 12 cm and 12 cm.
Watch out
A triangle has two names, one from its sides and one from its angles, and a question may ask for both. For example, a triangle with two equal sides and all acute angles is an isosceles acute triangle.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 107-118, then checked twice before it went up
When you use it
Use this to find a far term such as the 28th or 52nd in a repeating pattern once you know how many terms are in one unit.
Watch out
If the remainder is 0, the term is the LAST member of the unit, not the first. For 52 ÷ 4 = 13 remainder 0, the 52nd term is the 4th member of the unit.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 119-134, then checked twice before it went up
When you use it
Use this first, before solving any repeating pattern question, to find the unit and state the rule.
Watch out
Take the smallest group that repeats. In 3, 4, 5, 3, 4, 5 the unit has 3 terms, not 6.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 119-134, then checked twice before it went up
When you use it
Use this when consecutive terms increase by the same amount at each step and you must find a far term such as the 21st.
Watch out
The constant c is not the first term. For 5, 8, 11, 14 the difference is 3 and c is 2, because 3 × 1 + 2 = 5. Writing 3n + 5 is wrong.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 119-134, then checked twice before it went up
When you use it
Use this when two lengths or masses in different units are added, subtracted or compared.
Watch out
Convert both to one common unit first, then add. 25 cm + 68 mm = 25 cm + 6.8 cm = 31.8 cm. Adding 25 + 68 to get 93 cm is wrong.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 135-156, then checked twice before it went up
When you use it
Use this when a rectangle is divided into unit squares, or when its length and width are given and the space inside it is asked for.
Watch out
Multiply length by width, do not add them, and give the answer in square units. A 6 by 5 rectangle has area 30 square units, not 11.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 135-156, then checked twice before it went up
| From | To | Multiply by |
|---|---|---|
| km | m | 1000 |
| m | cm | 100 |
| cm | mm | 10 |
When you use it
Use this when a length must be changed between mm, cm, m and km before adding or comparing it with another length.
Watch out
Going to a smaller unit multiplies and going to a larger unit divides. 30 cm = 300 mm, but 300 cm = 3 m. Going from km to m uses 1,000, not 100.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 135-156, then checked twice before it went up
| From | To | Multiply by |
|---|---|---|
| kg | g | 1000 |
| g | mg | 1000 |
| L | mL | 1000 |
When you use it
Use this when a mass or a volume must be changed between mg, g, kg, mL and L.
Watch out
1 quintal is 100 kg, not 1,000 kg, and 1 gallon is about 3.8 L, so gallons are multiplied by 3.8 when changed to litres.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 135-156, then checked twice before it went up
When you use it
Use this when a question gives the length and width of a rectangle and asks for the distance around it.
Watch out
Add all four sides, not only the length and the width. A rectangle 4 cm by 2 cm has perimeter 12 cm, not 6 cm.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 135-156, then checked twice before it went up
When you use it
Reach for this when a table has male, female and total columns, or when you must add rows and columns to find a grand total.
Watch out
Add each row and each column. The grand total must come out the same both ways, so check your answer by adding in the other direction.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 157-166, then checked twice before it went up
When you use it
Reach for this when a table of counts must be turned into a bar graph, such as students' ages, heights or numbers of students per grade.
Watch out
Write the number of items on the vertical line and the item names on the horizontal line. Mark the vertical scale in equal steps starting from 0 before drawing the bars.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 157-166, then checked twice before it went up
When you use it
Reach for this when the top of a bar falls between two marked values on the vertical scale and you must state its height.
Watch out
Do not read the lower gridline by default. Estimate to the closest marked value, and when the bar is exactly halfway, take the midpoint, for example 1.5 m between 1.4 m and 1.6 m.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 157-166, then checked twice before it went up
| Method | What the student does |
|---|---|
| Asking people | Put a question to the people concerned and record their answers |
| Observation | Watch what happens and record the results seen |
When you use it
Reach for this when a question asks how data was gathered, such as asking classmates about their hobbies or watching and recording what happens.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 157-166, then checked twice before it went up
When you use it
Use this when minutes or seconds reach 60 or more during addition, or when an hour or a minute must be borrowed during subtraction.
Watch out
Carry and borrow in 60s, not 10s: 72 min becomes 1 h 12 min, and 1 h borrowed gives 60 min, not 100 min.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 167-180, then checked twice before it went up
When you use it
Use when two times are given in different units, such as one in hours and minutes and the other in minutes only, and you must say which is longer.
Watch out
Do not compare the numbers directly: 2 h 30 min looks smaller than 142 min, but it equals 150 min, which is larger.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 167-180, then checked twice before it went up
| Given | Equals |
|---|---|
| 1 h | 60 min |
| 1 min | 60 s |
| 1 h | 3600 s |
When you use it
Reach for this when you must change hours, minutes or seconds into one another before adding, subtracting or comparing times.
Drafted from Grade 4 Mathematics, pages 167-180, then checked twice before it went up
The student textbook for the new curriculum, free as a PDF. The cards on this page follow its chapters.
Ministry of Education edition, Amharic
189 pages
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