ABSTRACT
It has been said that understanding the number system is the mathematical equivalent to having good phonological awareness in literacy. To be able to read and spell well, the pupil needs to understand the way in which spoken words are made up of sounds that can be manipulated to make sense. In order to understand the four operations (and other mathematical concepts), the pupil has to be able to understand the number system as a series of numbers that are arranged in a set sequence, with relative orders of magnitude.
