CBSE Class 3 · Mathematics
What's in a Name?
Official NCERT chapter from Maths Mela (book code cemm1). ExamMaster notes are original teaching at CBSE Class 3 depth.
This lesson follows the official chapter “What's in a Name?” in Maths Mela. The words below are ExamMaster’s teaching, not a paste from the book. Use the NCERT chapter for the classroom sequence; use these notes to hold the idea without copying exercises or figures.
- CBSE Class 3
- Easy level
- 8 concepts
1A herd is a counted group you can name
A herd is the animals you can point to as one group. The name “herd” is allowed only after you finish a count of that group.
Calling every field a herd without a count is a label, not a size.
Figure. A herd is allowed only after a finished one-to-one count. Five bodies get the words one through five. The last word, five, is the size of that group — not a decoration on the field.
How it works
- Name the groupThe cows leaving this gate.
- Count one-to-oneOne mark or one word each.
- Keep the last wordThat last word is the herd.
2Coming home in the evening is the same herd or a different count
Evening return is a new count of the same kind of group. Match each returning animal to a morning mark.
A leftover morning mark means the evening count is smaller. A leftover animal means it is larger.
Figure. Evening is a new count of the same kind of group. Match each return to a morning mark. One leftover morning mark means the evening herd is smaller — not a different kind of animal.
How it works
- Keep the morning recordMarks, or a numeral.
- Match each returnOne strike for one animal.
- Read leftoversMissing, extra, or the same.
3A name does not change how many cows there are
“Lakshmi” names one cow. It does not add a cow. The herd size is the count, not the list of pet names.
Two names for one animal still count as one.
Figure. Two names can sit on one body. Lakshmi and Ganga do not add a second cow. The herd size is the count of bodies, here one.
How it works
- Point to the animalOne body, one count.
- Say a name if you likeA name is a label.
- Do not add for the nameThe size stays the count.
4Match a count to a numeral
When the last counting word is fourteen, write 14 next to that herd. The numeral is the record of that last word.
A 14 next to sheep must not be reused for cows.
Figure. Eight struck marks plus three still open is one finished morning count. The numeral that names that herd is 11, and it stays stuck to this herd.
How it works
- Finish the countLast word first.
- Write the numeralBeside that herd.
- Keep it stuck thereAnother herd needs its own.
Marks to a numeral
A wall has 8 struck-out marks and 3 marks still open. What numeral names the morning herd?
- Open plus struck3 + 8
- Total marks11
- Numeral11
Pro tip. The morning herd is the full mark row, not only the leftovers.
5Compare two herds: more, less, or the same
More, less, or the same needs two finished counts, then a one-to-one match.
Guessing from a picture of a bigger field is not a compare.
Figure. More, less, or the same needs two finished counts and a one-to-one match. Four pairs match. Two leftover bodies on B are the extra — B is more by 2, not because its field looks bigger.
How it works
- Trust both countsEach herd finished.
- Match one-to-oneCow to cow, or mark to mark.
- Name the leftoverThat leftover is more.
6Skip or double breaks the count
Skipping an animal or counting one animal twice makes a last word that does not name the herd.
A faster glance is not a count.
Figure. Skipping a body breaks the count. The honest row ends on 4. The skip row leaves one body unmarked, so the last word is 3 — and 3 does not name a herd of four.
How it works
- Point once eachNo skip.
- Do not point twiceNo double.
- Only then keep the last wordThat word is honest.
7Zero is the empty field
An empty field is a herd of zero. Zero is the numeral for “no animal to point to”.
Empty is not “we cannot talk about it”. It is a size.
Figure. An empty field is a herd of zero. Zero is the numeral for no animal to point to. Empty is a size, not a silence.
How it works
- Look at the fieldAny animal to point to?
- If none, say zeroThe empty count.
- Write 0 if you recordZero is the numeral.
8The last counting word is the size
How many? is answered by the last honest counting word, not by a favourite animal’s name.
Stop after that word. Do not add a story on top.
Figure. How many? is the last honest counting word. Rani names the second cow and does not change the size. After five, stop.
How it works
- Finish one-to-oneEvery animal got a word.
- Keep the last wordThat is the size.
- Answer how manySay it once.
Two leftover morning marks and no extra animals means the evening herd is
- Smaller than the morning herd
- The same size
- Larger
Leftover morning marks are animals that did not return.
Notes
- The official chapter title is “What's in a Name?”. Teach the school test for that title, not a contest shortcut.
- If a step needs a later class, stop. The next official chapter will pick it up.
Formulas
- The last counting word is the herd size.
- Empty herd = 0.
Recap
Hold these pegs from the official chapter “What's in a Name?”. The wording is ExamMaster’s teaching, not a textbook recap.
- A herd is a counted group you can name
- A herd is the animals you can point to as one group.
- Coming home in the evening is the same herd or a different count
- Evening return is a new count of the same kind of group.
- A name does not change how many cows there are
- “Lakshmi” names one cow. It does not add a cow. The herd size is the count, not the list of pet names.
- Match a count to a numeral
- When the last counting word is fourteen, write 14 next to that herd.
- Compare two herds: more, less, or the same
- More, less, or the same needs two finished counts, then a one-to-one match.
- Skip or double breaks the count
- Skipping an animal or counting one animal twice makes a last word that does not name the herd.
Practise What's in a Name?
Reading is free and needs no account. Practice, mocks and progress live in the app.
- A 4-question practice set that ends the chapter
- 1 quick check with worked explanations
- Timed mocks scored with the real marking scheme
- Readiness tracked per topic, kept on your device