The Fish Tale
Class 5 · Mathematics
4 ideas in Class 5 Mathematics, explained in plain words, with games and quizzes to practise.
Speed, Distance and Time
Part of: Boats, speed and distance
Speed tells us how far something goes in one hour. A cycle that goes 10 km in one hour goes 30 km in three hours, because we repeat the same distance each hour. To find the time for a trip, we ask how many hours of that distance fit into the trip.
Why it matters. Planning a journey, guessing when a bus will arrive or comparing two vehicles all need this idea. Without it, children see distance and time as unrelated numbers.
Try it in two minutes
- Ask your child to walk across the room and count the steps. Say: if each minute you walk 40 steps, how many steps in 5 minutes?
- Pick a family trip, such as 60 km at 20 km per hour. Ask: how many hours will it take?
- Ask: if we go twice as fast, will the trip take more time or less time?
Try at home. Look at a bus or train timetable together and work out how far a vehicle goes in 3 hours at its speed.
Lakh and Crore
Part of: Big numbers
One lakh is one hundred thousand and is written with 5 zeroes: 100000. One crore is one hundred lakh and is written with 7 zeroes: 10000000. We use these names for populations, large prices and savings.
Why it matters. News, prices of houses and the number of people in a city are all given in lakhs and crores. Children who can read these numbers do not get lost in the zeroes.
Try it in two minutes
- Write 1000 on paper. Ask: how many thousands make one lakh?
- Write 100000 and count the zeroes together. Then add two more zeroes and ask what the number is called.
- Ask your child to say a number in lakhs, such as half a lakh, and write it in digits.
Try at home. Look through a newspaper for numbers in lakhs or crores and read them aloud with your child.
Price per Kilogram
Part of: The fish market
A price per kilogram tells what one kilogram costs. To find the cost of many kilograms, multiply. To find the price per kilogram from a total, divide the total by the weight. For example, 3 kg at ₹ 40 a kg costs 3 × 40 = ₹ 120.
Why it matters. Children use this every time they shop for vegetables, fruit or grain. It also builds fluent multiplication and division in real life.
Try it in two minutes
- Pretend to run a vegetable shop. Say: tomatoes are ₹ 30 a kg. Ask: what is the cost of 4 kg?
- Reverse it: I paid ₹ 150 for 5 kg of onions. Ask: what is the price of 1 kg?
- Ask: if I have ₹ 100, how many kg of ₹ 20 apples can I buy?
Try at home. Next time you buy vegetables, ask your child to work out the bill from the price per kg and the weight.
Savings, Loans and Profit
Part of: Saving, loans and profit
When many people save a little each month, the group gets a big amount. A loan is money borrowed and paid back in parts, with a little extra called interest. Profit is what is left after the cost is taken away from the money earned.
Why it matters. These ideas show children how small savings grow and why repaying more than we borrow is normal. They also practise multi-step sums.
Try it in two minutes
- Say: five friends each save ₹ 20 a month. Ask: how much do they have after one month? After 6 months?
- Say: a shopkeeper buys mangoes at ₹ 30 a kg and sells them at ₹ 45 a kg. Ask: what is the profit on 1 kg?
- Ask: what is the profit on 10 kg?
Try at home. Let your child keep a small money box for a month and work out the total saved.
What your child will practise
- Lakh and Crore: Desert Quick Fire (Quick Fire)
- Lakh and Crore: Treasure Quest (Match It Up)
- Price per Kilogram: Space Quick Fire (Quick Fire)
- Savings, Loans and Profit: Candy Puzzle (Clue Puzzle)
- Speed, Distance and Time: Number Quest (Collect the Answer)
- Quiz: Lakh and Crore (8 questions)
- Quiz: Price per Kilogram (8 questions)
- Quiz: Savings, Loans and Profit (8 questions)
- Quiz: Speed, Distance and Time (8 questions)