Primary 1 Maths | Direction and Position (I) Lesson-Prep Guide (for tutors)

Primary 1 Maths | Direction and Position (I) Lesson-Prep Guide (for tutors) | Left, right, front, back, between

2026-11-14

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Primary Maths

The hard step in Primary 1 is not left and right but taking the other person s point of view: the same place is on my left and on your right.

Objectives — The pupil can: (1) use up, down, left, right, front and back with their own body; (2) state the relative position of two objects; (3) use between to describe three objects; (4) stand where another person stands and give the same direction correctly.

01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)

If any of these fails, fix it before the lesson starts.

Skill	Quick check	Pass mark
Body parts	knows the left and right hands	the starting point for direction
Space words	has heard above and beside	everyday language

02 Lesson flow (40 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
0–5 min	Diagnose	raise the left hand	correct hand
5–17 min	Body anchors	up, down, left, right, front, back	points correctly
17–27 min	Relative position	where is A from B	answers correctly
27–35 min	Change places	stand opposite and repeat	the answer flips
35–40 min	Exit check	three questions	all correct

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: Act 1: Anchor direction to the body

Have the pupil raise the left hand, the right hand, touch the top of the head, stamp on the floor, step forward and step back. Direction must be tied to the body, because Primary 1 pupils cannot yet judge left and right reliably on paper. Every time you say left, point at your own left hand to fix a reference.

Tutor line: “Raise your left hand. How do you know it is the left one? Because you write with it? Good, and the right hand?”

Scene 2: Act 2: Relative position, A from B

Line up three objects: an apple, a banana and an orange. Ask where the banana is from the apple; the answer is on the right. Then ask where the orange is from the banana; also on the right. The pupil should point from the reference object rather than guess.

Tutor line: “Where is the banana from the apple? Start at the apple, point to the banana: left or right?”

Scene 3: Act 3: Change places, take the other view

Two people face each other. One raises the left hand and the other sees it on the right. This reversal is the hardest part of the lesson. The way through is to have the pupil actually walk to the other position and answer from there. Moving the body works better than imagining.

Tutor line: “Walk over to that spot and face me. Now raise your left hand: which side do I see it on? So your earlier answer was not wrong, the position was different.”

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps
Body anchors: raise the left hand, step back	tie it to the body, fix the reference	always the same hand
Relative position: where is A from B	start at B, point, judge	the reference object must be clear
Between: the banana sits between the apple and the orange	confirm both ends, find the middle	between means in the middle
Change places: give a direction from the other side	actually move first, then judge	facing each other reverses left and right

Sanity check (teach this): Primary 1 uses up, down, left, right, front, back and between only. The four compass directions come in Primary 2. Changing places must be done by moving the body, not by talking about it on paper. Left and right belong to the person, not to the observer.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
Raise your right hand	the pupil raises the right hand	tied to the body
Apple, banana, orange in a row: where is the banana from the apple?	on the right	start from the apple
Where is the banana among the three?	in the middle, between the others	confirm both ends
Facing each other, you raise the left hand: which side does the other see?	their right	walk over and check
After stepping forward, is your old place behind you?	yes	relative position changes

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
Guessing left and right	answering left then right	“Use the same hand as a reference every time, do not guess.”
Answering from the observer	using their own left when reading a picture	“Take the point of view of the person in the picture.”
Mixing between and beside	using the two interchangeably	“Between means held in the middle, beside means at the side.”
Answering a change-of-place question without moving	guessing straight away	“Walk over to that spot first, then answer.”

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

Direction and position practice (in-school) — questions 1–6
Primary 1 maths paper 2 — questions 15–18

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
Raise your left hand	the pupil raises the left hand	if wrong: redo the body anchors
A is left of B, so where is B from A?	on the right	if wrong: reteach relative position
With three in a row, where is the middle one?	between the other two	if wrong: reteach between

09 Tutor FAQ

What if left and right will not stick?

Fix a body reference first, usually the writing hand, then drill it with movement. Paper exercises should wait until the body reference is stable.

Why is changing places so hard?

Primary 1 pupils are still centred on their own view and cannot rotate it mentally. Walking to the other spot is the most effective bridge.

Should compass directions be taught?

Not in Primary 1. The EDB places the four main directions in Primary 2.

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A TutorZone lesson-prep guide. Written by the TutorZone team; questions and lesson flow are original and are not taken from any school or publisher material.

Practice papers　Paper 1 (basics)　·　Paper 2 (intermediate)　·　Paper 3 (challenge)　·　Paper 4 (error clinic)