What’s in a Name? Class 3 Maths Chapter 1 CBSE Notes 2025-26

This chapter, "What’s in a Name?," introduces young learners to the basic concepts of counting, sorting, comparing names and numbers, and logical thinking through engaging stories and hands-on activities. It begins with a story set in Tarakeshwar, focusing on Deba and Deep, two cowherds who need a strategy to keep track of their cows without knowing counting numbers.

A Story from Long Ago The idea shared by a friend—marking the wall for every cow that goes out and striking out a mark for every cow that returns—teaches children a basic, visual counting method. This approach helps students understand the importance of one-to-one correspondence and provides a foundation for more advanced counting techniques.

The story continues to show how this marking method works even when the herd grows bigger. If, after returning, a couple of marks remain on the wall and all the cows appear to be back, Deba and Deep understand some cows are still missing, prompting them to look for them. This stresses how careful counting helps prevent missing out any elements, be it cows or any other objects.

Applying Counting to Real Life Students are encouraged to help their friend Hemant, who owns cows and sheep, use the same marking system. They realize that such marking and striking can help track not just animals but also students entering and leaving the classroom or counting large groups of objects. This lays the groundwork for thinking of alternative ways to count beyond rote memorization of numbers.

Teacher notes within this section prompt children to brainstorm different strategies for counting groups, cultivating flexible thinking. Activities like marking the wall or counting marks are starting points, and students are encouraged to imagine new methods as well.

What’s in a Name? This segment focuses on comparison of word lengths using animal names. Children read about a fun game where animals form teams led by the one with the longest name and one with the shortest name. Given a list—tiger, elephant, deer, rat, monkey, ox, dog, snake, goat, lion—students must determine which animal has the longest and shortest names, and count the letters in each.

They also identify if they know an animal with a name longer than “elephant,” sparking curiosity and encouraging independent research. The section uses relatable examples to demonstrate comparison and counting of letters, skills transferable to many classroom and real-world scenarios.

Next, the chapter asks students to compare their own names with classmates’. They write down the names of friends and answer questions about which name is longest, which starting letter appears most frequently, and which letters are not starting letters for any names. Through such activities, learners develop awareness of letter frequency, similarities and differences among words, and classification based on simple properties.

Number Names and Counting Letters The chapter transitions to number names—students count the letters in number names (like “fifty-six”) and seek other number names between 1 and 99 with the same number of letters. Using names for roll numbers, students count letters for numbers like "forty-three" and "seventeen." They are encouraged to look for patterns, compare lengths of number names, and make lists or tables to observe which numbers have the shortest or longest word forms.

Tasks include writing one’s roll number using number cards and writing how many letters each number name contains. Such exercises sharpen skills in observation, pattern recognition, and counting, all of which are foundational in mathematics.

Puzzles with Number Names The text presents puzzles such as: “My number name has two words. The first has six letters, and the second has five. I am very near to 100. Who am I?” These riddles foster logical thinking, word play, and deductive skills as students work out the possible answers from the clues and their own knowledge of number names.

Other challenges, like finding the number between 63 and 78 with the smallest number name, encourage students to explore all possibilities, making the exercise more engaging and comprehensive.

Grouping and Sorting Everyday Objects The chapter also includes activities where learners classify household objects like TV, lamp, pillow, clock, chair, bed, blanket, and fan into groups such as “things that need electricity” and “things that don’t need electricity.” This cultivates an understanding of sorting and identifying similarities or differences.

Learners can also invent alternate ways to group the same objects, either by their use (e.g., things to sleep on, things to sit on) or properties (soft or hard, electronic or non-electronic). This strengthens the critical skill of grouping based on varying characteristics, which is necessary not only for mathematics but also scientific thinking.

Hair Style Survey and Data Handling The chapter ends with a mini-survey activity about hair styles. Students look around their classroom, note how classmates arrange their hair (for example, in ponytails, plates, or open hair), and fill in a simple table to record the number of children with each style. This provides a practical introduction to data collection, tabulation, and simple analysis.

Teacher notes remind instructors to encourage children to come up with more items to group and to discuss creative methods of grouping so that every object fits into one category or another. This not only helps in better understanding mathematical logic but also encourages open, interactive communication and teamwork in class.

Overall, this chapter links foundational mathematical concepts—like counting, sorting, comparing, grouping, and basic tallying—with entertaining stories and practical activities, making learning meaningful and interactive for Class 3 students. Activities are hands-on and designed to stimulate observation, creativity, and basic reasoning in young minds.

Class 3 Maths Chapter 1 Notes – Maths Mela: Key Concepts and Revision Points

These CBSE Class 3 Maths Chapter 1 notes present all key ideas from "Maths Mela" in simple language. By covering stories, activities, and table-based exercises, they help students easily understand concepts like counting, grouping, and comparing names or numbers. Use these notes to revise important points and prepare quickly for tests.

With clearly explained examples and student-friendly summaries, these revision notes reinforce learning with practice in counting and observing word patterns. Go through all the main activities and puzzles to build a solid foundation in early maths topics for Class 3 exams.