Directions: Up/Down/Left/Right

1Summary 重點摘要

Describe position: up, down, left, right, front, back.

2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary

3Step by step Steps

1. Step 1: You are the centreTo learn directions, start with your own body as the standard: standing straight, the way your head points is up and the way your feet press is down; the side you face is front and the side of your back is back. Example: standing in the middle of the classroom, the ceiling is above, the floor is below, the board is in front and the bag cupboard is behind. Why use the body as the standard? Up, down, front and back are all said in relation to a person, and the standard moves with the person. A common mistake is saying 'above' without saying above what; direction always needs its reference named first.
2. Step 2: Tell left from rightHere is a good way to tell left from right: think first which hand you write with. Example: most people write with the right hand; raise your writing hand, and that side is right, while the other side is left. Another memory aid: the side where your heart lies is the left. Confirm this a few times every day and the confusion soon disappears. Why is left-right so easily mixed? The two sides look very symmetrical, unlike up and down, where the head and the floor guide us clearly. A common mistake is raising the wrong hand, so build the habit of thinking 'which hand writes' before answering.
3. Step 3: Front and backFront and back depend on which way you face: the side you face is front and the side of your back is back. Example: sitting on your seat and facing the board, the board is in front; your bag hangs on the chair behind you, so it is at the back. After turning round, front and back change too: once you face the door, the door becomes the front and the board becomes the back. Why? Front and back are decided by the way you face, and when the facing changes, they change. A common mistake is keeping the old directions after turning; before speaking of front and back, always fix which way you face.
4. Step 4: Say where things areTo describe where a thing is, make clear how it sits in relation to another thing, and then listeners can understand. Example: a pencil case is on the desk and a school bag is under the desk; we say the pencil case is above the bag, and the bag is below the pencil case. The two sentences are opposite, and both are right. A handy frame is 'A is above B' or 'A is below B'. A common mistake is saying 'below' without naming what it is below, for example only 'the pencil case is below', leaving others unsure whether it means below the bag or below the floor.
5. Step 5: BetweenWhen three things stand in a row, the one in the middle has one neighbour on each side, and this place is called the middle. Example: Ming, Ka-yi and Keung-keung stand in a row; Ka-yi is in the middle, between Ming and Keung-keung, and in turn Ming is on the left and Keung-keung on the right. Why is there only one middle? With only three places in a row, the two sides each take one place, and the one left in the very centre is the middle. A common mistake is speaking of the middle when the three things are not in a line; confirm a straight row first.
6. Step 6: Turning swaps left and rightLeft and right follow the way the body faces: whichever way you face, left and right are judged from there. Example: facing the board, the window is on your right; after you turn around with your back to the board, the same window is on your left. The window did not move; we did, so first fix which way you face, then speak of left and right. In word problems the question states 'facing the board' or 'back to the board', and this must be read first. A common mistake is ignoring the turn and assuming left and right never change; remember, a half turn swaps them.

4Diagrams Diagrams

5Worked example Example

6Common mistakes Mistakes

7Quick check Quick check

8Recap Recap

• Use yourself as the centre for positions.
• Your writing hand helps you find the right side.
• Facing is front; behind is back.
• Between means next to both.
• Turning around swaps left and right.