Mathematics at MVPS

Current Maths Projects

1. Mathletics

During 2009, Mathletics will again be part of the maths program at Manly Village Public School. This program is designed to allow students to work at their own level. The students enjoy working on this technology based program because it is enjoyable and they can be challenged to progress at their own level. Positive feedback has already been received regarding increased levels of engagement amongst the children.

2. Working Mathematically

As well as supporting those students who require additional assistance in Mathematics, we would like to ensure highly effective Mathematics programs are offered to all students so that all students can progress at their optinmal level. Therefore all teachers will participate in training in 2008, and into 2009 and 2010, using the Working Mathematically component of the syllabus. This area of the syllabus involves children in applying their knowledge of basic mathematical concepts to the solution of unfamiliar problems, encourages children to talk about Mathematics and to share their strategies. The students at Manly Village perform very well in state wide Mathematics assessments, and it is believed that their performance can be enhanced even further through additional work on this section of the syllabus.

3. Numeracy Support

DIn 2008, Stage Two teachers have been worked collaboratively with a consultant from district office on a Maths project designed to assist students who experience learning difficulties in this key subject area.

This project has involved teachers in using the lesson study process. The lesson study process is a highly effective training tool for teachers as it enables them to work collaboratively to plan, teach and evaluate their lessons, with a view to improving them even further.

At the beginning of the project, in February 2008, the teachers designed a diagnostic assessment tool. They also used a diagnostic interview with individual students, which focused on:

• Numeral identification
  
• Counting forwards and backwards
• Addition and subtraction
• Multiplication and division
• Place value

Teachers used the diagnostic interview to make informed judgements about students’ strategies for solving number problems and this helped to inform the basis of the project content.

The teachers planned lessons collaboratively and the district consultant supported the teachers in the classroom.

4. Maths Olympiad

Children at Manly Village Public School will have experience in Mathematics because:

Mathematics is essential for living – individuals must be able to complete computations, know number facts, solve and reason problems which involve Mathematics;

• Mathematics occurs in most fields of endeavour and vocations;
  
• Mathematics can convey information effectively e.g. graphs,charts,tables;
  
• Mathematics is part of our culture;
  
• Mathematics can be part of leisure e.g. puzzles, problems, computer games.

Mathematical learning will take place in the areas of:

• Space & Geometry
• Measurement
• Number
• Working Mathematically
• Patterns & Algebra

Learning activities should be appropriate to each student’s current stage of development and, where possible, move from concrete to abstract.

What do children learn in mathematics lessons?

Mathematics develops students’ thinking, understanding, competence and confidence with numbers, shapes and measurement. Students learn to add, subtract, divide and multiply whole numbers, fractions and decimals. They learn to measure time and calculate with money. They learn geometry, algebra and how to work with data and graphs.

In Kindergarten

• count aloud to 30 and recognise numbers from 1 to 20
• manipulate objects such as counters to help add and subtract numbers
• recognise the value of currency, eg 20 cent piece, five dollar note
• count backwards from a given number in the range 0 to 20
• name the days of the week and seasons
• tell the time to the hour, eg four o’clock
• identify and name simple shapes, eg circles, squares
• use positional terms, eg between, under, right, left
• recognise that halves are equal parts

Some Year 1 examples

• state the place value of digits in two-digit numbers, eg ‘in the number 32, the 3 represents 30 or 3 tens’
• begin to model multiplication using concrete objects, eg 3 x 2 is the same as 3 groups of 2 or as an array with 3 rows of 2
• describe halves and quarters found in everyday life, eg quarters of an orange, half a glass of water
• begin to use metres and centimetres to estimate and measure length and distance, eg ‘My book is 30 cm long’, ‘My desk is more than a metre wide’
• count forwards and backwards by two, fives and tens
• use the terms ‘add’, ‘plus’, ‘equals’, ‘is equal to’, ‘take away’, ‘minus’ and ‘the difference between’

Some Year 2 examples

• read clocks on the half-hour
• count, read and write numbers up to 999
• begin to model division using concrete objects, eg 6 ÷ 3 is the same as sharing 6 objects into 3 equal groups
• record area by describing the number and type of units, eg the area of this surface is 20 tiles
• use a calendar to identify dates, months, seasons and birthdays
• begin to understand and draw graphs and diagrams of data, eg using simple picture graphs and column graphs
• recognise and explain numbers such as odds and evens, numbers ending with five and zero

Some Year 3 examples

• develop mental strategies to multiply a two-digit number by a one-digit number, eg using known facts, multiplying the tens and then the ones, repeatedly doubling when multiplying by an even number
• count, read, write and order numbers up to 9999
• identify, represent and compare fractions involving halves, quarters, and eighths
• interpret decimal notation for tenths and hundredths, eg 0.1 is the same as 1/10
• identify and measure the length, breadth, height and perimeter of objects in metres, centimetres and millimetres
• record area in square centimetres and square metres, eg 5 cm2, 6 m2
• recall multiplication facts (‘times tables’) up to 10 x 10
• organise data to create and interpret tables and graphs

Some Year 4 examples

• read and record time in one-minute intervals
• record numbers up to four digits using expanded notation, eg 5429 = 5000 + 400 + 20 + 9
• develop mental strategies to divide by a one-digit number, eg ‘63 ÷ 9 = 7 because I know 7 x 9 = 63’
• determine factors for a given number, eg ‘factors of 12 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12’
• add and subtract decimals with the same number of decimal places (up to 2 decimal places), eg 0.10 + 0.33 = 0.43
• relate common percentages to a fraction or decimal, eg ‘25% means 25 out of 100 or 0.25’
• manipulate, compare and describe features of 2-D shapes, eg pentagons, octagons, parallelograms
• record volume and capacity using litres, millilitres and cubic centimetres, eg 5 L, 6 mL, 27 cm3
• use coordinates and compass points to describe position and to give and follow directions, eg ‘the lion cage is at B3’, ‘the treasure is north-east of the cave’

Some Year 5 examples

• read, write, and order numbers of any size
• identify and classify angles, eg right, acute, obtuse, reflex, straight, revolution
• multiply three-digit numbers by two-digit numbers using the written extended form (long multiplication)
• identify prime numbers, eg 13 has only two factors (1 and 13) and therefore is prime
• find equivalent fractions using diagrams and number lines, eg 3/4 = 6/8
• add and subtract simple fractions, eg 5/6 + 3/6 = 8/6 or 12/6, 2/3 + 1/6 = 4/6 + 1/6 = 5/6
• record lengths and distances using decimal notation to 3 decimal places, eg 2.753 km

Some Year 6 examples

• use 24-hour time and am/pm notation
• calculate simple fractions and percentages of an amount, eg 1/5 of 30 = 6, 10% of $200 = 1/10 of $200 = $20
• multiply simple fractions by whole numbers , eg 3 x 2/5 = 6/5
• record remainders as fractions or decimals, eg 25 ÷ 4 = 61/4 or 6.25
• identify and construct 3-D objects on the basis of their properties, eg rectangular prisms, triangular pyramids
• record volume and capacity using decimal notation to 3 decimal places, eg 1.275 L
• interpret and draw a wider range of graphs using a scale, eg line graphs, divided bar graphs
• complete simple sentences by calculating missing values, eg 270 ÷ x = 9

Links to Other Maths Sites

• http://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/maths/index.html