Mathematics at N.K.P.S.
The Western Australian Curriculum: Mathematics provides students with essential mathematical skills and knowledge in Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability. It develops the numeracy capabilities that all students need in their personal, work and civic life, and provides the fundamentals on which mathematical specialties and professional applications of mathematics are built.
Teachers at N.K.P.S. devise and deliver a rich Mathematical learning program designed to engage and challenge students on all academic levels. Teachers differentiate their teaching to ensure all students progress at their own rate in the area of Mathematics. Our teachers have participated in a great deal of professional learning on developing Learning Intentions and Success Criteria in Mathematics lessons to ensure learning is made visible to all students.
At N.K.P.S. teachers use the I.S.T.A.R. approach to teach Mathematics. This approach is used in Maths lessons taught daily throughout the week during Maths Blocks.
I.S.T.A.R. Design
Warm Up/Tuning In
Occurs at the beginning of the Math lesson. The focus is on Maths fluency such as mental maths strategies.
1. Inform/Inspire
This stage is where the Learning Intentions and Success Criteria are shared and made visible to the students to enable them to access the learning at their own level. This stage focuses on the skill or concept explicitly being taught in the lesson.
2. Show/Share
This is where the intentional teaching of the Mathematical concept is taught. The teacher models a strategy and teaches skills and concepts with the whole class. In this stage, the students move from Concrete to Representational to Abstract learning.
3. Try/Transfer
Students have a try at the activity in groups, pairs or individually whilst the teacher supports and scaffolds their learning.
4. Act/Apply
Students work on the activity and apply their learning independently.
5. Review/Reflect
At key teaching points during the lesson and at the end of the lesson, the learning will be reviewed and reflected upon. Teachers focus on the Success Criteria with students recognising and reflecting on what they have learnt during the lesson.
Basic Number Facts
Basic Number Facts (BNF) are single-digit addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts. BNF are important for students to learn as they form the building blocks for higher level maths skills. Students are required to achieve milestones for each year level that target these BNF, so that fluency of these facts can be achieved.
By the end of Year Two, students are required to be fluent in all single-digit addition and subtraction facts, as well as 2, 3, 5 and 10 multiplication and related division facts. By the end of Year Four, students are required to also be fluent in the remaining multiplication and division facts for all facts up to 10 x 10.
N.K.P.S. has a strong focus on students achieving all of the Basic Number Facts by the required year level.
Basic Number Facts Teaching and Learning
At N.K.P.S. teachers use Dr Paul Swan's resources and Narelle Rice's Bond Block System for teaching BNF. The following fact sheets and short videos show what the Bond Block System is and also some simple ideas on how to learn and acquire the BNF needed in primary school.
