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
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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 short videos show what the Bond Block System is and also some simple ideas on how to learn and acquire addition and subtraction BNF.
Numeracy Day 2023
In Term 3 Week 6, N.K.P.S. participated in National Literacy and Numeracy week with a whole school Numeracy Day on Thursday 24th August. The day started with a Maths Scavenger Hunt where students worked through problem solving questions to be the first student in each year level to solve all questions to be the winner. The day was then spent with students rotating through different classrooms and completing a range of maths activities. A day of mathematical challenges and fun was had by all!
Classroom activities included:
Bayley Pre-Primary - Playdough Snake Measuring
Shea Pre-Primary - M& M Graphing
Flanagan Pre-Primary - Longest Paper Chain Measuring and Comparing
Room 12 - Measuring Area with Objects
Room 13 - Geo Blocks Construction
Room 14 - 3D Lolly Shapes
Room 15 - Shape Robots
Room 16 - Symmetry Activities
Room 17 - 3D Shape Village
Room 18 - 3D Skeletal Shapes
Room 19 - One-Metre Designs
Room 20 - Escape Room
Room 21 - Geometry Stars
Room 9 - Emoji Code Breaking
Room 8 - Quiz Show
Room 10 - 3D Shape Buildings
Congratulations to our Maths Scavenger Hunt year level winners:
Pre-Primary - Asha Leahy
Year 1 - Poppy Henderson
Year 2 - Rocco Trunfio
Year 3 - Trisha Jagtap
Year 4 - Charlie Thompson
Year 5 - Jacob Stockdale
Year 6 - Jaye Crothers




