Learning & Teaching

Maths

Exploring Patterns in Mathematics (Prep–2)

In mathematics, children in Prep to Year 2 are currently developing their understanding of patterns. This essential skill forms the foundation for more advanced mathematical concepts. Here’s an overview of what they’re learning and practical ways you can support them at home:

Recognising, Copying, Continuing, and Creating Patterns

What They’re Learning:

Children are identifying repeating patterns using numbers, symbols, shapes, and objects. They are practicing how to copy, extend, and create their own patterns. They’re exploring how patterns can be shown visually (e.g., with shapes or objects) and symbolically (e.g., using numbers or letters).

How You Can Help at Home:

Engage your child in fun pattern-making activities with everyday items like beads, buttons, or blocks. Encourage them to create their own patterns and explain the repeating unit. Play games involving pattern recognition, such as matching patterns or completing sequences in puzzles.

Working with Number Patterns and Skip Counting

What They’re Learning:

Children are learning to recognise, extend, and create patterns using numbers. This includes patterns formed by skip counting in twos, fives, and tens.

How You Can Help at Home:

Practice skip counting with your child using coins or by writing number sequences. For instance, use Australian coins to illustrate counting by twos or fives visually.

Creating and Identifying Additive Patterns

What They’re Learning:

Children are learning to identify, describe, and create additive patterns where numbers, shapes, or objects increase or decrease by a constant amount. They also practice completing sequences with missing elements.

How You Can Help at Home:

Use simple activities to demonstrate additive patterns. For example, arrange coins in a sequence where each group increases by the same amount (e.g., 5 cents, 10 cents, 15 cents). Challenge your child with puzzles involving patterns, asking them to find missing elements or describe how a sequence progresses.

Exploring Place Value and Number Properties (3-6)

In Mathematics, children in Years 3–6 are focusing on place value and the properties of numbers. They are learning to identify, explain, and understand the properties of odd and even numbers and can recognise, represent, and order numbers beyond 10,000. They are also practicing naming and writing digits beyond 10,000, extending their understanding of place value to tenths and hundredths, and using decimal notation. Additionally, they are exploring number sequences involving multiples of 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9.

As part of their work on the properties of numbers, children are investigating factors and multiples, using this knowledge to identify prime and composite numbers. They are also learning about patterns within triangular numbers, which helps to deepen their understanding of mathematical relationships.

How You Can Support Your Child at Home

Practice large numbers: Encourage your child to read and write numbers beyond 10,000, perhaps by exploring population data, distances, or other real-world examples.
Discuss place value: Use everyday activities to practice place value, such as reading prices, measuring ingredients with decimals, or using a calculator.
Explore odd and even numbers: Ask your child to explain why numbers are odd or even and challenge them to find examples in your home or environment.
Work with multiples: Practice skip counting with your child (e.g., counting by 3s or 4s) or play games where they identify numbers that are multiples of specific values.
Investigate factors: Explore the factors of numbers together by using objects like counters or small items to create groups.
Spot triangular numbers: Look for patterns in numbers by drawing triangular dot arrays or solving puzzles together.

Literacy News

We're excited to share some updates about our library and how you can support your child's literacy development at home.

Library Update

We are thrilled to announce that our library has moved to a fantastic new space, which it will share with the music room. We've also added a wonderful collection of new titles for children to borrow, so there's sure to be something for everyone!

Get ready for some exciting reading! Library borrowing will commence in Week 3. Please ensure your child brings a library bag, or alternatively, it can be placed in their take-home folder.

Learning in the Hubs

As the children settle into their new hubs, our educators have planned explicit teaching during mini-lessons and targeted groups, focusing on each child's individual learning needs.

Supporting Literacy at Home

You can play a vital role in supporting your child's literacy development at home by building a consistent reading routine. Here are some tips:

Choose a special time: Set aside a time each day that suits both you and your child to read their take-home books. The goal is to create a positive and enjoyable experience that fosters a love of reading.
Take turns: Share the reading experience by taking turns reading pages or paragraphs.
Decoding strategies: If your child encounters an unfamiliar word, encourage them to use the sounds they know to decode it. They can also look for familiar parts of the word or use the picture clues to help them understand the meaning.
Talking about the story: Discuss the story together. Encourage your child to infer feelings, think about how characters might behave and why, and use the picture clues to support their understanding.

Curriculum Overviews:

Finally, please keep an eye out for the Term 1 curriculum overviews on Seesaw. These will highlight everything we will be covering this term.