BBPS Life: Focus on Maths

"Investigations" The Prep Mathematics Station

Prep and Grade 1

In the early years of school, we rely on the use of concrete materials to build students’ conceptual understanding of Mathematical concepts. The danger can be for us to take away the concrete and move to the abstract before students have really mastered the skills, or have demonstrated an ability to apply these understandings in different contexts.

Prep: To explore concepts of division and multiplication we have been sharing apples between family members, using repeated addition to find the total bales of wool for baa baa black sheep and its friends, using match sticks to skip count how many legs altogether, setting up picnics for our teddies (and all the things we need!), making and counting spikey head trolls and so much more!

Recording spikes on our playdough troll heads

Grade 1: This term, some of the ways we have created connections between concepts of division and multiplication are:

Using regular number talks to practise subitising small collections and to develop other counting strategies
Demonstrating a range of ways to represent equal sharing and grouping
Exploring multiplication with materials, stories, role-play, games and regular classroom talks
Creating a playful culture of learning where mistakes and struggle are seen as valuable to learning.
Connecting multiplication to everyday situations

Bea "In maths we have been learning repeated addition. We get our whiteboards out and Ms B gives us a multiplication to write and then we have to try to work out the answer. I also like to play maths games. Get out of my house is one of my favourites. They seem fun and you can play the game and it doesn't matter if you get something wrong because you get to learn while having fun with a friend."

Grade 2

Building number fluency is crucial for students, especially as they shift into senior school. We aim for students to be able to recall basic number facts (in particular for addition and subtraction) from their long term memory. One of the ways we do this is through regular revisiting of number facts through familiar games - students play these as part of our morning start to the day, to tune into lessons at the very beginning, and as an active lesson break.

Some of our favourites (that you might like to play at home) include: Domino Flowers, Multo (times table bingo, focusing on the 2, 5 and 10 times tables), The Array Game (roll 2 dice to generate your multiplication sentence and create your arrays. Draw this as ‘how many rows’, then identify 'how many in each row'. And our favourite… Brainy Fish (we’ll send a copy of the resources for this home for the holidays). Get the students to teach you, they are experts!

We have also done a deep dive into how to use a number line to help us add, subtract and multiply through skip counting. A number-line is an invaluable resource for our students to actively demonstrate mathematical thinking. It has been wonderful seeing their faces light up as they see their thinking materialise on the page, and they feel success in answering complex questions.

Olivia T "The array game is we have to roll a dice, draw the array. The first number you roll is how many rows and the second number is how many columns. We write our multiplication sentence at the bottom. You can count the number of coloured squares to work out the answer. I like working with big numbers because I like a challenge. Maths is one of my favourite subjects"

Clio "We have been using number lines. For example if we have a line that goes from 0 to 50, we have to fill in the gaps using skip counting. Sometimes it is easier to count by skip counting. We also notice some patterns when we do our number lines. I really like maths but I think that we have to make our brains work hard to learn new ideas in maths."

Grades 3 and 4

One component of our Mathematics curriculum in the Hub is the daily use of Junior Elementary Maths Mastery (JEMM). Students engage in daily review of a range of key Mathematical concepts, working in like-ability groupings with a teaching member of the hub. Through a direct instructional approach, students have the opportunity to solve a range of questions independently, and then collaboratively unpack and share strategy. Students monitor and look for ‘bugs’ (mistakes and learnings for next time) and enjoy tracking their own personal growth. We celebrate improvement, reinforce the importance of repetition and practise for mastery, and encourage our students to have a growth mindset and to sit in the ‘uncomfortable’ of the learning pit as they solve problems.

Grades 5 and 6

This term the Grade 5/6 students have been focusing on decimal fractions and measurement.

Understanding Place Value- this was revisited using addition and subtraction of whole numbers. This specifically explored when the number being added or subtracted contained a zero (For Example: 4067-398= _).
Add and Subtract Decimals: Through explicit teaching strategies, students have mastered the subtraction algorithm and applied it to solve decimal-related problems. Explicit instruction has been crucial in scaffolding their understanding of how to perform these algorithms accurately.
Order Decimals: We’ve practised comparing and ordering decimals to better understand their relative sizes.
Connect Decimals and Fractions: Students have explored the relationship between decimals and fractions, helping them see how these two concepts are interconnected. This was also explored using probability to show the interconnect of different mathematical concepts.

Tilly (right) looking at equivalent fractions

Tilly 6T "I feel like I am understanding the maths more this term. I am enjoying it more, which I think is helping me to get my head around it. I have been working to improve my understanding of decimals, fractions, and the algorithms we use for subtraction, addition and multiplication. I can see myself using maths in my every day life and also in my career."

Taym 6C "I feel like maths clicks easily for me. I also learn quickly for maths. I really enjoy fractions and I like division and multiplication. I like open ended maths questions where I am given a problem and I have to work out a solution. I look forward to learning new concepts in high school, such as algebra and square roots. Sometimes we get to work with small groups in maths and I enjoy this."

The Role of Explicit Teaching: Explicit teaching has been instrumental in our approach to mathematics this term. By breaking down the steps of the decimal subtraction algorithm and providing clear, structured guidance, we ensure that all students build a strong foundation. This scaffolding approach helps students grasp complex procedures and gain confidence in their mathematical abilities.

Engaging Learning Experiences: Students have tackled challenging open-ended tasks and authentic mathematical problems. These activities have pushed them into what we call the “learning pit,” where they engage deeply with the material, face challenges, and develop resilience.

The Importance of Estimation: Another crucial skill we have emphasised is estimation. Students have learned how to make reasonable estimates when working with decimals, which is vital for checking the accuracy of their calculations and developing a sense of the magnitude of their answers.

Encouraging Growth and Mastery: Our aim is to make sure that students are not only learning how to handle decimals but also developing a robust understanding of their applications. We are proud of the progress they are making and are excited to see them grow through these engaging and challenging activities.

Other learning and activities around the school

Some beautiful Grade 2 artworks

Grade 4 love to read!

District Athletics

3/4 Hub Camp

We interviewed some grade 3s about camp

What was your favourite part?

Claudia "The bush walk and the canoeing"

Zep "I also liked the canoeing"

Charlotte "The hash brown and chocolate mousse"

Teddy "The baked potatoes and chicken"

Did you make any new friends?

Jake "We made friends with one of the staff at the camp"

What are you grateful for?

Charlotte "The staff, who helped me with my harness in the possum pull"

Zep "I was grateful for the apple crumble"

What was your favourite memory?

Charlotte " The possum pull"

Alex "The kangaroos"

Zep "The kangaroos when they were boxing"

Maddy 4B "We went canoeing. Two people fell in but they were ok. The lake was big and deep so it was fun to canoe. There were about ten boats, with two people on each boat and we could go around and talk to other people and we also did races. We also lit a cotton ball on fire using flint and steel. If you are in the bush and you have no lighter you could use flint and steel to light a fire."

Harry B 4R "One the first day we did a a big bush walk. We saw a platypus in the river. One the second day we saw 16 kangaroos and then we went to breakfast. Our first activity was bush art. Me and Ms Remfry made picture of Mr Willmott. His hair was made out of leaves. Then we had a caoeing game. We played Animal Kingdom with canoes. We had to tap the front of another canoe with your paddle. Raffy was leaning to tap someone's canoe and we tipped over. We were a bit scared but we swam to the instructers boats and we were safe. "

Market Day

Well done to our outstanding entrepeneurs, and a big thank you to our families for supporting this event. Money raised has been donated to the Royal Children's Hosptial, charity voted on and selected by our students.