Maths Innovation

Year level: 2 

This term in Maths Innovation, our mathematicians will dive into a series of real-world, collaborative learning opportunities, designed to stretch their thinking and deepen their understanding of multiplication, division, shape and operations. Through hands on experiences, students will apply mathematical knowledge to solve authentic problems and explore everyday operations in engaging ways. Students will be encouraged to experiment, estimate, measure, and justify their reasoning, all while making purposeful mathematical connections to the world around them. 

At the heart of our program is a focus on the mindsets of innovation: Collaboration, Determination, Vision, Courage and Reflection. Students are encouraged to think flexibly, work as a team and reflect on how mathematics helps us organise, build and improve our environment. Whether they’re exploring efficient arrays for planting, calculating materials for playground designs or thinking entrepreneurially through a café venture, we will invite students to see themselves as confident, creative problem solvers. We look forward to sharing their progress and projects with you later this term! 

Year level: 3 

In Year 3 Maths Innovation, students will be working on their goals to develop the important traits of an innovator: Courageous, Determined, Reflective, Collaborative and Visionary. They will be exploring how to solve multi step worded problems as they participate in the Maths Explorer. During lessons, students will be applying strategies of ‘CUBES’ and ‘RUCSAC’ to support them to understand the important information, what the question is asking them to do, estimate and to check that their answer is reasonable. Throughout the term, students will look for patterns in problem solving to build their numerate metacognition.  

Year level: 4 

In Year 4 Maths Innovation, students will be working on their goals to develop the important traits of an innovator: Courageous, Determined, Reflective, Collaborative and Visionary. They will be exploring how to solve complex worded problems as they participate in the Maths Games. During lessons students will be applying strategies of ‘CUBES’ and ‘RUCSAC’ to support them to understand the important information, what the question is asking them to do, and to check that their answer is reasonable. Together they will explore the features of polygons including the angles between the sides of these shapes. Throughout the term, students will look for patterns to explore the process of finding a mathematical rule.  

Year level: 5 

As students in Year 5 Maths Innovation embark on their learning this term, they will continue to explore and apply the traits that successful innovators employ. In particular, they will focus on being Courageous, Determined, Reflective, Collaborative and Visionary. To connect mathematical concepts of angles, location, and the application of rules, students will create and investigate patterns called ‘Spiorolaterals.’ These shapes will be created through drawing and through programming of robots to discover increasingly complex shapes and to discover the patterns to find a rule that allows prediction of a shape with certain variables. Additionally, students will undertake measurement investigations to connect prior knowledge to practical applications of mathematics. 

Year level: 6 

This term, students in Year 6 Maths Innovation will begin by exploring the historical and real-world applications and representations of the Fibonacci Sequence. This will be explored collaboratively to focus on alternative problem-solving strategies and the surprising connections to nature. Additionally, students will use Scratch to program mathematical shapes whilst exploring angles and location. This will encourage the algorithmic thinking that is important when completing mathematical problems. Throughout the learning, they will identify and apply the traits that successful innovators employ, such as being Courageous, Determined, Reflective, Collaborative and Visionary.