Curriculum Matters - Mathematics

Maths in Semester 2

This semester, students will be engaging in a variety of  investigations focusing on measurement, in particular length, area, perimeter and time. Initially, all classes will focus on place value and after this, students will continue to develop their understanding of place value, fractions and decimals through problems relating to measurement.  Students will also learn about location, transformation and angles. This includes creating and reading basic grid maps with simple legends and scales and identifying and using symmetry. Much of this work will complement activities within Geography, which is currently being undertaken by both Year 3s and Year 4s.

Students will continue to practise number facts at every opportunity as knowing these facts with fluency and automaticity is required in all areas of mathematics. In addition, they will be building up and using their fluency with multiplication facts to learn division facts.

It is essential students have a good working knowledge of  addition and subtraction facts to 20 and develop strategies to work with larger numbers  before moving onto multiplication and division.

By the end of Year 3, students are expected to know 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10 multiplication facts out of order and without skip counting through them. Similarly, Year 4 students are expected to know all facts - 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 up to the tenth multiple and apply these facts to support their multiplication and division calculations.

Many students have been using online programs like Numerical Acumen to help hone their fluency and automaticity.

Well done  to winners of the Numerical Acumen Challenge from semester 1 - Dimitri, Brynn, Timothy, Christos and Paige!

Certificates and medals for dedication, performance and improvement were presented to these 5 Torrens students during an awards evening held at Prince Alfred College, Kent Town at the end of last term.