Mathematics (Version 8.4)

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Rationale

Learning mathematics creates opportunities for and enriches the lives of all Australians. The Australian Curriculum: Mathematics provides students with essential mathematical skills and knowledge in number and algebra, measurement and geometry, and statistics and probability.

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Aims

The Australian Curriculum: Mathematics aims to ensure that students:

are confident, creative users and communicators of mathematics, able to investigate, represent and interpret situations in their personal and work lives and as active citizens.

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Key ideas

In Mathematics, the key ideas are the proficiency strands of understanding, fluency, problem-solving and reasoning. The proficiency strands describe the actions in which students can engage when learning and using the content.

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Structure

The Australian Curriculum: Mathematics is organised around the interaction of three content strands and four proficiency strands.
The content strands are number and algebra, measurement and geometry, and statistics and probability. They describe what is to be taught and learnt.

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PDF documents

Resources and support materials for the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics are available as PDF documents. 
Mathematics: Sequence of content
Mathematics: Sequence of achievement

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Glossary

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Year 6

Year 6 Level Description

The proficiency strands understanding, fluency, problem-solving and reasoning are an integral part of mathematics content across the three content strands: number and algebra, measurement and geometry, and statistics and probability. The proficiencies reinforce the significance of working mathematically within the content and describe how the content is explored or developed. They provide the language to build in the developmental aspects of the learning of mathematics. The achievement standards reflect the content and encompass the proficiencies.

At this year level:

  • understanding includes describing properties of different sets of numbers, using fractions and decimals to describe probabilities, representing fractions and decimals in various ways and describing connections between them, and making reasonable estimations
  • fluency includes representing integers on a number line, calculating simple percentages, using brackets appropriately, converting between fractions and decimals, using operations with fractions, decimals and percentages, measuring using metric units and interpreting timetables
  • problem-solving includes formulating and solving authentic problems using fractions, decimals, percentages and measurements, interpreting secondary data displays and finding the size of unknown angles
  • reasoning includes explaining mental strategies for performing calculations, describing results for continuing number sequences, explaining the transformation of one shape into another and explaining why the actual results of chance experiments may differ from expected results.

Year 6 Content Descriptions

Number and place value

Identify and describe properties of prime, composite, square and triangular numbers (ACMNA122 - Scootle )
Literacy

Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
  • Navigate, read and view learning area texts
  • Comprehend texts

Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating
  • Compose texts
  • Compose spoken, written, visual and multimodal learning area texts

Word Knowledge
  • Understand learning area vocabulary

Numeracy

Estimating and calculating with whole numbers
  • Understand and use numbers in context

  • understanding that some numbers have special properties and that these properties can be used to solve problems
    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas
    • Organise and process information

    Numeracy

    Estimating and calculating with whole numbers
    • Understand and use numbers in context

  • representing composite numbers as a product of their prime factors and using this form to simplify calculations by cancelling common primes
    Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability

    Investigating with ICT
    • Define and plan information searches
    • Locate, generate and access data and information

    Numeracy

    Estimating and calculating with whole numbers
    • Understand and use numbers in context
    • Estimate and calculate

  • understanding that if a number is divisible by a composite number then it is also divisible by the prime factors of that number (for example 216 is divisible by 8 because the number represented by the last three digits is divisible by 8, and hence 216 is also divisible by 2 and 4)
    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas
    • Organise and process information

    Numeracy

    Estimating and calculating with whole numbers
    • Understand and use numbers in context

Select and apply efficient mental and written strategies and appropriate digital technologies to solve problems involving all four operations with whole numbers (ACMNA123 - Scootle )
Literacy

Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
  • Navigate, read and view learning area texts
  • Interpret and analyse learning area texts
  • Comprehend texts

Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating
  • Compose spoken, written, visual and multimodal learning area texts
  • Compose texts

Word Knowledge
  • Understand learning area vocabulary

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability

Creating with ICT
  • Generate solutions to challenges and learning area tasks
  • Generate ideas, plans and processes

Numeracy

Estimating and calculating with whole numbers
  • Understand and use numbers in context
  • Estimate and calculate

Critical and Creative Thinking

Generating ideas, possibilities and actions
  • Seek solutions and put ideas into action
  • Consider alternatives

Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
  • Identify and clarify information and ideas
  • Organise and process information

Reflecting on thinking and processes
  • Reflect on processes

  • applying strategies already developed for solving problems involving small numbers to those involving large numbers
    Numeracy

    Estimating and calculating with whole numbers
    • Estimate and calculate
    • Understand and use numbers in context

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas
    • Organise and process information

  • applying a range of strategies to solve realistic problems and commenting on the efficiency of different strategies
    Literacy

    Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating
    • Compose spoken, written, visual and multimodal learning area texts

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas
    • Organise and process information

    Reflecting on thinking and processes
    • Reflect on processes

    Analysing, synthesising and evaluating reasoning and procedures
    • Evaluate procedures and outcomes

    Numeracy

    Estimating and calculating with whole numbers
    • Understand and use numbers in context
    • Estimate and calculate

Investigate everyday situations that use integers. Locate and represent these numbers on a number line (ACMNA124 - Scootle )
Numeracy

Estimating and calculating with whole numbers
  • Understand and use numbers in context
  • Estimate and calculate

Critical and Creative Thinking

Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
  • Identify and clarify information and ideas
  • Organise and process information

  • understanding that integers are ...-3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3,.....
    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Generating ideas, possibilities and actions
    • Seek solutions and put ideas into action
    • Consider alternatives

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas
    • Organise and process information

    Reflecting on thinking and processes
    • Reflect on processes

    Numeracy

    Estimating and calculating with whole numbers
    • Estimate and calculate
    • Understand and use numbers in context

  • solving everyday additive problems using a number line
    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Organise and process information
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

    Numeracy

    Estimating and calculating with whole numbers
    • Estimate and calculate

  • investigating everyday situations that use integers, such as temperatures
    Numeracy

    Estimating and calculating with whole numbers
    • Estimate and calculate
    • Understand and use numbers in context

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas
    • Organise and process information

  • using number lines to position and order integers around zero
    Numeracy

    Estimating and calculating with whole numbers
    • Understand and use numbers in context

Fractions and decimals

Compare fractions with related denominators and locate and represent them on a number line (ACMNA125 - Scootle )
Numeracy

Using fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios and rates
  • Interpret proportional reasoning
  • Apply proportional reasoning

  • demonstrating equivalence between fractions using drawings and models
    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas
    • Organise and process information

    Numeracy

    Using fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios and rates
    • Interpret proportional reasoning
    • Apply proportional reasoning

Solve problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions with the same or related denominators (ACMNA126 - Scootle )
Critical and Creative Thinking

Generating ideas, possibilities and actions
  • Consider alternatives
  • Seek solutions and put ideas into action

Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
  • Organise and process information
  • Identify and clarify information and ideas

Reflecting on thinking and processes
  • Reflect on processes

Numeracy

Using fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios and rates
  • Interpret proportional reasoning
  • Apply proportional reasoning

  • understanding the processes for adding and subtracting fractions with related denominators and fractions as an operator, in preparation for calculating with all fractions
    Numeracy

    Estimating and calculating with whole numbers
    • Estimate and calculate

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Organise and process information
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

  • solving realistic additive (addition and subtraction) problems involving fractions to develop understanding of equivalent fractions and the use of fractions as operators
    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Generating ideas, possibilities and actions
    • Consider alternatives
    • Seek solutions and put ideas into action

    Reflecting on thinking and processes
    • Reflect on processes

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas
    • Organise and process information

    Numeracy

    Using fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios and rates
    • Interpret proportional reasoning
    • Apply proportional reasoning

  • modelling and solving additive problems involving fractions by using methods such as jumps on a number line, or by making diagrams of fractions as parts of shapes
    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Generating ideas, possibilities and actions
    • Consider alternatives
    • Seek solutions and put ideas into action

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas
    • Organise and process information

    Reflecting on thinking and processes
    • Reflect on processes

    Numeracy

    Using fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios and rates
    • Apply proportional reasoning
    • Interpret proportional reasoning

Find a simple fraction of a quantity where the result is a whole number, with and without digital technologies (ACMNA127 - Scootle )
Numeracy

Using fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios and rates
  • Apply proportional reasoning

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability

Creating with ICT
  • Generate solutions to challenges and learning area tasks

  • recognising that finding one third of a quantity is the same as dividing by 3
    Numeracy

    Recognising and using patterns and relationships
    • Recognise and use patterns and relationships

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Organise and process information
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

Add and subtract decimals, with and without digital technologies, and use estimation and rounding to check the reasonableness of answers (ACMNA128 - Scootle )
Numeracy

Using fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios and rates
  • Apply proportional reasoning
  • Interpret proportional reasoning

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability

Creating with ICT
  • Generate solutions to challenges and learning area tasks

  • extending whole-number strategies to explore and develop meaningful written strategies for addition and subtraction of decimal numbers to thousandths
    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas
    • Organise and process information

    Numeracy

    Using fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios and rates
    • Interpret proportional reasoning
    • Apply proportional reasoning

    Literacy

    Word Knowledge
    • Understand learning area vocabulary

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Interpret and analyse learning area texts
    • Navigate, read and view learning area texts

    Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating
    • Compose spoken, written, visual and multimodal learning area texts

  • exploring and practising efficient methods for solving problems requiring operations on decimals, to gain fluency with calculating with decimals and with recognising appropriate operations
    Literacy

    Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating
    • Compose spoken, written, visual and multimodal learning area texts

    Word Knowledge
    • Understand learning area vocabulary

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Interpret and analyse learning area texts
    • Navigate, read and view learning area texts

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Organise and process information
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

    Numeracy

    Using fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios and rates
    • Apply proportional reasoning
    • Interpret proportional reasoning

Multiply decimals by whole numbers and perform divisions by non-zero whole numbers where the results are terminating decimals, with and without digital technologies (ACMNA129 - Scootle )
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability

Creating with ICT
  • Generate solutions to challenges and learning area tasks

Numeracy

Using fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios and rates
  • Apply proportional reasoning
  • Interpret proportional reasoning

  • interpreting the results of calculations to provide an answer appropriate to the context
    Numeracy

    Estimating and calculating with whole numbers
    • Estimate and calculate

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Organise and process information
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

Multiply and divide decimals by powers of 10 (ACMNA130 - Scootle )
Numeracy

Using fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios and rates
  • Apply proportional reasoning
  • Interpret proportional reasoning

  • multiplying and dividing decimals by multiples of powers of 10
    Numeracy

    Using fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios and rates
    • Interpret proportional reasoning
    • Apply proportional reasoning

Make connections between equivalent fractions, decimals and percentages (ACMNA131 - Scootle )
Numeracy

Using fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios and rates
  • Interpret proportional reasoning
  • Apply proportional reasoning

  • connecting fractions, decimals and percentages as different representations of the same number, moving fluently between representations and choosing the appropriate one for the problem being solved
    Numeracy

    Using fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios and rates
    • Apply proportional reasoning
    • Interpret proportional reasoning

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Organise and process information
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

Money and financial mathematics

Investigate and calculate percentage discounts of 10%, 25% and 50% on sale items, with and without digital technologies (ACMNA132 - Scootle )
Literacy

Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
  • Navigate, read and view learning area texts
  • Interpret and analyse learning area texts
  • Comprehend texts

Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating
  • Compose spoken, written, visual and multimodal learning area texts
  • Compose texts

Word Knowledge
  • Understand learning area vocabulary

Critical and Creative Thinking

Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
  • Identify and clarify information and ideas
  • Organise and process information

Numeracy

Estimating and calculating with whole numbers
  • Use money

Using fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios and rates
  • Interpret proportional reasoning
  • Apply proportional reasoning

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability

Creating with ICT
  • Generate solutions to challenges and learning area tasks

  • using authentic information to calculate prices on sale goods
    Numeracy

    Estimating and calculating with whole numbers
    • Use money

    Literacy

    Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating
    • Compose spoken, written, visual and multimodal learning area texts

    Word Knowledge
    • Understand learning area vocabulary

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Navigate, read and view learning area texts

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Organise and process information

Patterns and algebra

Continue and create sequences involving whole numbers, fractions and decimals. Describe the rule used to create the sequence (ACMNA133 - Scootle )
Critical and Creative Thinking

Generating ideas, possibilities and actions
  • Seek solutions and put ideas into action
  • Imagine possibilities and connect ideas
  • Consider alternatives

Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
  • Identify and clarify information and ideas
  • Organise and process information

Numeracy

Using fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios and rates
  • Interpret proportional reasoning

Recognising and using patterns and relationships
  • Recognise and use patterns and relationships

Literacy

Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
  • Navigate, read and view learning area texts
  • Comprehend texts

Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating
  • Compose texts
  • Compose spoken, written, visual and multimodal learning area texts

Word Knowledge
  • Understand learning area vocabulary

  • identifying and generalising number patterns
    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Organise and process information
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

    Numeracy

    Recognising and using patterns and relationships
    • Recognise and use patterns and relationships

  • investigating additive and multiplicative patterns such as the number of tiles in a geometric pattern, or the number of dots or other shapes in successive repeats of a strip or border pattern looking for patterns in the way the numbers increase/decrease
    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas
    • Organise and process information

    Numeracy

    Recognising and using patterns and relationships
    • Recognise and use patterns and relationships

Explore the use of brackets and order of operations to write number sentences (ACMNA134 - Scootle )
Numeracy

Estimating and calculating with whole numbers
  • Estimate and calculate

  • appreciating the need for rules to complete multiple operations within the same number sentence
    Numeracy

    Recognising and using patterns and relationships
    • Recognise and use patterns and relationships


Year 6 Achievement Standards

By the end of Year 6, students recognise the properties of prime, composite, square and triangular numbers. They describe the use of integers in everyday contexts. They solve problems involving all four operations with whole numbers. Students connect fractions, decimals and percentages as different representations of the same number. They solve problems involving the addition and subtraction of related fractions. Students make connections between the powers of 10 and the multiplication and division of decimals. They describe rules used in sequences involving whole numbers, fractions and decimals. Students connect decimal representations to the metric system and choose appropriate units of measurement to perform a calculation. They make connections between capacity and volume. They solve problems involving length and area. They interpret timetables. Students describe combinations of transformations. They solve problems using the properties of angles. Students compare observed and expected frequencies. They interpret and compare a variety of data displays including those displays for two categorical variables. They interpret secondary data displayed in the media.

Students locate fractions and integers on a number line. They calculate a simple fraction of a quantity. They add, subtract and multiply decimals and divide decimals where the result is rational. Students calculate common percentage discounts on sale items. They write correct number sentences using brackets and order of operations. Students locate an ordered pair in any one of the four quadrants on the Cartesian plane. They construct simple prisms and pyramids. Students describe probabilities using simple fractions, decimals and percentages.


Year 6 Work Sample Portfolios