Professional learning

• NR32967 – Mathematics K–2 (elective professional development) – department microlearning course
• Introduction to Mathematics K–2 Syllabus (NESA) – all NSW teachers have access to the course by logging into NESA Online Learning.

Resources

• Mathematics K–2 syllabus implementation for school leaders
• Mathematics K–2 research toolkit

Sample units are optional resources to support classroom teachers in designing high-quality teaching and learning experiences for students.

Like any resource, sample units must be reviewed for suitability prior to use. Teachers should exercise professional judgement when making these decisions. Teachers are strongly encouraged to adapt and modify sample units to reflect their whole-school approach to mathematics and meet their students’ learning needs.

All units are best viewed digitally as opposed to printed hard copies.

To move through sections of a unit, open the unit and view the navigation pane (Ctrl+F or select View > Navigation pane). In the navigation pane, select the Headings tab.

To go to a heading in a sample unit, select that heading in the navigation pane. This allows teachers to view headings without scrolling.

Each sample unit has been designed using the following structure:

• Title – indicates key learning area, stage of learning and unit number.
• Contents – key reference page to support navigation.
• Unit description and duration – describes the focus of the unit and indicates suggested student prior learning experiences. All sample K-2 units are 2 weeks in duration.
• Lesson overview and resources – a high-level summary of each lesson, including indicative times, resources, and syllabus focus areas and content groups.
• Lessons 1 to 8 – every sample unit comprises 8 lessons. Each lesson includes
  • the core concepts
  • learning intentions and success criteria
  • activities (daily number sense, consolidation and meaningful practice)
  • indicative times to support weekly timetabling
  • prompts and anticipated student responses
  • assessment opportunities (What to look for? What to collect?)
  • differentiation ideas (Too hard? Too easy?)
• Resources – for whole class display or distribution to small groups/individual students.
• Syllabus outcomes and content – syllabus intent is explicitly indicated through relevant focus areas, outcomes, content groups and content points. Where relevant, content points show links to the National Numeracy Learning Progression (Version 3).
• References – provide links to third-party material, websites and further reading.

Sample units are provided as a starting point for teachers to contextualise learning for their students. Implementation of inclusive practices in planning, programming, and assessing supports learning for the full range of students and ensure all students can access and engage with the units.

In NSW classrooms there is a diverse range of students including:

• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students
• students learning English as an additional language or dialect, including Aboriginal English speakers
• high potential and gifted students
• students with disability.

Some students may identify with more than one of these groups, or possibly all of them.

Advice for teachers on curriculum planning for every student in every classroom.

Teachers are also encouraged to enrol in ‘Curriculum planning for every student in every classroom’, available in MyPL, to explore curriculum planning strategies and resources to optimise learning for every student.

Use comments to annotate a unit, including to show evidence of strategies to optimise learning for specific groups of students, or individual students. This could include strategies to enhance teaching and learning, such as differentiation or personalised adjustments.

To learn how to share comments read Share and collaborate with Word for the web. Staff can reply to a comment, adding further detail about the level, type and effectiveness of support provided to a student or group of students.

Quality assurance

Sample units have undergone a rigorous quality assurance process as part of our commitment to improving school support under the School Success Model. The process ensures that all sample units provided to schools are relevant, of high quality, and underpinned by evidence-based practice.

Alignment to School Excellence Framework 

These resources support the School Excellence Framework and clearly align to the following domains and themes:

Learning domain 

• Curriculum: Curriculum provision, Teaching and learning programs 

• Assessment: Whole school monitoring of student learning 

• Student performance measures: NAPLAN 

Teaching domain 

• Effective classroom practice: Lesson planning, Explicit teaching 

• Learning and development: Collaborative practice and feedback; Expertise and innovation 

Leading domain 

• Educational leadership: Instructional leadership 

Alignment to system priorities and/or needs 

These resources reflect the following existing frameworks: 

• Mathematics K-2 Syllabus

• National Numeracy Learning Progressions (Version 3)

• Australian Professional Standards for Teachers

  • 1.2 – Understand how students learn
  • 1.5 – Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities
  • 2.1 – Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area
  • 2.2 – Content selection and organisation
  • 2.3 – Curriculum, assessment and reporting
  • 2.5 – Literacy and numeracy strategies
  • 3.1 – Establish challenging learning goals
  • 3.2 – Plan, structure and sequence learning programs
  • 3.3 – Use teaching strategies
  • 3.4 – Select and use resources
  • 5.1 – Assess student learning
  • 7.2 – Comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements

• Advice on units

• K-6 curriculum requirements 

• Curriculum planning and programming assessing and reporting to parents K-12 policy 

• Registration process for monitoring the government schooling system 

• School Success Model

Consultation 

Resources have been refined based on findings from consultation with key stakeholder groups and tested by NSW teachers as part of the 'Accelerated adopter and self-selector schools project' in 2022. Subject matter experts from Curriculum Early Years and Primary Learners, the NSW Mathematics Strategy team, and Literacy and Numeracy endorsed documents to ensure accuracy of content.

Evidence base 

The evidence base for these resources is: 

• Mathematics K–10 Syllabus

• K–2 Mathematics research toolkit 

• Boaler J, Munson J and Williams C (2017)  What is mathematical beauty: teaching through big ideas and connections (PDF 2.4MB), youcubed, Stanford University.   

• Masters and Adams (2017) The School Curriculum: about time, Australian Council for Education Research. 

• NESA (NSW Education Standards Authority) (2020) Nurturing wonder and passion: Designs for a new school curriculum – NSW Curriculum Review April 2020

• Sullivan, P (2011) Teaching Mathematics: Using research-informed strategies Chapter 5, page 24-30

• Sullivan, P (2011) Teaching mathematics: using research-informed strategies Chapter 7, page 40-47

• National Research Council (2001) Adding it up: Helping children learn mathematics

Contact 

Email questions, comments and feedback about these resources to mathematicsk6@det.nsw.edu.au using the subject line 'Maths K–2 units'.