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.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.
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.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.
PDF documents
Resources and support materials for the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics are available as PDF documents.Mathematics: Sequence of content
Mathematics: Sequence of achievement
Glossary
Foundation Year
Foundation Year 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 connecting names, numerals and quantities
- fluency includes readily counting numbers in sequences, continuing patterns and comparing the lengths of objects
- problem-solving includes using materials to model authentic problems, sorting objects, using familiar counting sequences to solve unfamiliar problems and discussing the reasonableness of the answer
- reasoning includes explaining comparisons of quantities, creating patterns and explaining processes for indirect comparison of length.
Foundation Year Content Descriptions
Number and place value
Patterns and algebra
Using units of measurement
Shape
Foundation Year Achievement Standards
By the end of the Foundation year, students make connections between number names, numerals and quantities up to 10. They compare objects using mass, length and capacity. Students connect events and the days of the week. They explain the order and duration of events. They use appropriate language to describe location.
Students count to and from 20 and order small collections. They group objects based on common characteristics and sort shapes and objects. Students answer simple questions to collect information and make simple inferences.
Foundation Year Work Sample Portfolios
Year 1
Year 1 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 connecting names, numerals and quantities, and partitioning numbers in various ways
- fluency includes readily counting number in sequences forwards and backwards, locating numbers on a line and naming the days of the week
- problem-solving includes using materials to model authentic problems, giving and receiving directions to unfamiliar places, using familiar counting sequences to solve unfamiliar problems and discussing the reasonableness of the answer
- reasoning includes explaining direct and indirect comparisons of length using uniform informal units, justifying representations of data and explaining patterns that have been created.
Year 1 Content Descriptions
Number and place value
Fractions and decimals
Money and financial mathematics
Patterns and algebra
Using units of measurement
Shape
Year 1 Achievement Standards
By the end of Year 1, students describe number sequences resulting from skip counting by 2s, 5s and 10s. They identify representations of one half. They recognise Australian coins according to their value. Students explain time durations. They describe two-dimensional shapes and three-dimensional objects. Students describe data displays.
Students count to and from 100 and locate numbers on a number line. They carry out simple additions and subtractions using counting strategies. They partition numbers using place value. They continue simple patterns involving numbers and objects. Students order objects based on lengths and capacities using informal units. They tell time to the half-hour. They use the language of direction to move from place to place. Students classify outcomes of simple familiar events. They collect data by asking questions, draw simple data displays and make simple inferences.
Year 1 Work Sample Portfolios
Year 2
Year 2 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 connecting number calculations with counting sequences, partitioning and combining numbers flexibly and identifying and describing the relationship between addition and subtraction and between multiplication and division
- fluency includes readily counting numbers in sequences, using informal units iteratively to compare measurements, using the language of chance to describe outcomes of familiar chance events and describing and comparing time durations
- problem-solving includes formulating problems from authentic situations, making models and using number sentences that represent problem situations, and matching transformations with their original shape
- reasoning includes using known facts to derive strategies for unfamiliar calculations, comparing and contrasting related models of operations and creating and interpreting simple representations of data.
Year 2 Content Descriptions
Number and place value
Fractions and decimals
Money and financial mathematics
Patterns and algebra
Using units of measurement
Shape
Location and transformation
Year 2 Achievement Standards
By the end of Year 2, students recognise increasing and decreasing number sequences involving 2s, 3s and 5s. They represent multiplication and division by grouping into sets. They associate collections of Australian coins with their value. Students identify the missing element in a number sequence. Students recognise the features of three-dimensional objects. They interpret simple maps of familiar locations. They explain the effects of one-step transformations. Students make sense of collected information.
Students count to and from 1000. They perform simple addition and subtraction calculations using a range of strategies. They divide collections and shapes into halves, quarters and eighths. Students order shapes and objects using informal units. They tell time to the quarter-hour and use a calendar to identify the date and the months included in seasons. They draw two-dimensional shapes. They describe outcomes for everyday events. Students collect, organise and represent data to make simple inferences.