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Strand overview: Number and Algebra

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Strand overview: Number and Algebra

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New NSW Curriculum Reform syllabus: Implement from 2023

English and Mathematics for K−2

Content relating to K−2 is now replaced by the new syllabuses available in the Digital Curriculum.

The new syllabuses must be taught in Kindergarten to Year 2 in all NSW primary schools from Term 1, 2023.

The knowledge, skills and understanding developed in the Number and Algebra strand are fundamental to the other strands of this syllabus and are developed across the stages from Early Stage 1 to Stage 5.3.

Numbers, in their various forms, are used to quantify and describe the world. From Early Stage 1 there is an emphasis on the development of number sense, and confidence and competence in using concrete materials and mental, written and calculator techniques for solving appropriate problems. Algorithms are introduced after students have gained a firm understanding of basic concepts, including place value, and have developed mental strategies for computing with two- and three-digit numbers. Approximation is important and the systematic use of estimation is to be encouraged at all times. Students should always check that their answers ‘make sense’ in the contexts of the problems that they are solving.

In the early stages, students explore number and pre-algebra concepts by pattern making, and by discussing, generalising and recording their observations. This demonstrates the importance of early number learning in the development of algebraic thinking and the algebra concepts
that follow.

The use of mental-computation strategies should be developed in all stages. Information and communication technology (ICT) can be used to investigate number patterns and relationships, and facilitate the solution of real problems involving measurements and quantities not easy to handle with mental or written techniques.

In Stage 2 to Stage 5, students apply their number skills to a variety of situations, including financial situations and practical problems, developing a range of life skills important for numeracy. Ratios and rates underpin proportional reasoning needed for problem solving and the development of concepts and skills in other aspects of mathematics, such as trigonometry, similarity and gradient.

Following the development of foundational number skills and pre-algebra concepts through patterning, a concrete approach to algebra is continued when students generalise their understanding of the number system to the algebraic symbol system. They develop an understanding of the notion of a variable, establish the equivalence of expressions, apply algebraic conventions, and graph relationships on the number plane.

Students recognise that graphing is a powerful tool that enables algebraic relationships to be visualised. The use of ICT for graphing provides an opportunity for students to compare and investigate these relationships dynamically. By the end of Stage 5.3, students have the opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of the shapes of graphs of different relationships and the effects of performing transformations on these graphs.

Algebra has strong links with the other strands in the syllabus, particularly when situations are to be generalised symbolically.

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