Rationale & overarching ideas Learning mathematics creates opportunities for and enriches the lives of all Australians. AusVELS Mathematics provides students with essential mathematical skills and knowledge in Number and Algebra,Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability. It develops the numeracy capabilities that all students need in their personal, work and civic life, and provides the fundamentals on which mathematical specialties and professional applications of mathematics are built.
Mathematics has its own value and beauty and the AusVELS Mathematics aims to instil in students an appreciation of the elegance and power of mathematical reasoning. Mathematical ideas have evolved across all cultures over thousands of levels, and are constantly developing. Digital technologies are facilitating this expansion of ideas and providing access to new tools for continuing mathematical exploration and invention. The curriculum focuses on developing increasingly sophisticated and refined mathematical understanding, fluency, logical reasoning, analytical thought and problem-solving skills. These capabilities enable students to respond to familiar and unfamiliar situations by employing mathematical strategies to make informed decisions and solve problems efficiently.
AusVELS Mathematics ensures that the links between the various components of mathematics, as well as the relationship between mathematics and other disciplines, are made clear. Mathematics is composed of multiple but interrelated and interdependent concepts and systems which students apply beyond the mathematics classroom. In science, for example, understanding sources of error and their impact on the confidence of conclusions is vital, as is the use of mathematical models in other disciplines. In geography, interpretation of data underpins the study of human populations and their physical environments; in history, students need to be able to imagine timelines and time frames to reconcile related events; and in English, deriving quantitative and spatial information is an important aspect of making meaning of texts.
The curriculum anticipates that schools will ensure all students benefit from access to the power of mathematical reasoning and learn to apply their mathematical understanding creatively and efficiently. The mathematics curriculum provides students with carefully paced, in-depth study of critical skills and concepts. It encourages teachers to help students become self-motivated, confident learners through inquiry and active participation in challenging and engaging experiences.
Level 5 Understanding includes making connections between representations of numbers, using fractions to represent probabilities, comparing and ordering fractions and decimals and representing them in various ways, describing transformations and identifying line and rotational symmetry Fluency includes choosing appropriate units of measurement for calculation of perimeter and area, using estimation to check the reasonableness of answers to calculations and using instruments to measure angles Problem Solving includes formulating and solving authentic problems using whole numbers and measurements and creating financial plans Reasoning includes investigating strategies to perform calculations efficiently, continuing patterns involving fractions and decimals, interpreting results of chance experiments, posing appropriate questions for data investigations and interpreting data sets. Level 6 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, explaining why the actual results of chanceexperiments may differ from expected results. Level 7 Understanding includes describing patterns in uses of indices with whole numbers, recognising equivalences between fractions, decimals, percentages and ratios, plotting points on the Cartesian plane, identifying angles formed by a transversal crossing a pair of lines, and connecting the laws and properties of numbers to algebraic terms and expressions Fluency includes calculating accurately with integers, representing fractions and decimals in various ways, investigating best buys, finding measures of central tendency and calculating areas of shapes and volumes of prisms Problem Solving includes formulating and solving authentic problems using numbers and measurements,working with transformations and identifying symmetry, calculating angles and interpreting sets of data collected through chance experiments
Reasoning includes applying the number laws to calculations, applying known geometric facts to draw conclusions about shapes, applying an understanding of ratio and interpreting data displays.
Level 8 Understanding includes describing patterns involving indices and recurring decimals, identifying commonalities between operations with algebra and arithmetic, connecting rules for linear relations their graphs, explaining the purpose of statistical measures, and explaining measurements ofperimeter and area Fluency includes calculating accurately with simple decimals, indices and integers, recognising equivalence of common decimals and fractions including recurring decimals, factorising and simplifying basic algebraic expressions, and evaluating perimeters, areas of common shapes and their volumes and three dimensional objects Problem Solving includes formulating, and modelling practical situations involving ratios, profit and loss, areas and perimeters of common shapes, and using two-way tables and Venn diagrams to calculate probabilities Reasoning includes justifying the result of a calculation or estimation as reasonable, derivingprobability from its complement, using congruence to deduce properties of triangles, finding estimates of means and proportions of populations
Level 9 Understanding includes describing the relationship between graphs and equations, simplifying a range of algebraic expressions, explaining the use of relativefrequencies to estimate probabilities, and the use of the trigonometric ratios for right-angle triangles Fluency includes applying the index laws to expressions with integer indices, expressing numbers in scientific notation, listing outcomes for experiments and developing familiarity with calculations involving the Cartesian plane and calculating areas of shapes and surface areas of prisms Problem Solving includes formulating, and modelling practical situations involving surface areas and volumes of right prisms, applying ratio and scale factors to similar figures, solving problems involving right-angle trigonometry, and collecting data from secondary sources to investigate an issue Reasoning includes following mathematical arguments, evaluating media reports and using statistical knowledge to clarify situations, developing strategies in investigating similarity and sketching linear graphs
Level 10 Understanding includes applying the four operations to algebraic fractions, finding unknowns in formulas after substitution, making the connection between equations of relations and their graphs, comparing simple and compound interest in financial contexts and determining probabilities of two and three step experiments Fluency includes factorising and expanding algebraic expressions, using a range of strategies to solve equations and using calculations to investigating the shape of data sets Problem Solving includes calculating the surface area and volume of a diverse range of prisms to solve practical problems, finding unknown lengths and angles using applications of trigonometry, using algebraic and graphical techniques to find solutions to simultaneous equations and inequalities, and investigating independence of events Reasoning includes formulating geometric proofs involving congruence and similarity, interpreting and evaluating media statements and interpreting and comparing data sets
