Planning & Assessment

Teaching Sequence

It is recommended to follow the Numicon long-term plan - the Teaching Progressions. These are the 'what', 'when' and 'order'.

Numicon aligns with the NZC, was selected by the Ministry for meeting curriculum requirements, and provides a structured, spiral approach to developing mathematical understanding informed by research over decades.

The vertical statements in the curriculum 'help teachers know what to plan for the year'. Page 19
The Numicon programme incorporates all four components of:
  1. Explicit teaching
  2. Positive relationships with mathematics and statistics
  3. Rich tasks
  4. Communication in mathematics and statistics (Refer NZC page 21)
These are explained in the curriculum document as well as in the Numicon Implementation Guides which can be found in the Online Index.

The Curriculum provides guidance in writing a sequence as outlined on pages 24–25 of the NZC. This sequence is known as the School Plan. There is no conflict with the NZC statements and the Numicon Teaching Progressions.

Schools may receive guidance from MOE facilitators and read the guidance on Tahurangi. This is not in conflict with the Numicon Teaching sequence. Schools have the choice of how they want to run their programmes.

The teaching sequences in Numicon are 'learning progressions'. The learning in one week will be built on in the following weeks and revisited in a spiral sequence throughout the year. This sustains learning and strengthens generalising and connections in maths. Progressive knowledge-building can be adapted into smaller, manageable steps or extended into deeper and challenging steps.

This is a key difference from following the statements for a year that are presently listed in the NZC document. It's just a list, not a teaching teaching sequence. The School Plan can follow the teaching sequence of any programme’s sequence modified by school events and circumstances. 

Developing an effective scope and sequence is a significant task, requiring strong maths subject and pedagogical knowledge. Some schools have staff keen to lead this; however, if that’s not the case, using the Numicon approved Long Term, weekly Activity plans ensures comprehensive coverage, saves time, and allows teachers to focus on meeting students’ specific needs, using the apparatus correctly, and focusing on the three key aspects of Numicon to raise achievement.’


Mixed level classes

Numicon 1 & 2 Numicon 3 & 4 Numicon 5 & 6

Planning templates


Numicon Firm Foundations Years 0 and 1 - Planning Template

Numicon 1 & 2/ Years 2 & 3 Planning Template

Numicon  3 - 6 Years 4 - 8 Planning template 

Alternate planning for Numicon using an xl or converted Google doc /file 


  • This version shows Te Mataiaho with links to the Milestones, strands and the unit of work following the Numicon scope and sequence
  • You will have rich teacher discussion around what is all of the knowledge needed to solve the more difficult milestones.    
  • The documents are available. These documents are copyrighted and do not allow for sharing outside of Numicon NZ.

Contact your local consultant to receive the planning templates that show all the phases and the ability to plan for low threshold and high ceiling with adaptions.


Managing students' learning when they are below the level expected in the curriculum: 
- Use the Numicon Mapping Chart downloadable from Numicon Online NZ to see what the prerequisites from previous years are for the week you are teaching. Take the main teaching from the previous year to teach on Monday, then choose the main teaching points for the expected level to teach for the remainder of the week.
- Use the TM and Numicon Mapping Chart to see the prerequisites from the previous years to begin each lesson during the week as the starting point before teaching the relevant year's teaching.
- Use your assessment data to inform the starting point of your teaching to create the learning journey for your students in this transition year. This could be a decision to spread the teaching over two weeks initially instead of the expected one week. Plan this as a team to ensure the coverage of the TM curriculum throughout the year.

Managing Student's Learning when they are 'above'

- Use the Numicon Mapping Chart downloadable from Numicon Online NZ to see what the next steps are for future years and how they relate for the week you are teaching. Teach from the year expectations rather than the year ahead. Go deeper with these concepts by providing many opportunities for the students to explain their thinking and reasoning and justifying the findings.

- The weekly Focus Activities are designed for all children to participate in learning the key mathematical ideas.  The opening activities/lessons serve as a review from previous learning and a foundational introduction to the learning throughout the week. The activities increase in impact and complexity through the week with the final activities written for the more able students. These activities are strong in their generalising and application to other settings to discover the algebraic implications.

- Once the activities have been introduced children will then work in their groups.  It is at this point that the extension activities are used and children develop investigations, problem solving and creative maths throughout the week. The grouping builds a community of learning but also an opportunity to see possibilities when working alongside all learners especially in discussions.

- Make it a focus to extend these students in their mathematical communication, reasoning and working systematically. Often these students miss out on the dialogical approach to investigations and learning.

- Use the 'Going Deeper' sections from the Student Books for Years 4 - 8 to challenge the learners. ‘Going deeper’ questions are designed to develop children’s growing mastery of an area, challenging their understanding beyond routine exercises. In these sections, children are commonly asked to check, explain and justify their strategies and thinking. Trying to explain something clearly helps promote, and is a key indicator, of developing mastery.
- At the conclusion of the lesson - The Connecting and Reflecting questions each week as Whole Class Discussions serve the students to also think deeper about their learning, how it might be applied to everyday life and other connections in maths as well as deeper maths problems. The Implementation Guide suggests questions as an encouragement for them to think deeper and also to help them become consciously aware of what they know and begin to monitor their learning. eg. 'Is there something you would like to do again?'

- Numicon has written a specific programme that can be purchased for these students - 'Investigations with Numicon'. This resource of ten challenges provides guidance for teachers and suggested teaching approaches. The students will make conjectures and realise the importance of working systematically as they search for patterns.  They will need to think logically as they test their conjectures while working towards making generalisations.

Further...
- Use the resources on Tahurangi - The 'Figure It Out' books
- Use your assessment data to inform the starting point of your teaching to create the learning journey for your students in this transition year. Plan this as a team to ensure the coverage of the TM curriculum throughout the year.
- Contact the Gifted Children's website for more information. Use the resources from Mindplus.
- For Year 8 students, contact your local HOD at the secondary school(s) to create a learning journey.

Derry's comments on Numicon Assessment

 

About Assessment with Numicon

Numicon employs a formative assessment approach to give a deeper and more convincing picture of a child's learning and progress. Children's learning is recorded not tested.

Find out more

Resources of Assessment

  1. Assessment Opportunities are listed on the Activity Group Overview 
  2. Milestone Assessment Cards for Numicon 1 - 6 are on Oxford Owl - look in the Online Index for the link to download
  3. Explorer Progress booklets for every student using Numicon 1- 6 are on Oxford Owl - look in the Online Index for the link to download
  4. Firm Foundations - tracker Numicon Online NZ to download
  5. Numicon 1 - 6 Milestone Tracking Chart documents - look in the Online Index for the link to download
  6. Individualised assessment documents -  look in the Online Index for the link to download
  7. Numicon Firm Foundations and 1 - 6 tracking files. Downloadable from Numicon Online NZ and from your local consultant
  8. Initial student assessment- discover the learning each children brings from early childhood -  contact your local consultant for access

Milestones are markers along a student's learning journey.  They are a summary of the previous 4 - 6 weeks of learning.

Milestones recognise that a student may not learn all that is expected in the one week of learning, but rather over time. The Milestones reflect this learning journey.

Milestones are provided in the back of every Teaching Handbook and as an xl spreadsheet downloaded through Numicon Online NZ (Oxford Owl).


 

Further reading

How to implement Formative Assessment from the Auckland Maths Hub.

Getting Started with Numicon and Te Mataiaho

The message explains key aspects of the new curriculum (Te Mātaiaho Mathematics and Statistics) to align language and practice for consistency across schools. Key points include:

  1. Progress Outcomes: Each phase (e.g., Year 1-3) has one progress outcome describing what students will understand and achieve by the phase's end. Key examples and summaries are on pages 27 (Phase 1), 55 (Phase 2), and 83 (Phase 3).

  2. Curriculum Structure:

    • Strands (e.g., Number, Algebra) are broken into sub-strands (e.g., Number includes structure, operations).
    • Each sub-strand has a year-by-year teaching sequence (page 11, right column) with specific teaching statements.
    • Teaching statements guide what and how to teach, not assess, with Teaching Considerations offering evidence-based strategies.

  3. Assessment: Discussions around assessment approaches (e.g., OTJs or tests) are pending. Focus should remain on Assessment for Learning to guide teaching and address student needs.

  4. Numicon's Alignment: Numicon planning and materials support the curriculum’s processes (e.g., investigating, representing, generalising, and justifying). The NZ Assessment Tracking Chart effectively connects planning and tracking.

  5. Year-Level Teaching: Teachers must teach content aligned to year levels but can use early weeks to:

    • Review prior learning.
    • Establish routines for mathematical vocabulary and tools.
    • Identify gaps and prepare for new learning.

Teachers are encouraged to use their professional judgment and the stem "informed by prior learning" when planning. Schools will soon receive MoE training, which includes planning templates, but Numicon already meets these needs effectively.

Getting Started with Numicon - the first few weeks:

Get to know your new class and ensure there are no gaps before embarking on the new learning.  NZC statements are preceded by the stem 'informed by prior learning... which reminds teachers to use their professional judgment and assessment information when selecting what content to teach. pg 11 of NZC"

1. Any review of previous learning links in with the science of learning and good practice. 

2. More than review: What is new, is a new way of communicating in the classroom (establishing class norms of behaviour -which may be not be new for some but still the class relationships will be new) and most significantly becoming familiar with how to show your maths thinking with equipment, is very new.

3. Teachers knowing what to look for and knowing how to ask deeper questions rather than just recall is also new.