Number Patterns Exploration

WALT (We Are Learning To)

• Understand and apply number knowledge and skills focusing on place value to 1,000.
• Explore addition and subtraction facts within 20, including doubles and halves.
• Use materials and visual strategies to investigate number partitioning and families of facts.
• Develop confidence with mental strategies supported by visual aids and materials.

Success Criteria

• I can subitise and partition numbers to 1000 using place value materials.
• I can recall addition and subtraction facts up to 20.
• I can explain my thinking using maths language in te reo Māori and English.
• I can use number lines and place value blocks to solve addition and subtraction problems.
• I can check my answers using mental estimation.

Curriculum Alignment

• Pangarau te Taurangi, Years 0–3, Phase 1 Progress Outcome (Te Mātaiaho Maths 0-8)
• Number Structure: Partition and regroup whole numbers up to at least 1,000, using a systematic approach and noticing patterns.
• Operations: Recall addition facts up to 20 and their corresponding subtraction facts (families of facts), including doubles and halves.
• Use of PV materials and number lines (Year 3 expectations).
• Develop estimation skills: use language like ‘about’, ‘more or less’, and ‘close to’.
• Use of te reo Māori, supporting bilingual mathematical vocabulary development.

Time Allocation: 60 minutes

For class size: 25 Year 3 students

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Lesson Sequence

1. Getting Started (10 minutes)

• Activity: Number Talk and Warm-up
  • Begin with a whole-class chant in te reo Māori counting forwards and backwards in 1s, 2s, and 10s from any number within 1–1000 ("Tēnā koutou, kihai i te aroha...").
  • Show dot patterns or 10s frames to subitise and partition quickly.
  • Ask: “How many do you see? Can you tell me different ways to make that number?” (Encourage the use of maths vocabulary including te reo Māori terms like tekau, rau, mano).
• Dyslexia-Friendly Support: Use large, clear fonts and pictorial subitising charts with high contrast colours.

2. Main Learning (35 minutes)

Activity A: Place Value Exploration (15 minutes)

• Provide base-10 materials (PV blocks and PV money) for students to physically build numbers to 1,000.
• Use place-value ‘houses’ diagrams for recording and grouping.
• Tasks:
  • Build numbers the teacher calls out.
  • Partition sample numbers (e.g., 374 = 300 + 70 + 4).
  • Find 10 more, 10 less, 100 more, and 100 less than a given number using PV blocks and number lines.
• Differentiation:
  • Support: Guided small group with teacher, using physical PV blocks.
  • Extension: Challenge higher learners to work with numbers near 1,000 and predict outcomes of adding/subtracting 10s and 100s mentally.

Activity B: Addition and Subtraction Families of Facts (20 minutes)

• Use 10s frames, counters, and part-whole diagrams to explore addition and subtraction facts within 20, including doubles and halves.
• Introduce family fact tables with addition and subtraction sentences (e.g., 7 + 3 = 10, 10 – 7 = 3).
• Play interactive games (physical and digital if available) where students find matching fact families.
• Students practise writing equations in horizontal and vertical formats.
• Use simple story problems in Māori and English for contextualisation.
• Dyslexia-Friendly Options: Provide coloured overlays, chunk information in steps with visuals, and oral instructions.

3. Reflecting and Connecting (10 minutes)

• Class discussion to share strategies used.
• Reflect on how place value helps with addition and subtraction.
• Encourage students to articulate their reasoning using te reo Māori vocabulary.
• Summarise with WALT revisit and reinforce success criteria.
• Use think-pair-share to explain an addition or subtraction fact to a partner.

4. Extension and Homework

• Extension for advanced learners:
  • Investigate adding and subtracting numbers beyond 20 using place value strategies.
  • Create their own number problems with fact families to present to the class.
• Take-home activity:
  • Family fact game using dice and counters.
  • Encourage use of te reo Māori words for numbers in home practice.

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Assessment

• Formative through observation during activities and questioning.
• Use exit card: write one addition and one subtraction fact learned today.
• Check ability to explain reasoning in both English and te reo Māori.

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Differentiation Strategies

• Scaffold tasks with physical materials for hands-on learning.
• Provide visual and oral supports including step-by-step instructions.
• Use peer support in mixed-ability pairs.
• Allow manipulatives and calculators as needed.
• Incorporate culturally relevant contexts to engage diverse learners.

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Resources Needed

• Place value blocks and PV money.
• 10s frames, counters, part-whole diagrams.
• Number lines marked with 100s, 10s, and 1s.
• Chart with number patterns in te reo Māori.
• Story problem cards in English and Māori.
• Digital games/apps for addition and subtraction fact practice (optional).

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This lesson plan utilises the rich culturally responsive and bilingual framework of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa. It embeds place value understanding, families of facts, and mathematical fluency in a way that is accessible and engaging for Year 3 learners, with specific consideration for diverse learning needs and dyslexia-friendly strategies.