Numicon Shapes Exploration

Name:

Date:

📚 Part 1: Look, Count, Choose

1. Which Numicon piece has 3 holes?

the red piece

the green piece

the blue piece

2. Which colour is usually used for the 5-hole Numicon?

purple

orange

yellow

3. Which Numicon has more holes than the 2-hole piece?

1-hole piece

4-hole piece

same number of holes

4. Check all that apply: Numicon shapes help me to...

see how many holes without counting

match shape to a number card

measure temperature in °C

✏️ Part 2: Match, Describe & Draw

5. Match the description to the correct number. Draw a line to match.

a) A blue shape with 4 holes

b) A green shape with 3 holes

c) A yellow shape with 1 hole

d) A purple shape with 5 holes

6. Use words to describe the 4-hole Numicon. Use some te reo Māori if you can (e.g., raukura, pounamu).

7. Draw a Numicon piece with 5 holes. Label it “5”.

8. How could you check your matching work? Write one sentence.

🧑‍🏫 Teacher Notes — WALT, Success Criteria & Term Outline

WALT (We Are Learning To)

We are learning to recognise Numicon shapes, match each shape to its number (1–10), and use words to describe the shapes (colour, size, number of holes). Use te reo Māori vocabulary alongside English.

Success Criteria

By the end of the lesson, students can:

- pick the Numicon piece that matches a number card (1–5) independently.

- describe a Numicon piece using at least one attribute (colour or number of holes).

- work with a partner to check matches and say if one piece has more or fewer holes than another.

Extension Activities (for advanced learners)

- Make a tower using Numicon pieces that total 10 and write the equation (e.g., 6 + 4 = 10).

- Sort shapes by two attributes (colour and number of holes) and explain the sorting rule to a peer.

- Create a simple pattern using Numicon pieces (e.g., 2, 4, 2, 4) and describe the pattern aloud.

11-week Term Overview (brief)

Weeks 1–5: Focus on Number (Numicon foundations)

- Week 1: Introduction to Numicon; WALT: recognise 1–3; Success criteria: match 1–3.

- Week 2: Subitising to 5; WALT: see groups to 5; Success criteria: identify without counting.

- Week 3: Combining pieces to make numbers to 5; WALT: make 5 using two pieces; Success criteria: show 5 as 4+1, 3+2, etc.

- Week 4: Comparing more / less; WALT: use “more” and “less”; Success criteria: correctly compare two pieces.

- Week 5: Matching pieces to number cards 1–10 (introduce larger pieces); WALT: match 1–10; Success criteria: match 1–10 with support.

Weeks 6–11: Focus on Statistics (gathering & describing simple data)

- Weeks 6–7: Sorting and tallying favourite Numicon colours; WALT: collect and show results; Success criteria: make a tally chart.

- Weeks 8–9: Create simple pictographs using Numicon colours; WALT: read and make pictographs; Success criteria: interpret a pictograph for class data.

- Weeks 10–11: Describe classroom data (most, least, same); WALT: use words to describe data; Success criteria: answer questions about class charts.

Assessment & Notes

Observe collaboration, use of vocabulary (English + te reo Māori), and accuracy in matching. Use the individual matching sheet (10 min) as a formative check.