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What your child will learn in maths#
Your child is learning to:
- use different methods to solve problems, including word problems and using tables, graphs, and diagrams
- understand how whole numbers relate to fractions, decimals, and percentages
- understand concepts like angles, perimeter, and area
- explore patterns, shapes, and data.
Good maths skills and a positive view of themselves as maths learners will help your child in the future. Maths is important for solving problems and creative thinking.
Encourage your child to use the maths vocabulary they learn in class. This helps them develop a strong foundation in maths, making it easier to solve problems and think creatively.
Numbers#
Ideas to help at home
With your child, you could:
- play times tables games, including the division facts – for example, 7 x 8 = 56 and 56 ÷ 8 = 7
- talk about sales in town, such as 25% off, 30%, 10% or half price, and look for the best value
- talk about goals and plan to budget for items for themselves or others.
Your child is learning to:
- use multiplication facts to multiply and divide bigger and smaller numbers
- divide by 2-digit numbers
- use the order of operations
- multiply fractions and decimals by whole numbers
- use decimals up to 3 places
- convert between fractions, decimals, and percentages
- solve percentage problems, like "25% is $100, what is the total?"
- add and subtract fractions with different denominators such as 3/5 + 1/3
- calculate costs, change, and percentage discounts.
Words your child will be learning
Words include:
- discount
- divisibility rule
- exponent
- highest common factor (HCF)
- integer
- lowest (least) common multiple (LCM)
- simplify
- square root.
Algebra#
Ideas to help at home
With your child, you could:
- create mystery number challenge like "I'm thinking of a number that, when multiplied by 5 and increased by 3, equals 28. What's my number?"
- work out costs for family events, such as, “movie tickets are $13.50 per person, and we have 6 people, plus 2 popcorns at $11 each”
- plan and perform a rap, dance, or action song and draw up the outline of the dance steps on graph paper.
Your child is learning to:
- use variables (letters for missing numbers) and substitute values into expressions, like w + 12 when w = 4
- find and write rules for patterns using numbers and symbols, such as 5, 11, 23 = multiply by 2 and add 1
- develop, test, and revise step-by-step instructions (algorithms) involving sequences and decisions.
Words your child will be learning
Words include:
- coefficient
- coordinate
- expression
- like term
- line graph
- reciprocal
- X-axis, horizontal axis
- XY plane
- Y-axis, vertical axis.
Measurement#
Ideas to help at home
With your child, you could:
- plan a journey using a bus or train timetable and find out how long it will take to get to 3 different destinations
- talk about any measurements you use in your work, or daily life
- talk about speed limits when you are driving
- look at a step counter on your phone or a pedometer, and talk about how many steps you each take to cover a kilometre.
Your child is learning to:
- estimate and measure length, area, volume, weight, temperature, time, and angle
- choose the right tools and units
- convert between metric units and use decimals, for example, 724g = 0.724kg
- read and interpret schedules to plan journeys and calculate travel times
- investigate perimeter, area, and volume, including shapes made up of several shapes
- find missing measurements in real-life situations.
Words your child will be learning
Words include:
- composite shape
- digital
- duration
- formula
- rate
- speed.
Geometry#
Ideas to help at home
With your child, you could:
- Play guess the shape, where 1 person describes a shape using its attributes. For example, "this shape has 4 equal sides and 4 right angles", and the other person has to name and draw it.
- Find 3D shapes around the house (like jars, boxes and blocks) and draw what it looks like from each side and above. Then draw what they think it looks like from underneath. Once finished, check the underneath of the real object against the drawing. As a challenge, combine objects to create a more interesting shape and then draw again.
- Discuss directions during car trips or walks. For example, "we're heading southwest now".
Your child is learning to:
- classify shapes by their properties
- identify and draw different types of angles and lines
- visualise shapes from different perspectives
- transform shapes by resizing them
- use coordinates to read maps
- measure precise turns with angles
- use compass directions including north-east (NE) and southwest (SW) to navigate and give directions.
Words your child will be learning
Words include:
- complementary or supplementary angle
- scale factor.
Statistics#
Ideas to help at home
With your child, you could choose a favourite athlete or team and track their performance statistics over several games, calculating averages and identifying trends.
Your child is learning to:
- investigate topics like community issues by asking questions and predicting results – for example, "what is the most popular way people travel to school?"
- gather data through surveys, research, and observations, making sure the data collection is fair and accurate
- select and create appropriate charts and graphs to organise information
- describe and compare results to predictions
- draw conclusions from the data
- evaluate others' data and claims to decide if they are supported by evidence.
Words your child will be learning
Words include:
- continuous data
- critique
- interpret
- measure of centre (mean, median, mode).
Probability#
Ideas to help at home
With your child, you could:
- track weather forecasts against actual conditions to calculate the accuracy percentage of predictions
- play board, card or dice games and talk about the chances of rolling the number you want or drawing the card you want.
Your child is learning to plan and carry out probability experiments using digital tools by:
- designing and conducting chance-based experiments
- predicting possible outcomes and listing all possibilities
- recording results and creating visual representations, like charts and graphs
- calculating probability estimates
- comparing findings with theoretical probabilities and those of others
- identifying patterns and evaluating if results match expectations.
Words your child will be learning
Words include:
- dependent, independent
- event
- experiment
- experimental or theoretical probability
- trial.
Resource#
Maths at home - Year 7 NZ Curriculum