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What your child will learn in maths#
They learn to think logically and solve problems, making connections between maths and statistics while exploring patterns and differences.
Your child will also learn how to explain their thinking clearly using maths language, symbols, and conventions. They use different ways to represent their ideas, like number lines for understanding numbers or equations for recognising patterns. They start making generalisations, figuring out unknown values (like the size of angles), and using data to explore ideas and make predictions.
Throughout Years 7 and 8, students get plenty of opportunities to build their understanding, skills, and confidence in these areas.
Having good mathematical skills and a positive view of themselves as maths learners will help your child in the future. They are important for things like solving problems and creative thinking. When talking to your child about maths, encourage your child to use the vocabulary that they have been using in their maths classes.
Looking ahead to secondary school, to earn a formal qualification students need to show they have basic reading, writing, and maths skills. These essential skills will help them succeed in future study, work, and everyday life. Much of what students learn in Years 7 and 8 will be included in the Numeracy co-requisite assessment.
Numbers#
Your child is learning to:
- Understand numbers more deeply by exploring prime and composite numbers, cube numbers, and prime factors. They are also learning to round whole and decimal numbers and work with negative numbers.
- Expand their understanding of fractions, decimals, and percentages by converting between fractions, decimals, and percentages, multiplying fractions and decimals by whole numbers, and solving percentage problems. For example, "If 75% is $45, what is the total?". They also add and subtract fractions with different denominators using equivalent fractions.
- Improve their calculations by practising adding, subtracting, and multiplying decimals, with a focus on estimating before calculating.
- Apply maths to financial situations by creating and comparing financial plans (like savings, phone plans, and budgets) and calculating percentage discounts.
With your child, you could:
- budget pocket money and/or plan ahead to open a savings account or reach a savings target. Talk about earning interest and calculate what interest would be earned using different savings schemes
- play the 24 Game. Write four numbers (for example, 3, 4, 7, 10) and then challenge your child to use addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division to make 24. For example: (7−3)×(10−4)=24.
Words include:
- benchmark fraction
- budget
- composite number
- cube number
- financial plan
- percentage increase or decrease
- powers of 10
- prime number.
Algebra#
Your child is learning to:
- solve equations by writing and solving equations with variables, which are letters used in place of numbers (for example, 5m + 3 = 18, so m = 3)
- recognise and predict patterns by identifying number patterns that increase or decrease consistently and writing equations (for example, in the pattern 2, 6, 14, 30 follow the rule 2n + 2) to predict future numbers in a sequence
- create and test algorithms by developing step-by-step methods to find patterns or describe a process, testing and improving them, and using digital tools like spreadsheets to support their process.
With your child, you could:
- Create a secret rule, like "multiply by 3 then add 2". Your child gives you a number, and you give the result. Can they figure out the rule?
- Use baking to explore a formula. For example, "if a recipe calls for 2 cups of flour to make 24 cookies, how much flour for 36 cookies?"
- try puzzles like sudoku or codecracker together, or create a code using letters or numbers and write a message in that code for someone else to crack.
Words include:
- expand
- linear relationship
- rate of change
- substitute.
Measurement#
Your child is learning to:
- Measure with confidence by estimating and accurately measuring length, area, volume, weight, temperature, time, and angles, choosing the best tool and unit for each task. Children will also convert units of time as needed to solve a problem including milliseconds for time, and square units for volume.
- Use timetables and charts by reading and interpreting schedules, charts, and other time-related information and using this to solve problems about journeys.
- Explore shapes and space using measurement by investigating perimeter, area and volume of a range of shapes, including finding missing lengths, in practical situations. They will also explore measurements such as speed, using distance and time.
With your child, you could:
- plan what proportion of their own, or their brother’s or sister’s, time should be spent on tasks (like homework, sleep, TV, sport, kapa haka) to make sure there’s time left for fun and family
- make a present or gift for someone using a scrapbook, quilting, doing tivaevae, collage, painting, carving, knitting, sewing or carpentry
- complete various quick tasks like stacking coins, folding paper airplanes or bouncing a ball while timing each activity with a stopwatch that displays milliseconds – after recording the times convert all measurements to a common unit (seconds or milliseconds) to properly rank the challenges from fastest to slowest.
Words include:
- millisecond
- square unit.
Geometry#
Your child is learning to:
- describe shapes by describing triangles, quadrilaterals, and other polygons, looking at their sides, diagonals, and angle
- visualise 3D shapes by drawing flat patterns (nets) that can be folded into different types of 3D shapes
- read and use a range of map types by using map scales (which convert distances on the map to real-world measurements), coordinate systems, compass directions and describing turns.
With your child, you could:
- Make a small box or container to hold a present.
- Search around the house and backyard for different polygons. Talk about:
- "How many sides and angles?"
- "Are any sides parallel or equal in length?"
- "What types of angles does it have (acute, right, obtuse)?"
- "What is the specific name of this shape (isosceles triangle, rhombus)?”
- Look at a journey with the different layers of a digital map (for example street view, satellite view).
Words include:
- cross-section
- diagonal
- exterior angle
- grid reference
- invariant property.
Statistics#
Your child is learning to explore and understand data by looking at real-life topics, such as issues in the local community. They will:
- explore real data by investigating topics that matter to their community by asking questions that can be answered with data – for example, “what is the most popular way people travel to school?"
- collect information thoughtfully by learning how to gather data through surveys, research, and observations while considering fairness and ethics
- make sense of data by organising data visually in different ways to understand and describe trends, comparing results to their predictions, and explaining their findings
- develop statistical literacy by looking at other people's data and claims to see if they make sense and are supported by the evidence.
With your child, you could:
- investigate which supermarket offers the best deal on petrol (for example, 4 cents off a litre)
- pick a few favourite YouTube videos and track how their views increase over a week.
Words include:
- distribution
- long-term trend
- multivariate data set
- time series.
Probability#
Your child is learning to plan and carry out probability experiments using digital tools, to:
- Investigate probability using ‘experiments’ by asking questions about chance. For example, "What's the chance of rolling a double 6?”
- Design and conduct experiments to test chance-based situations, predicting outcomes, and systematically listing possibilities.
- Collect and analyse data by recording results, creating visual representations (charts and graphs), and comparing experimental and theoretical probabilities. In Year 8, children learn about probability distributions (how likely each possible outcome is to happen).
- Think critically and reflect on findings by evaluating findings by comparing results with others, and their initial predictions. In Years 7 and 8, children use evidence to justify their ideas.
With your child, you could:
- calculate the chance of their favourite team winning a tournament – investigate how many points they need and work out what their competitors need as well
- play games – find online games, card games or board games that use strategy.
Words include:
- distribution
- misconception
- model
- random.
Resource#
Maths at home - Year 8 NZ Curriculum