Palm Beach Currumbin State High
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Thrower Drive
Palm Beach QLD 4221
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Email: info@pbc-shs.eq.edu.au
Phone: 07 5525 9333
Fax: 07 5525 9300

Maths News

Junior Maths

This term Year 7, 8 and 9 mainstream mathematics assessment will consist of an exam. Please see below for assessment due dates:

Junior Secondary Term 3 Mainstream Mathematics Assessment

Year

Assessment

Date

7

Exam - Measures of Central Tendency & Geometric Reasoning 

Date: Lesson 3, Week 8

8

Exam  - Congruency, Linear Equations, Rates and Ratios

Date: Lesson 3, Week 8

9

Exam - Probability, Index Laws, Scientific Notation and Timescales

Date: Lesson 3, Week 8

Goal setting and self-reported grades are proven to have a large positive impact on student achievement. Have your child predict how they will perform on the end of term math examination then ask them to set a goal. Please see the Visible Learning website for further information.

Please prompt your child to do a quick stocktake of their equipment. Whether it be needing new notebooks, pens, pencils, rulers or a calculator your child will not be as successful as they could be if they were properly prepared for each lesson.

Riddle Time

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Bianca Deague
Junior Secondary Head of Mathematics
  

Senior Maths

Focusing on Simple Familiar

Over the last few years working in the new senior maths system, we have discovered that while systems may change students are still benefited by focussing on strong foundations in maths. Students largely will stress over the most challenging of questions and lose focus on the fundamental skills and short change themselves.

Simple Familiar Definition:

Problems of this degree of difficulty require students to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the subject matter and application of skills in a situation where:

  • relationships and interactions are obvious and have few steps; and
  • all of the information to solve the problem is identifiable; that is the required procedure is clear from the way the problem is posed, or in a context that has been a focus of prior learning.

Benefits of focussing on Simple Familiar

  1. 60% of all maths exams will be comprised of simple familiar problems (80% in Essential Maths)
  2. Mastering Simple Familiar will give a much stronger grounding and students therefore largely perform better in Complex questions.
  3. Students gain a more realistic and confident indication of their ability rather than the clouded, anxiety driven mindset the more difficult questions give rise to.

Our senior maths teachers will continue to first focus on getting their students to master Simple Familiar first at the same time ensuring every student gets exposure to all other levels of question types. This will ensure we are building confidence in our students and giving them the opportunities to achieve their best success.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Trent Hage
Senior Secondary Head of Mathematics