Mathematics / Year 8 / Number

Curriculum content descriptions

use mathematical modelling to solve practical problems involving rational numbers and percentages, including financial contexts; formulate problems, choosing efficient calculation strategies and using digital tools where appropriate; interpret and communicate solutions in terms of the situation, reviewing the appropriateness of the model (AC9M8N05)

Elaborations
  • modelling situations involving weather and environmental contexts including temperature or sea depths by applying operations to positive and negative rational numbers; for example, involving average temperature increases and decreases
  • modelling situations that involve percentage increases or decreases and explaining why it is an increase or decrease, such as mark-ups, discounts, Goods and Services Tax, changes in populations or recycling rates
  • modelling situations involving personal income tax, interpreting tax tables to determine income tax at various levels of income, including overall percentage of income allocated to tax
  • modelling situations involving percentage increase or decrease such as market trends, effects on population, or effects on the environment over extended time periods
General capabilities
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Numeracy Numeracy
ScOT terms

Mathematical expressions,  Calculators,  Justification (Reasoning),  Modelling (Mathematical),  Proportions

Video

My Five Cents: Why investing can be risky

Planning to get rich quick by investing one day? Before you jump in, let Gen Fricker explain some of the risks involved with different types of investments. Then test yourself with ASIC MoneySmart's "Things to think about" classroom exercises.  

Video

My Five Cents: Why borrowing can cost you more

Think credit cards are basically free money? Gen Fricker will make you think again. Learn how interest rates and fees affect the money you borrow, and why they may be more expensive in the long run. Oh dear! Then test yourself with ASIC MoneySmart's "Things to think about" classroom exercises.  

Video

How does income tax work?

Gen Fricker makes income tax interesting! Learn about income tax - what it is, how it works and when you have to pay it. Easy-peasy! Then test yourself with ASIC Moneysmart's "Things to think about" classroom exercises.

Video

My Five Cents: What is compound interest?

Compound interest will be one of the most important things you ever learn. Don't believe it? Gen Fricker will explain why. Learn how compound interest works, and why saving now can help you later. Game changer! Then test yourself with ASIC MoneySmart's "Things to think about" classroom exercises.

Downloadable

Different ways to pay

This lesson challenges students to explore the pros and cons of various payment options, how they spend their money, different consumer products and where to go for more information about saving money and debt. During the lesson, students investigate multiple payment options to choose those that suit their circumstances, ...

Online

Tax, Super + You

Tax, Super + You is designed to provide teachers and parents with practical resources to help students in Years 7-12 understand the value of tax and superannuation, and have confidence when entering the workforce. Registration for a free account is required to access the full suite of materials.

Interactive

MoneySmart: MilbaDjunga - how can I start my own business?

The MilbaDjunga secondary unit 'How can I start my own business?' is an interactive online unit developed to support teachers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to teach consumer and financial literacy. It leads students through a step-by-step process to start a small business and is accompanied by teacher ...

Interactive

Laptop wrap: Investing wisely

In this laptop-friendly resource, students investigate unit pricing and explore the formulae and concepts of simple and compound interest.

Interactive

Sites2See – applied mathematics

This collection of resources for Applied Mathematics has helpful links for the six Focus Studies - Communication, Driving, Design, Household Finance, Human Body and Personal Resource Usage. A laptop-friendly resource.

Text

Mrs Sim's Dollars and Sense - Calculate

This alternate assessment task focuses on calculating gross and net wages before and after tax; operating and solving problems using simple and compound interest; and making valid comparisons between total accumulated costs and the initial (principal) amounts of money borrowed or invested.

Video

Big data, better hospitals

Overcrowding in hospitals is one of the biggest challenges facing our healthcare system . In order to reduce hospital waiting times, the Patient Admission Prediction Tool (PAPT) uses historical data to predict how many patients, and with what kinds of injuries, are expected to arrive at the emergency department each day ...

Online

Australia's Trade through Time

Using an interactive timeline created by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, this Teacher guide provides 12 series of learning experiences that engage students in the analysis and interpretation of data about Australian trade from 1900 to the present day. Students study videos, tables, images and texts in order ...

Online

Trade and Investment at a Glance

Using an illustrated report from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, this Teacher guide provides ten learning sequences that engage students in the analysis and interpretation of data about Australian imports and exports. Students: identify Australia's major exports and imports; investigate international trade ...

Video

What are pixels?

Meet Kevin Systrom and Piper Hanson as they explain how digital images work. What are pixels, those tiny dots of light, made from? How are colours created and represented? What does Kevin say about the way mathematical functions are used to create different image filters. What is the difference between image resolution ...

Video

My Five Cents: What is opportunity cost?

What is the true cost of buying something? Gen Fricker explains that it's more than just money. Learn about opportunity cost - what it is, why it's a helpful tool and when to use it. Simple! Then test yourself with ASIC MoneySmart's "Things to think about" classroom exercises.  

Video

Stateline: Mapping farmland: using area and trigonometry

In northern Queensland's Gulf region, some farmers use GPS mapping to help manage their extensive properties. Use this clip as a context for applying your understanding of area, in particular your understanding of conversion between square kilometres and hectares. Apply trigonometry and Pythagoras' theorem.

Online

TIMES Module 22: Measurement and Geometry: scale drawings and similarity - teacher guide

This is a 41-page guide for teachers. It contains an introduction to scale drawings and similarity, and in particular the tests for triangles to be considered similar. Applications of similarity are included throughout the module.

Interactive

Numeracy wrap: Parallelogram peculiarities

Interactive activities that guide students to investigate properties of parallelograms.

Video

Catalyst: Graham's number

If you were asked what the biggest number you can think of is, what would you say? Infinity? Well, what about the biggest finite number you can think of? Mathematician Ron Graham came across such a gigantic number in his research that, to capture its massive size, he and his colleagues needed to come up with new methods ...

Interactive

The Mathematical Toolkit

A 2D Shapes tool that can be used to create geometric objects such as quadrilaterals, circles, triangles, lines, arcs, rays, segments and vectors on a coordinate grid. Plot and label the vertices to reveal the internal angles, side lengths, area and perimeter, then manipulate the shapes on a grid to transform their shape ...