Mathematics / Year 4 / Number and Algebra / Patterns and algebra

Curriculum content descriptions

Find unknown quantities in number sentences involving addition and subtraction and identify equivalent number sentences involving addition and subtraction (ACMNA083)

Elaborations
  • writing number sentences to represent and answer questions such as: ‘When a number is added to 23 the answer is the same as 57 minus 19. What is the number?’
  • using partitioning to find unknown quantities in number sentences
General capabilities
  • Numeracy Numeracy
ScOT terms

Subtraction,  Addition,  Mathematical expressions

Online

reSolve: Algebra: Triangle Inequality

This sequence of two lessons explores the triangle inequality theorem. Students are challenged to construct triangles with a given number of matchsticks, explore and record what combinations of sticks can create valid triangles and represent their findings using mathematical expressions. Each lesson is outlined in detail ...

Online

reSolve: Algebra: Chess - The King

This lesson aims to build students' algebraic reasoning and understanding of number as they explore computation on the number chart. Students explore the moves of a king chess piece and how the value of the numbers change as he moves. This builds into an algebraic exploration of equivalent values that can be found on the ...

Online

reSolve: Algebra: Odds and Evens

This sequence of two lessons focuses on developing students' understanding of the properties of odd and even numbers. Students explore the results of adding and subtracting odd and even numbers and use these results to make generalisations. They then apply this generalisation to solve problems and to explore patterns. The ...

Online

Paying It Forward Years 3-4

This resource is a cross-curricular unit about how identity and welfare is affected by the groups and places that students belong to and the services that local government provides. They learn that fair isn’t always equal, the importance of integrity and the role of laws and responsibility in protecting their rights and ...

Downloadable

Algebra: Foundation to Year 9

This comprehensive resource describes the progression of algebra-related ideas and algebraic thinking. The resource demonstrates examples of relevant teaching strategies, investigations, activity plans and connected concepts in algebra including teaching and cultural implications.

Online

Find unknown values: Year 4 – planning tool

This planning resource for Year 4 is for the topic of Find unknown values. Students further develop their algebraic thinking and strategies to find missing or unknown numbers in addition and subtraction related problems.

Interactive

Sites2See: Patterns and Algebra

Selected links to a range of interactive online resources for the study of patterns and algebra in Foundation to Year 6 Mathematics.

Video

Numbers Count: What are factors?

What are factors? Watch as the jelly babies in this clip show you! What are the factors of 12? How many factors does the number 11 have? Try explaining to a friend what a prime number is.

Video

Musical fractions

Break down a song by counting how long the notes are in action! Learn about patterns in rhythms and musical notes, and discover the role of fractions in denoting whole, half and quarter notes and creating distinct sounds.

Video

What is a fractal?

Do you know what a fractal is? Basically, fractals are never-ending patterns created by repeated mathematical equations. In this clip, Yuliya, a student at MIT (in the USA) describes the properties of fractals and shows you where they can be found in technology and nature. Have a good look at the world around you and see ...

Video

Fun with fractals

Do you know how to recognise a fractal? Watch this video to find out! What are the examples given of fractals found in nature? Can you think of any others? Why not have a go at doing your own drawing of the Sierpinski Triangle?

Interactive

Circus towers: square stacks

Work out how many acrobats are needed to form square-shaped human towers. Start by building a square tower with four acrobats: two acrobats in the base layer and two acrobats standing on their shoulders. Examine a table and graph of the total number of acrobats in the towers. Predict the number of acrobats needed to build ...

Online

reSolve: Multiplication - The Tiler

This task explores arrays through the context of a tiling a courtyard. Students are given the total cost of tiling a courtyard and use this to calculate the price for individual tiles. They then explore the cost of different tiling designs to determine if one is cheaper than another. Each lesson is outlined in detail including ...

Interactive

The take-away bar: go figure

This tutorial is suitable for use with a screen reader. It explains strategies for solving subtractions in your head such as 87-39. Work through sample questions and instructions explaining how to use linear partitioning techniques. Solve subtractions by breaking them up into parts that are easy to work with, work out each ...

Interactive

Wishball: hundredths

Test your understanding of decimal place value with numbers that include hundredths. Receive a starting number, such as 46.87, and work towards turning it into a target number, such as 85.32. Spin a random digit, choose its decimal place value and decide whether to add or subtract the random digit from your starting number. ...

Video

What is a quarter?

What is a quarter? You get quarters when you divide a whole into four equal parts. Each one of these four parts is a quarter. Watch this great explainer produced by Monique in collaboration with ABC Splash and see how she explains quarters.

Video

MathXplosion, Ep 33: On the grid

Explore graphs, grids and mapping with a focus on reading and writing location data using coordinate geometry. Grids and maps illustrate the concepts of parallel/perpendicular lines (axes or labelled number lines), ordered pairs and intersection points.

Video

Fractions in the real world

How many quarters make up a whole? Watch this video to find out how else you can represent 2/4 and how to add up quarters to make a whole.

Online

Literacy and numeracy improvement: a whole-school approach

This teacher resource describes how 74 public schools in metropolitan, regional and rural Western Australia used three major components of the school improvement cycle to achieve significant improvement in the literacy and numeracy learning outcomes of their students. The resource is organised in nine sections: Summary, ...

Interactive

Wishball: whole numbers

Test your understanding of decimal place value with whole numbers. Receive a starting number, such as 3786, and work towards turning it into a target number, such as 7664. Spin a random digit, choose its decimal place value and decide whether to add or subtract the random digit from your starting number. You can use a 'Wishball' ...