Status: original draft; educator review pending before classroom or public release.
Audience: Australian Curriculum Foundation (Queensland Prep), not Queensland pre-Prep Kindergarten.
Use: ten 25-minute daily lessons, then the short assessment in assessment.md. Each lesson works with large reusable objects and paper; screens and the original Count, Show, Tell asset pack are optional. manifest.json records this lesson pack's file hashes and reuse boundary.
Scope and progression
| Days | New work | What the teacher should hear or see |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Empty set as zero; count and show 0–5 | One count word for each object; the last word tells how many; numeral matches collection. |
| 3–4 | Recognise 1–5 without counting | Learner sees a small grouping, names its total and describes the grouping. |
| 5 | Compare 0–5 | Learner counts or pairs objects and explains more, fewer or same, despite different layouts. |
| 6–8 | Extend representations to 6–10 and order 0–10 | Learner builds from a full five-frame, counts each object once, matches numeral and locates it in sequence. |
| 9 | Compare 6–10 | Learner reasons from quantities, not object size or spacing. |
| 10 | Apply across familiar situations | Learner independently selects a count, numeral, arrangement or comparison strategy. |
This is partial progress, not completion of AC9MFN01 or AC9MFN03: both extend to at least 20 in the Foundation curriculum. AC9MFN02 covers subitising collections up to 5; these lessons work within that complete numerical range, though one successful check is not proof of secure mastery. Work on partitioning, combining and the other Foundation mathematics strands belongs in later sequences.
Daily run order: 1 zero to three · 2 show zero to five · 3 see one to three · 4 see four and five · 5 compare to five · 6 five and more · 7 eight and nine · 8 ten and number path · 9 compare six to ten · 10 use the toolkit · two-week assessment.
Start-up kit
For pairs: two mats or trays; 12 large counters or blocks in each of two colours; a five-frame and ten-frame drawn on paper; handwritten numeral cards 0–10; a cloth to briefly cover arrangements; a pencil; the daily evidence sheet in assessment.md. Use objects large enough for the group and supervise loose parts. Keep the same numeral shape and frame orientation through the fortnight. Do not use colour alone to distinguish groups.
Offer the same mathematical goal through large print or high contrast cards, raised/tactile counters or a tactile frame, spoken description, and a partner who moves pieces exactly as the learner directs. Accept speaking, pointing, signing, AAC, eye gaze, drawing or arranged objects as responses. Record the access route with the observation; do not label children by a supposed learning style. A tactile quantity recognition task can show valuable number sense but is not identical evidence of visual subitising.
Source and rights record
Curriculum authority: Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA); Australian Curriculum Mathematics Version 9.0, Foundation Year, Number. Official workbook: https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/content/dam/en/curriculum/ac-version-9/downloads/curriculum-workbook.xlsx ; downloads page. Local checked snapshot: 29 September 2026; SHA-256 db446882d2c00cf7c085a03e250e2442fda6c44011fc114680c46c1dc7a822c3. Codes and wording were checked against that workbook and its normalized copy in data/frameworks/acara-v9.json. ACARA terms; version history.
Mapping uses these exact content descriptions:
- AC9MFN01: name, represent and order numbers including zero to at least 20, using physical and virtual materials and numerals.
- AC9MFN02: recognise and name the number of objects within a collection up to 5 using subitising.
- AC9MFN03: quantify and compare collections to at least 20 using counting and explain or demonstrate reasoning.
- AC9MFN04, early connection only: partition and combine collections up to 10 using part-part-whole relationships and subitising to recognise and name the parts.
Reuse this pack: © NeuroForgeIO Pty Ltd 2026, “SubjectNest Count, Show, Tell: Foundation Mathematics, Weeks 1–2”, version 0.1.0-draft. Original activities, games, teacher wording and assessment are licensed under CC BY 4.0. Copy, adapt and use them commercially with credit to SubjectNest by NeuroForgeIO Pty Ltd, a link to this pack and the licence, and a note of any changes. The code mapping paraphrases lesson intent; it is not ACARA approval or a claim of full-year coverage. © Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) 2010 to present, unless otherwise indicated. Curriculum wording was downloaded from the Australian Curriculum website on 29 September 2026 and was not modified in the four descriptions above. That source wording retains its own rights under ACARA terms. ACARA does not endorse, sponsor or affiliate with this product.
Pedagogy check: AERO early numeracy supports maths talk in routines, purposeful playful teacher-led experiences, manipulatives and observation; AERO explicit teaching supports short modelling and guided practice; AERO monitor progress supports adjusting the next lesson from checks for understanding. These are design supports, not proof that this untested pack improves outcomes.