Ten teacher-ready 25-minute mathematics scripts · Days 161–170Foundation Maths · T4 W33–34 · Lesson sequence

Prepare the day's exact practice materials, matching clean learner card, suitable A4 or full-text/tactile aid and an optional worked context swap. Each routine totals 3 + 4 + 5 + 7 + 4 + 2 = 25 minutes. Card features and numbers are fictional. Do not call drawn traits real local biological observations or record Science outcomes from this maths evidence. Save the two public fresh checks for Days 165/170. Record each first child-controlled sort, count, comparison and reason before a content cue, and note neutral access support separately. Choice routes are not ability labels.

Week 33 · Day 161 · Round or pointed on these cards?

Target/codes: answer a given feature question by sorting and comparing eleven fictional image cards; AC9MFST01, AC9MFN03. Prepare: P161's 7 round-outline and 4 pointed-outline cards; feature mat. There is no real species claim.

1. Question · 3 min. Read: “Which leaf outline is drawn more often on these cards?” Show the full-word ROUND and POINTED labels; ask which part of a card matters.
2. Model · 4 min. Place one unambiguous drawing in each column and say only what its outline shows. Count one small example group by moving each card into a counted place, without giving the full group totals.
3. Guide · 5 min. Child sorts the remaining cards; invite a new count path if a card is skipped. Ask what evidence would decide “more”.
4. Independent route · 7 min. Offer Day 161 A/B/C from learner cards in a made-up plant book, stage scenery or paper model. Require both group counts and counted/matched comparison, not a longer-looking row.
5. Evidence check · 4 min. Spread four pointed drawings widely and pack seven round drawings tightly. Ask if the question changes and why the comparison does not depend on spacing.
6. Exit · 2 min. Child completes “On these cards, ___ is drawn more.” If the rule is lost, next time use two obvious raised-outline cards before counting.

Week 33 · Day 162 · Drawn symbol is not a hidden fact

Target/codes: sort nine picture cards by a visible flower symbol, count and compare without inferring unseen biology; AC9MFST01, AC9MFN03. Prepare: P162 5 with a symbol, 4 with none drawn; two full-word labels.

1. Question · 3 min. Read: “How many cards show a flower symbol?” Have the child point to the actual symbol on one card; say “not drawn” for the other category.
2. Model · 4 min. Sort two sample cards and state the rule: a visible ink mark, not a guess about the pictured plant. Model moving one card per count word.
3. Guide · 5 min. Child places the other seven cards. Ask whether a blank picture shows a flower elsewhere in the world; the only safe answer is about this drawing.
4. Independent route · 7 min. Use Day 162 A/B/C in a fictional garden page, book index or puppet sign design. Count both groups and say which has more cards.
5. Evidence check · 4 min. Reverse card positions without changing marks. Ask if any category changes; capture child reason and whether they track each card once.
6. Exit · 2 min. Child names the feature visible in the first group. If “no flowers grow there” appears, return to “not drawn on the card”.

Week 33 · Day 163 · Count what the edge shows

Target/codes: answer a given question by sorting twelve made-up leaf edges and comparing counted groups; AC9MFST01, AC9MFN03. Prepare: P163 8 smooth and 4 jagged broad outline cards; count board.

1. Question · 3 min. Ask: “Which edge type is shown more on these drawings?” Trace a smooth edge and a jagged edge with a finger or broad pointer.
2. Model · 4 min. Place two cards with unmistakable different edges under full-word labels. Say the card edge is the rule, not the colour, page position or imagined plant name.
3. Guide · 5 min. Child sorts and chooses a one-to-one count path. Use raised outlines or adult-directed movement without supplying the category answer.
4. Independent route · 7 min. Use Day 163 A/B/C in a fictional banner, model park map or picture-book case; ask for each count and an evidence-based “more”.
5. Evidence check · 4 min. Put one smooth card nearer the jagged column without changing its drawing. Ask where it belongs and why; discard/redraw any genuinely ambiguous card.
6. Exit · 2 min. Child shows the feature and names which counted group is larger. If counting duplicates occur, place cards into counted slots before a second comparison.

Week 33 · Day 164 · The question changes the groups

Target/codes: re-sort the same ten fictional cards for two given questions while preserving the total and comparing counts; AC9MFST01, AC9MFN03. Prepare: P164's exact 2 oval/symbol, 4 oval/no-symbol, 1 spear/symbol, 3 spear/no-symbol cards.

1. Question · 3 min. Show one card with both an outline and a symbol. Ask “Which feature would we need if the question is about shape?”
2. Model · 4 min. Sort the first three cards by oval/spear outline; count all cards on the table so the child sees that sorting moves, rather than makes, cards.
3. Guide · 5 min. Child finishes the first sort and counts 6 oval versus 4 spear. Reset all ten cards to a neutral pile.
4. Independent route · 7 min. Day 164 A/B/C asks the child to re-sort by symbol shown/not drawn, count 3 versus 7, and answer that second question. A puppet garden, paper exhibition or information-page index can carry the same ten-card data.
5. Evidence check · 4 min. Ask “Did the number of cards change? Why did the groups change?” A sound answer names the new question/rule and unchanged ten cards. Recount if a piece is missing.
6. Exit · 2 min. Child points to the feature for one question. If they mix rules, lay the two question cards side by side and sort anew next time.

Week 33 · Day 165 · Fresh card-data check

Target/codes: independently sort, quantify and compare a new fictional observation-card set, with a card-only claim; AC9MFST01, AC9MFN03. Prepare: unseen Check A and teacher-held preparation card. Do not rehearse this set in warm-up.

1. Welcome · 3 min. Explain that this new question will help plan the next lesson, not rank the child. Say both category labels neutrally.
2. Access · 4 min. Give large/raised cards or an adult mover and neutral reading. Teacher privately verifies the exact set; do not reveal counts or point to answer groups.
3. First sort · 5 min. Child places or directs each card under ROUND or NARROW. Save the first child-controlled placement before any correction.
4. Independent response · 7 min. Child counts/matches each group, states which outline is shown more on these cards and chooses among Day 165 A/B/C-equivalent response routes in Check A. Do not show after-check practice yet.
5. Boundary · 4 min. Ask whether this card set tells us how many nearby real plants have each outline. Capture “only our cards” or equivalent reasoning. Consult the public key only after the first response.
6. Close · 2 min. Give one specific next move; later offer Day 165 after-check learner practice or a different worked swap.

Week 34 · Day 166 · Align the shelter roof strips

Target/code: identify length and directly compare two broad paper strips for a pretend toy shelter; AC9MFM01. Prepare: P166 80 mm and 125 mm teacher-prepared strips and align-ends mat. The child does not need millimetres.

1. Notice · 3 min. Put the two strips in staggered places. Ask whether their far tips alone let us fairly decide which roof strip is longer.
2. Model · 4 min. Place both left ends on the same start line, keep strips straight and show the end of one extending beyond the other. Name the attribute length.
3. Guide · 5 min. Reset the strips. Child/directing adult aligns the ends, then identifies the longer strip without reading adult preparation marks.
4. Independent route · 7 min. Use Day 166 A/B/C for a toy shelter, model boat roof or paper notice shade. Each route involves the actual strips and an aligned-end reason; a drawing may record the physical result afterwards.
5. Reason check · 4 min. Stagger the strips again. Ask what must be fixed before comparing; if the child merely says “the rightmost tip”, invite a realignment.
6. Exit · 2 min. Child names length and points to the aligned starts. If manual handling is difficult, record the child's directions to an adult rather than motor precision.

Week 34 · Day 167 · Equal length can look unequal

Target/code: use direct alignment to detect equal length and a longer strip despite misleading starting positions; AC9MFM01. Prepare: P167 equal 110 mm pair and different 75/115 mm pair, all same width.

1. Notice · 3 min. Stagger the equal pair so one far tip is farther right. Invite a guess, explicitly calling it a guess until ends align.
2. Model · 4 min. Align one end of each equal strip and say the ends finish together: equal length, even though earlier placement differed.
3. Guide · 5 min. Child aligns the different pair and shows which extends beyond the other; do not use the adult's millimetre values as the answer.
4. Independent route · 7 min. Day 167 A/B/C covers both real pairs in a stage border, gallery canopy or toy doorway. Require “equal” for the first and a longer/shorter explanation for the second.
5. Reason check · 4 min. Return to the misleading stagger and ask what changed: position of the strip, not its length. If a strip bent, straighten or replace it and repeat.
6. Exit · 2 min. Child shows how to start a fair length comparison. Keep later learning about units separate from this direct-comparison target.

Week 34 · Day 168 · Which catch cup holds more?

Target/code: identify capacity and directly compare two school-approved plastic cups by adult-operated water transfer; AC9MFM01. Prepare: P168 adult-verified A smaller/B larger cups, stable tray, cloth and transfer card. No child pouring requirement.

1. Notice · 3 min. Show two clear cups for a pretend toy-shelter rain-catch design. Ask what “holds more” means; point out that outer height alone may mislead.
2. Model · 4 min. Adult privately preflights, then at the table fills A to its full usable brim, not a partial level, and pours it into B over the tray. Name the actual water transfer, not a picture, as evidence.
3. Guide · 5 min. Reset and let child direct which cup starts full, where it pours and what to inspect. Give a neutral observation of remaining space if visual access requires it.
4. Independent route · 7 min. Day 168 A/B/C uses the same real transfer with child-directed action in a toy shelter, pretend ticket stand or model garden shelter; child says B can hold more because all A water fit and B still had room.
5. Boundary · 4 min. Ask what would happen if water spilled or B filled fully: result would be unclear or different, so retest. Do not score a drawn cup as direct evidence.
6. Exit · 2 min. Child names capacity and one observed clue. If no safe actual transfer is possible, defer this evidence and rehearse vocabulary only.

Week 34 · Day 169 · A parcel's size is not its mass

Target/code: identify mass and directly compare two broad sealed same-size paper parcels using a stable adult-operated pan balance; AC9MFM01. Prepare: P169 2-sheet L/12-sheet H sealed envelopes, privately verified balance card.

1. Notice · 3 min. Show the same-size parcels for a pretend shelter roof. Ask if looking at their outside tells which is heavier; mark any first impression as a guess.
2. Model · 4 min. Adult places L and H on separate pans; show or neutrally describe which pan descends. Name the compared attribute mass, not parcel area.
3. Guide · 5 min. Reset the balance. Child directs adult placement and identifies the lower pan; if the balance sticks, repair before continuing.
4. Independent route · 7 min. Day 169 A/B/C uses actual verified parcels in toy shelter, model library delivery or theatre prop contexts. Child says H has greater mass because its pan went down, not because they know sheet counts.
5. Reason check · 4 min. Swap parcels between pans. If the same parcel still tips downward, the evidence is stronger; if not, invalidate the device/materials and repeat later.
6. Exit · 2 min. Child names the attribute and the observed comparison. No child lifts parcels; a neutral adult report can support access.

Week 34 · Day 170 · Fresh direct-comparison check

Target/code: independently name length, capacity and mass and explain new direct comparisons; AC9MFM01. Prepare: unseen Check B, teacher-held preparation card, preflighted strips/cups/balance. Three stations may need extended local transition time.

1. Welcome · 3 min. Say a new three-part task helps plan what to practise; it is not a speed or handwriting test.
2. Access · 4 min. Confirm the actual equipment safely works out of the child's view. Give neutral read-aloud, broad labels or AAC. Do not announce which object wins.
3. First comparison · 5 min. Child aligns the fresh paper strips and records the first end-based length decision before feedback.
4. Independent response · 7 min. Child directs an adult to pour the verified cup pair and place the verified parcels on the balance, then names the attribute and observed reason for each. Routes A/B/C in Check B are equivalent access options.
5. Boundary · 4 min. Ask which result came from aligned ends, which from spare space after transfer, and which from pan movement. A guess from cup/parcel appearance is not sufficient. Record adult content help separately.
6. Close · 2 min. Give one next step after collecting all valid first responses, then offer Day 170 after-check practice. Defer any unclear physical station rather than score it.

Use the twenty optional swaps after the core or for a new day. The run-through reports desk inspection only. A local educator must check equipment, individual access and the Australian state/territory sequence before teaching.