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Year 1 / Mathematics / Term 1 / Weeks 01 02

Development draft · local review needed

Original low-ink mathematics aidsYear 1 Maths · T1 W1–2 · Aids

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Teacher copy · prompts and answer keys

Teacher copy: This page may include teaching prompts or answer keys. Answer keys in this public library can be viewed by anyone. Give learners a clean prompt, use checks as formative evidence, and change a case locally when prior access matters.

Print this page or copy the plain text. Teacher may enlarge, emboss or replace marks with tactile pieces. No color is needed. Cut cards on blank lines. Context cards are prompts, not claims about real places or children.

Aid 1: tens and ones mat

NAME/ID (school-managed): __________  DATE: ______

TENS (each long strip = 10)       ONES (each dot = 1)
|__________| |__________|         • • • • • • • • •

I made _____ tens and _____ ones.
That is _____ + _____ = _____ .
I can check by counting tens, then ones: __________________.

For a learner using tactile symbols, use one ridged strip per ten and smooth counter per one. The quantity is verified by touching one representative strip's ten cells with the teacher. For a digital version use two columns labelled TENS and ONES, with explicit numeric text exposed to assistive technology.

Aid 2: number track and card bank

Use this as a chart or cut each row into number cards. The rows show decades, not groups to count as units.

 0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39
40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49
50

Point to a cell when saying it. A left-to-right strip can be made by cutting and joining rows in order; the grid above is not a spatial number line with equal distance at row turns.

Aid 3: original context cards

Each card has a correct total for teacher preparation; let the child build it rather than copy the key. Substitute familiar local items only if permissions and language are checked.

Card Child-facing prompt Teacher key
Library return 2 trays of 10 books and 3 loose books 23
Toy workshop 2 racks of 10 wheels and 7 loose wheels 27
Seed packet design 3 paper strips of 10 seed icons 30
Art studio 3 boxes of 10 chalk sticks and 4 loose sticks 34
Stadium ticket design 3 rows of 10 printed seats and 9 extra seats 39
Bike repair picture 4 sheets of 10 spokes and 2 loose spokes 42
Space mission game 4 decks of 10 star tokens and 8 loose tokens 48
Market sign design 5 strips of 10 fruit icons 50
Music rhythm cards 2 lines of 10 beats and 6 more beats 26
Wildlife drawing 4 groups of 10 feather marks and 5 marks 45
Transit model 3 rows of 10 seats and 1 seat 31
Craft kit 4 packs of 10 paper shapes and 7 shapes 47
Theatre ticket design 4 blocks of 10 seats and 3 more seats 43
Picnic poster 2 trays of 10 paper cup icons and 8 icons 28
Maker table picture 3 pots of 10 drawn tools and 7 loose tools 37
Postcard display 4 rows of 10 card icons and 9 more cards 49

Keep the final four cards unseen until Day 10 transfer. They describe drawn or modelled quantities, not actual stock or purchases.

Use drawings rather than edible items. The living-things cards count drawn symbols; they make no biological claim or invitation to collect animals/plants.

Aid 4: quick check slip

SHOW: ____ ten-strips and ____ ones  →  numeral ____
SAY/SELECT: "____ tens and ____ ones make ____."
ORDER: ____ , ____ , ____
HOW I RESPONDED: object / mark / numeral / speech / sign / AAC / other ____
PROMPT GIVEN: none / repeat / model / guided move
TEACHER NEXT MOVE: ___________________________________________

Source and rights: Entire aid original, © NeuroForgeIO Pty Ltd 2026, CC BY 4.0. National alignment and ACARA's separate rights are stated in README. Educator/accessibility review pending.