# Original low-ink mathematics aids

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

```text
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.

```text
 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

```text
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](README.md). Educator/accessibility review pending.