Year 6 Mathematics
Victoria Shanghai Academy 2013-14
Course overview
No single definition can describe Mathematics because there are different perspectives in which
Mathematics is viewed. To a dedicated practitioner, Mathematics is like a system of interconnecting
tributaries. Each branch of Mathematics has its own stream or purpose but is dependent upon other
branches. To the average secondary school student, Mathematics is like an ocean, as there is an
abundance of mathematical knowledge to be explored. The journey may be rough with waves of
challenging and often difficult information cascading onto the student. At VSA, students will
holistically develop important problem solving, organizational, cooperative, and communicative skills
to navigate and master these waters.
In the Year 6 Mathematics programme, students build upon fundamental concepts. The five strands of
mathematics that will be studied are:
● Number
● Algebra
● Geometry and Trigonometry
● Statistics and Probability
● Discrete Mathematics
Though these are important topics to study on their own, a unit may incorporate concepts from the
other units.
In 2013/2014, students will have 5 lessons of Mathematics per week and will have a number of
opportunities for cross-curricular activities.
Aims of the course
The aims of the teaching and study of MYP mathematics are to encourage and enable students to:
● enjoy mathematics and to develop curiosity as well as an appreciation of its elegance and
power
● develop an understanding of the principles and nature of mathematics
● communicate clearly and confidently in a variety of contexts
● develop logical, critical and creative thinking, and patience and persistence in problem
solving
● develop power of generalization and abstraction
● apply and transfer skills to a wide range of situations including real life, other areas of
knowledge and future developments
● appreciate how developments in technology and mathematics have influenced each other
● appreciate the moral, social and ethical implications arising from the work of mathematicians
and the applications of mathematics
● appreciate the international dimension in mathematics through an awareness of the
universality of mathematics and its multicultural and historical perspectives
●
●
●
appreciate the contribution of mathematics to other areas of knowledge
develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to pursue further studies in mathematics
develop the ability to reflect critically upon their own work and the work of others.
Course outline
Unit Title
Unit Question
Area of
Interaction
Task/Topic/Texts
Budgeting
(Decimals and
Fractions)
Why is
budgeting
important?
Community and
service
Task: Budgeting
● The four operations (add, subtract,
multiply, divide and mixed)
● Estimation and approximation
● Solving real life problems
Solving problems
(Problem solving
strategies, Algebra)
How do we
solve our
problems?
Approaches to
learning
Task: Investigative tasks
● Different problem solving strategies
● Algebraic expression
● Substitution
● Simple equation
● maintaining balance
● inverse operations
● Problem solving
Mapping,
Percentages and
Statistics
Where are we?
What effects
have mapping
and percentages
on
environment?
Environments
Task: Mini-projects and real-life
problems
● Map references
● Number grids / Coordinates of 1st
quadrant
● Conversion (to decimals and fractions
and vice versa)
● Finding and comparing percentage of
quantities
● Percentage and money (discounts,
savings accounts, interest rates, credit
cards…)
● Percentage errors
● Data collection and representation
● Compound bar charts, broken line
graphs and pie Charts
Time and Speed
Are we there
yet?
Who is the
fastest?
Health and
Task: Inquiry project
social education ● Units of time
● Difference in time
● Timelines, timetables and timezones
● Average speed and word problems
All shapes and sizes
(Measurement, 3D
Shapes, Volume and
How can I
measure
accurately?
Human
ingenuity
Task: My Dream House, investigate and
develop mathematical formulas
● Units, scales, conversions
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
capacity)
A change is gonna
come
(Transformations)
How can we
change things?
Human
ingenuity
Perimeter, areas, volume and capacity
Ratio and fractions
comparing ratios and word problems
Types of solids
Nets of prisms
Vertices, edges and faces
Sections
Task: Mathematical Artwork
● Reflection
● Rotations
● Translations
● Reduction and enlargement
Textbook 1: Mathematics for the international students 6 MYP 1 by Haese et al. Haese & Harris Publications.
Textbook 2: My Pals are Here! Maths 6A (2nd edition) by Fong et al. Marshall Cavendish Education.
Textbook 3: My Pals are Here! Maths 6B (2nd edition) by Fong et al. Marshall Cavendish Education.
*Unit studied may not be sequential nor chronological but subject to change, might mixed into different subjects.
Assessment
Criterion A
Knowledge and understanding
Maxim
um 8
Criterion B
Investigating patterns
Maxim
um 8
Criterion C
Communication in mathematics
Maxim
um 6
Criterion D
Reflection in mathematics
Maxim
um 6
Students are assessed in 4 criteria in Mathematics. Assessment is continuous throughout the year and,
in addition to exercises and tests, consists of a number of interdisciplinary tasks and projects,
assignments involving the “real world”, terminology checks, and cooperative activities. The
following descriptions give you more information for each criterion.
Criterion A: Student is able to know and demonstrate understanding of the concepts from the five
branches of mathematics (number, algebra, geometry and trigonometry, statistics and probability, and
discrete mathematics), use appropriate mathematical concepts and skills to solve problems in both
familiar and unfamiliar situations, including those in real-life contexts and select and apply general
rules correctly to solve problems, including those in real-life contexts.
Criterion B: Student is able to select and apply appropriate inquiry and mathematical problemsolving techniques, recognize patterns, describe patterns as relationships or general rules, draw
conclusions consistent with findings and justify or prove mathematical relationships and general rules.
Criterion C:
Student is able to use appropriate mathematical language (notation, symbols,
terminology) in both oral and written explanations, use different forms of mathematical representation
(formulae, diagrams, tables, charts, graphs and models) and communicate a complete and coherent
mathematical line of reasoning using different forms of representation when investigating complex
problems.
Criterion D: Student is able to explain whether his or her results make sense in the context of the
problem, explain the importance of his or her findings in connection to real life, justify the degree of
accuracy of his or her results where appropriate and suggest improvements to the method when
necessary.