Number strategies
NA1-1: Use a range of counting, grouping, and equal-sharing strategies with whole numbers and fractions.
This means students will use counting strategies including counting on and back, double counting, and skip counting. This corresponds to the counting stages of the number framework so achieving level one means that a student is at the Advanced Counting Stage. Examples of their strategies might be: to calculate 6 + 5 count 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, to calculate 12 – 3 count 11, 10, 9, or to calculate three groups of three double counting 1, 2, 3,...4, 5, 6,...7, 8, 9. Grouping and equal sharing strategies are simple ways to solve addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, and fractions of sets problems without counting every object. Examples of these strategies might be: knowing 4 + 4 equals 8, skip counting 5, 10, 15, 20 to count four groups of five, or sharing objects in ones, twos or threes to find one quarter of a set of 12 items. Supporting teaching resources.
Number knowledge
NA1-2: Know the forward and backward counting sequences of whole numbers to 100.
This means students will know the forward number word sequence to 100 is the counting pattern of words and symbols, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4... while the backward sequence is the pattern 100, 99, 98, 97... Students will also be able to name the number before and after a given number since this relates to taking an item off or putting an item onto an existing set. Supporting teaching resources.
NA1-3: Know groupings with five, within ten, and with ten.
This means students will learn visual and symbolic patterns for the numbers to ten so they can be recognised without counting, groupings within and with five (for example 2 + 3, 5 + 4), names for ten (for example 6 + 4 therefore 10 – 4), doubles to ten at least (for example 4 + 4), and groupings with ten (for example 10 + 6, 8 + 10 - teen numbers). Supporting teaching resources.
Equations and expressions
NA1-4: Communicate and explain counting, grouping, and equal-sharing strategies, using words, numbers, and pictures.
This means students will explain to others the number strategies they use, by using a combination of words, numbers and pictures. This implies that students will learn to write equations to express their findings (for example 5 + 9 = 14), to express their ideas using their own language in conjunction with mathematical language (for example, add, subtract, times, fraction), and to develop diagrams to represent their strategies (for example, set diagrams or number lines). Supporting teaching resources.
Patterns and relationships
NA1-5: Generalise that the next counting number gives the result of adding one object to a set and that counting the number of objects in a set tells how many.
This means students will understand the link between the cardinal and ordinal aspects of counting. The ordinal aspect refers to the fact that counting numbers have a conventional order. The last number in a count tells how many objects are in a set if all the objects are matched in one-to-one correspondence to the sequence of counting numbers. The next number in the counting sequence tells the result of adding an object while the number before in the sequence tells the count when an object is removed. The cardinal aspect involves knowing that when counting a set of items the last number describes all the items in the set, no matter their colour, size, arrangement or other attributes. This count can be trusted and built upon. Supporting teaching resources.
NA1-6: Create and continue sequential patterns.
This means the students will explore sequential patterns. A sequential pattern is one in which further members of that pattern can be predicted from previous members. So 
..., and 1, 3, 5, 7, ... are sequential patterns. At Level One students should be able to reproduce a given pattern using objects, drawings or symbols and continue the pattern on with justification. (It goes square, circle, star...) They should also be able to invent their own patterns and communicate the “rule” for their pattern to others. Supporting teaching resources.
Click to download a PDF of second-tier material relating to Level 1 Patterns and Relationships (288KB)