AC9MFN04 • Foundation Maths

AC9MFN04: Partition and combine collections up to 10 using part-part-whole relationships...

partition and combine collections up to 10 using part-part-whole relationships and subitising to recognise and name the parts

Topic GuideClassroom ViewWorksheetPracticeTest
🎯 Learn the key ideaStart here

Learning intention: A whole number can be split into parts in different ways, and the parts can be recombined to make the same whole.

Success looks like: Identify whole and parts; Partition a collection; Recombine to same whole; Find a missing part; Show more than one partition.

Learning routine: Build whole → Split → Name parts → Recombine → Record → Check

Explain, check and apply

Keep the same whole

Build 8 counters. Split them into 5 and 3. Move one counter from the group of 5 to the group of 3: now the parts are 4 and 4. No counter was added or removed, so the whole stays 8. Let children show and say the relationship before recording a number sentence.

Find the missing part

There are 10 counters altogether. You can see 6 and the rest are covered. How many are covered? Explain how you know.

Answer and teaching guidance

4. Six and four make ten. Build 10, leave 6 visible and cover the remaining 4 to check.

Check an incorrect partition

A child splits a collection of 8 into parts labelled 5 and 4. Can both labels be right?

Answer and teaching guidance

No. Five and four make 9. If the whole is 8 and one part is 5, the other part must be 3. Recombine the counters to check.

Can a part be zero?

Put all 6 counters on one mat and none on the other. What are the two parts and the whole?

Answer and teaching guidance

The parts are 6 and 0; the whole is 6. An empty part does not add any counters.

Ready to move on

Ask the child to split 7 in two ways, name the parts and recombine each pair.

Answer and teaching guidance

For example, 5 and 2, then 4 and 3. Both pairs make 7. Look for use of the same collection and recognition of small parts; use a whole of 4 if support is needed.

👀 Model and worked examplesLearn

Build, split and recombine 7

WHOLE
● ● ● ● ● ● ●
7
SPLIT
● ● ● ● ●   |   ● ●

5 and 2 are parts of 7.

RECOMBINE
5 + 2 = 7
2 + 5 = 7

The whole stays 7.

Think aloud: Build or point to the model first, explain what each part shows, then state the answer.

Find different partitions

6 = 5 + 1
6 = 4 + 2
6 = 3 + 3

Ask: “Can you find another way to split 6?”

📚 Key words4 words

whole

the complete group

part

a smaller group inside the whole

partition

split a whole into parts

combine

put parts together

🧠 Try it in different waysApply

1. Split and name

Build 6 counters. Split them into two parts and name each part without recounting every counter where possible.

2. Change the parts

Move one counter between the parts. Name the new parts and check that the whole remains 6.

3. Hide a part

Build 8. Leave 3 visible and cover the rest. Predict the hidden part, then uncover and check.

⚠️ Common mistakes and fixesFix errors
  • Parts treated as extra: Recombine the same objects to show the parts are inside the whole.
  • Order changes the whole: Compare 4 + 2 and 2 + 4 using the same 6 counters.
  • Guesses hidden part: Use the known whole and visible part to reason what is missing.
✅ Quick checkCheck
  • Split 7 into 5 and ___.
  • Show another way to make 6 using two parts.
  • If the whole is 8 and one part is 3, what is the other part?
  • Are 4 + 2 and 2 + 4 the same whole? Explain.

Ready for Practice when: Identify whole and parts; Partition a collection; Recombine to same whole; Find a missing part; Show more than one partition.

📝 Revision NotesRemember
  • Main idea: A whole number can be split into parts in different ways, and the parts can be recombined to make the same whole.
  • Useful routine: Build whole → Split → Name parts → Recombine → Record → Check
  • whole: the complete group
  • part: a smaller group inside the whole
  • partition: split a whole into parts
  • combine: put parts together
  • Best self-check: explain one new example without copying the worked model.
🇦🇺 Australian Curriculum coverageE1–E4

Content description: partition and combine collections up to 10 using part-part-whole relationships and subitising to recognise and name the parts

These are curriculum teaching examples used as a breadth check, not separate mandatory outcomes.

First Nations teaching guidance: Use a locally appropriate, community-approved source; name the relevant Peoples and Country/Place; respect cultural authority and permissions; and do not present one example as universal across First Nations Australians.

E1

recognising numbers represented in physical or virtual ten-frames, and describing their reasoning: “It’s 7 because there is 5 there and 2 more”

Teaching example: Use the existing model of 7. Recognise 5 and 2 as parts, say “5 and 2 make 7”, then check by recombining.

E2

partitioning collections of up to 10 objects in different ways and saying the part-part-whole relationship; for example, partitioning a collection of 6 counters into 4 counters and 2 counters and saying, “6 is 4 and 2 more, it’s 2 and 4”, then partitioning the same collection into 5 and one or 3 and 3

Teaching example: Split 6 counters into 4 and 2, then 5 and 1, then 3 and 3. Keep the same six counters throughout and name each pair of parts.

E3

representing part-part-whole relationships in numbers up to 10 using physical or virtual materials; for example, identifying numbers represented by dots in standard number configurations such as dominos and dice by recognising parts that form the whole

Teaching example: Use an existing domino or dot arrangement with a total up to 10. Name the small parts recognised at a glance and explain how they form the whole.

E4

exploring number groupings in First Nations Australians’ counting systems and the different ways of representing these groupings to form and partition numbers, applying this to quantify collections of objects in the environment on Country/Place up to 10

Teaching example: Use a locally appropriate, community-approved example from a named First Nations counting system. Follow the authorised explanation of its groupings; do not invent a universal counting system.

Teacher resource

AC9MFN04 fixed teacher slides

The authored presentation uses the same models, vocabulary and checks as this lesson.

Open Classroom View
🎥 Optional Video Lesson

The SkillrHub lesson remains the primary learning resource. This optional video reinforces the explanation; you can complete the lesson and practice without watching.

Back to the lesson

Before you watch:

  • Pause after each worked example.
  • Try the examples yourself.
  • Return to the SkillrHub lesson before continuing.
Recommended: Making 5 | Early Math

Khan Academy — Finding different pairs of parts that make a whole of five.

As you watch: What can you put with three to make five?

Load video player Loads YouTube in this lesson. See the video notice below.

Try it: Use five counters. Split them into two parts in three different ways and explain each whole.

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Curriculum equivalents: Victoria, NSW and international

Curriculum equivalents for Partition and combine collections up to 10 using part-part-whole relationships...

Mapped skill: partition and combine collections up to 10 using part-part-whole relationships and subitising to recognise and name the parts

These references identify matching or closely related learning. Curriculum sequence, terminology and depth vary, so teachers should use the mapped skill and lesson difficulty to confirm suitability.

RegionCurriculum frameworkClosest level or code
AustraliaAustralian Curriculum v9.0AC9MFN04 · Foundation
VictoriaVictorian Curriculum F–10 Version 2.0 — MathematicsVC2MFN04 · Foundation
New South WalesNSW Mathematics K–10 Syllabus (2022)MAE-CSQ-02 · Early Stage 1
United States (USA)Common Core State Standards for MathematicsKindergarten
Canada (Ontario)Ontario Curriculum — MathematicsKindergarten
United Kingdom (England)National Curriculum in England — MathematicsYear 1, Key Stage 1
IndiaNCERT / CBSE — MathematicsFoundational Stage / Balvatika 3

Australian Curriculum v9.0 is the canonical source for this SkillrHub lesson. Victoria and NSW entries name the closest published state codes or outcomes; international entries are planning references rather than claims of identical curricula.

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