In a nutshell
Magnitude comparison is the ability to decide which number is more, less, or the same.
In the early years, children begin by comparing quantities of objects while they are developing number awareness. In Foundation, students compare and work with numbers to at least 20. In Year 1, students extend this work to numbers to 100, including comparing two-digit numerals using emerging place-value understanding. Across both year levels, students increasingly compare numerals directly, such as deciding whether 8 or 12, 34 or 43, or 76 or 79 is more.
The main instructional goal is for students to compare the value of numbers and numerals, not just collections of objects. Materials such as counters, fingers, ten-frames, number tracks, and base-10 blocks are useful, but they should be used to help children prove or explain a number comparison.
A strong instructional routine is:
Show two numerals → ask which number is more or less → have students say the comparison sentence → use a representation to prove how they know.
This guidance is designed to follow from ENSSA magnitude comparison testing when there is a class-wide need to improve the fluent comparison of number magnitude.
See also: Magnitude Estimation and Number Sequence
Teaching guidance
06Resources for all teachers (Tier 1)View resourceHide resource↓
For schools and teachers using Ochre curriculum materials
Choose the curriculum used by your school, then find the relevant Foundation or Year 1 resource.
Make sure you’re logged into Ochre first, then open the resource link.
This section is for teachers using Ochre units as part of Tier 1 mathematics instruction in Victorian Curriculum settings, including MACS and CESL schools.
Use Ochre unit lessons when students need teaching or reteaching. Use Ochre Daily Review when students have already been taught the skill and need practice, reactivation or fluency-building.
Step 1: Where does this sit in your teaching sequence?
The skill has not yet been taught and is coming up soon
Let the scheduled Ochre lesson address it. Consider brief pre-teaching for students flagged by ENSSA.
The skill has not yet been taught and is scheduled much later this year
Consider bringing the relevant lesson section forward for flagged students only — check prerequisite lessons first.
The skill has already been taught
Go to Step 2 below.
The skill was taught a while ago, last term or last year
Start with Daily Review as a quick reactivation and accuracy check. If students are still inaccurate, go to Step 2.
Step 2: How are students performing right now?
Use this once you’ve confirmed the skill has already been taught.
Students are inaccurate or unsure
Use the Ochre unit lesson section first — not Daily Review.
Most students are inaccurate
Reteach the relevant modelling/guided-practice section to the whole class.
A few students are inaccurate but most are secure
Use the lesson section for small-group reteaching with flagged students only.
Students are accurate but slow or inconsistent
Use Daily Review — do not run a full reteach.
Has this skill been introduced?
This only asks about timing. Whether the class is accurate is something Daily Review over the next few days will show; it does not need to be judged in advance.
Yes
Use the Daily Review resource below, every day, for an initial five consecutive instructional days, regardless of how accurate the class is assumed to be.
No, but it is coming soon
Do not start Daily Review yet. Read the background sections (Teaching guidance; Vocabulary, representations and stem sentences) and preview the unit lesson below now, ahead of when it is scheduled.
No, and it is not scheduled soon
Check curriculum sequencing and prerequisite knowledge. Consider brief, targeted pre-teaching for the students ENSSA flagged, not a full classwide response ahead of schedule.
After five days of Daily Review
One brief daily note is enough: accuracy, independence and efficiency, not a per-student written record.
Clear improvement, not yet secure
Continue the same Daily Review resource.
Most accurate and increasingly efficient
Continue Daily Review as ongoing cumulative practice; no full reteach is needed.
Most students remain inaccurate or dependent on support
Use the unit lesson section to teach it explicitly, not Daily Review.
Most students are secure, but the same smaller group persists
Keep whole-class Daily Review; use the unit lesson materials with that group specifically.
Foundation
Build foundations for this skill.
FN01V Counting and place value 1Use this when Foundation students cannot yet accurately decide which collection has more, less or the same.
FN01V Counting and place value 1
Teaches comparison of collections to 5 and 10.
Comparison of collections to 5 and 10.
- If students cannot compare collections → begin here.
- If students can compare collections but not numerals → move to FN03V.
FN03V Counting and place value 2Use this when students are ready to compare and order numbers beyond 10 but still need concrete or visual support.
FN03V Counting and place value 2
Extends comparison to collections and numerals within 20.
Comparing and ordering collections and numerals to 20.
FN06V Counting and place value 3, Lesson 13Use this when a Year 1 student needs simpler, concrete comparison of two-digit numbers before moving into Year 1 comparison lessons.
FN06V Counting and place value 3, Lesson 13
Provides a concrete bridge for comparing two-digit numbers with materials.
This is a bridge, not the primary Year 1 comparison resource — see 1N01V Counting and place value 1.
Number–Place Value Daily Review deckUse this when students have already been taught comparison and need repeated practice.
Daily Review Topic Deck: Number – Place Value
Brief practice comparing collections, comparing/ordering numerals, and reviewing place-value representations.
Do not use when students are making conceptual errors — return to the unit lesson section first.
Year 1
Extend this skill through Year 1.
FN06V Counting and place value 3, Lesson 13Use this when a Year 1 student needs simpler, concrete comparison of two-digit numbers before moving into Year 1 comparison lessons.
FN06V Counting and place value 3, Lesson 13
Provides a concrete bridge for comparing two-digit numbers with materials.
This is a bridge, not the primary Year 1 comparison resource — see 1N01V Counting and place value 1.
1N01V Counting and place value 1, Lessons 9–10 and 15–16Use this when Year 1 students need explicit teaching or reteaching with two-digit comparison, ordering, or numbers to 120.
1N01V Counting and place value 1, Lessons 9–10 and 15–16. Note: this unit may currently appear under a Year 2 filename — check the unit content and look for 1N01V.
This is the primary Year 1 Ochre resource for magnitude comparison. Teaches comparing/ordering two-digit numbers with materials and numerals, then comparing/ordering numbers to 120.
Lessons 9–10 for two-digit comparison/order. Lessons 15–16 for comparison/order to 120.
- If students compare by looking only at the ones digit → use the lessons with materials and tens-and-ones modelling.
- If students can compare with materials but not numerals → move from materials to numeral prompts within the same lesson sequence.
Number–Place Value Daily Review deckUse this when students have already been taught comparison and need repeated practice.
Daily Review Topic Deck: Number – Place Value
Brief practice comparing collections, comparing/ordering numerals, and reviewing place-value representations.
Do not use when students are making conceptual errors — return to the unit lesson section first.
This section is for teachers using Ochre units as part of Tier 1 mathematics instruction in WA Curriculum v9.0 settings. WA Curriculum calls Foundation year “Pre-Primary.”
Ochre does not yet publish a separate WA-specific resource library. WA unit codes (PPN01W, 1N02W, and so on) map directly to the equivalent Australian Curriculum unit, so the buttons on these cards open the same Foundation and Year 1 Ochre pages as the Australian Curriculum tab.
Use Ochre unit lessons when students need teaching or reteaching. Use Ochre Daily Review when students have already been taught the skill and need practice, reactivation or fluency-building.
Step 1: Where does this sit in your teaching sequence?
The skill has not yet been taught and is coming up soon
Let the scheduled Ochre lesson address it. Consider brief pre-teaching for students flagged by ENSSA.
The skill has not yet been taught and is scheduled much later this year
Consider bringing the relevant lesson section forward for flagged students only — check prerequisite lessons first.
The skill has already been taught
Go to Step 2 below.
The skill was taught a while ago, last term or last year
Start with Daily Review as a quick reactivation and accuracy check. If students are still inaccurate, go to Step 2.
Step 2: How are students performing right now?
Use this once you’ve confirmed the skill has already been taught.
Students are inaccurate or unsure
Use the Ochre unit lesson section first — not Daily Review.
Most students are inaccurate
Reteach the relevant modelling/guided-practice section to the whole class.
A few students are inaccurate but most are secure
Use the lesson section for small-group reteaching with flagged students only.
Students are accurate but slow or inconsistent
Use Daily Review — do not run a full reteach.
Has this skill been introduced?
This only asks about timing. Whether the class is accurate is something Daily Review over the next few days will show; it does not need to be judged in advance.
Yes
Use the Daily Review resource below, every day, for an initial five consecutive instructional days, regardless of how accurate the class is assumed to be.
No, but it is coming soon
Do not start Daily Review yet. Read the background sections (Teaching guidance; Vocabulary, representations and stem sentences) and preview the unit lesson below now, ahead of when it is scheduled.
No, and it is not scheduled soon
Check curriculum sequencing and prerequisite knowledge. Consider brief, targeted pre-teaching for the students ENSSA flagged, not a full classwide response ahead of schedule.
After five days of Daily Review
One brief daily note is enough: accuracy, independence and efficiency, not a per-student written record.
Clear improvement, not yet secure
Continue the same Daily Review resource.
Most accurate and increasingly efficient
Continue Daily Review as ongoing cumulative practice; no full reteach is needed.
Most students remain inaccurate or dependent on support
Use the unit lesson section to teach it explicitly, not Daily Review.
Most students are secure, but the same smaller group persists
Keep whole-class Daily Review; use the unit lesson materials with that group specifically.
Foundation
Build foundations for this skill.
PPN01W Counting and place value 1Use this when Pre-Primary students cannot yet accurately decide which collection has more, less or the same.
PPN01W Counting and place value 1 (links to the Australian Curriculum unit FN01A in Ochre)
Teaches comparison of collections to 5 and 10.
Comparing collections 0–5 (Lesson 5) and 0–10 (Lesson 13).
- If students cannot compare collections → begin here.
- If students can compare collections but not numerals → move to PPN03W.
PPN03W Counting and place value 2Use this when students are ready to compare and order numbers beyond 10 but still need concrete or visual support.
PPN03W Counting and place value 2 (links to the Australian Curriculum unit FN03A in Ochre)
Extends comparison to collections and numerals within 20.
Comparing and ordering collections (Lesson 9) and numerals (Lesson 12) to 20.
PPN06W Counting and place value 3Not yet written. Ochre has scheduled the equivalent unit (FN06A) for release in Term 4 2026 — check back once it is published.
This unit is not yet available in Ochre. Based on the Daily Review Schedule, it will include a lesson on comparing and ordering two-digit numbers with materials, intended as a bridge before Year 1 comparison lessons. Until release, use 1N01W as the primary Year 1 comparison resource.
Will provide a concrete bridge for comparing two-digit numbers with materials.
Number–Place Value Daily Review deckUse this when students have already been taught comparison and need repeated practice.
Daily Review Topic Deck: Number – Place Value
Brief practice comparing collections, comparing/ordering numerals, and reviewing place-value representations.
Do not use when students are making conceptual errors — return to the unit lesson section first.
Year 1
Extend this skill through Year 1.
1N01W Counting and place value 1, Lessons 9–10 and 15–16Use this when Year 1 students need explicit teaching or reteaching with two-digit comparison, ordering, or numbers to 120.
1N01W Counting and place value 1, Lessons 9–10 and 15–16 (links to the Australian Curriculum unit 1N01A in Ochre)
This is the primary Year 1 Ochre resource for magnitude comparison. Teaches comparing/ordering two-digit numbers with materials and numerals, then comparing/ordering numbers to 120.
Lessons 9–10 for two-digit comparison/order. Lessons 15–16 for comparison/order to 120.
- If students compare by looking only at the ones digit → use the lessons with materials and tens-and-ones modelling.
- If students can compare with materials but not numerals → move from materials to numeral prompts within the same lesson sequence.
Number–Place Value Daily Review deckUse this when students have already been taught comparison and need repeated practice.
Daily Review Topic Deck: Number – Place Value
Brief practice comparing collections, comparing/ordering numerals, and reviewing place-value representations.
Do not use when students are making conceptual errors — return to the unit lesson section first.
This section is for teachers using Ochre units as part of Tier 1 mathematics instruction in Australian Curriculum v9.0 settings.
Use Ochre unit lessons when students need teaching or reteaching. Use Ochre Daily Review when students have already been taught the skill and need practice, reactivation or fluency-building.
Step 1: Where does this sit in your teaching sequence?
The skill has not yet been taught and is coming up soon
Let the scheduled Ochre lesson address it. Consider brief pre-teaching for students flagged by ENSSA.
The skill has not yet been taught and is scheduled much later this year
Consider bringing the relevant lesson section forward for flagged students only — check prerequisite lessons first.
The skill has already been taught
Go to Step 2 below.
The skill was taught a while ago, last term or last year
Start with Daily Review as a quick reactivation and accuracy check. If students are still inaccurate, go to Step 2.
Step 2: How are students performing right now?
Use this once you’ve confirmed the skill has already been taught.
Students are inaccurate or unsure
Use the Ochre unit lesson section first — not Daily Review.
Most students are inaccurate
Reteach the relevant modelling/guided-practice section to the whole class.
A few students are inaccurate but most are secure
Use the lesson section for small-group reteaching with flagged students only.
Students are accurate but slow or inconsistent
Use Daily Review — do not run a full reteach.
Has this skill been introduced?
This only asks about timing. Whether the class is accurate is something Daily Review over the next few days will show; it does not need to be judged in advance.
Yes
Use the Daily Review resource below, every day, for an initial five consecutive instructional days, regardless of how accurate the class is assumed to be.
No, but it is coming soon
Do not start Daily Review yet. Read the background sections (Teaching guidance; Vocabulary, representations and stem sentences) and preview the unit lesson below now, ahead of when it is scheduled.
No, and it is not scheduled soon
Check curriculum sequencing and prerequisite knowledge. Consider brief, targeted pre-teaching for the students ENSSA flagged, not a full classwide response ahead of schedule.
After five days of Daily Review
One brief daily note is enough: accuracy, independence and efficiency, not a per-student written record.
Clear improvement, not yet secure
Continue the same Daily Review resource.
Most accurate and increasingly efficient
Continue Daily Review as ongoing cumulative practice; no full reteach is needed.
Most students remain inaccurate or dependent on support
Use the unit lesson section to teach it explicitly, not Daily Review.
Most students are secure, but the same smaller group persists
Keep whole-class Daily Review; use the unit lesson materials with that group specifically.
Foundation
Build foundations for this skill.
FN01A Counting and place value 1Use this when Foundation students cannot yet accurately decide which collection has more, less or the same.
FN01A Counting and place value 1
Teaches comparison of collections to 5 and 10.
Comparing collections 0–5 (Lesson 5) and 0–10 (Lesson 13).
- If students cannot compare collections → begin here.
- If students can compare collections but not numerals → move to FN03A.
FN03A Counting and place value 2Use this when students are ready to compare and order numbers beyond 10 but still need concrete or visual support.
FN03A Counting and place value 2
Extends comparison to collections and numerals within 20.
Comparing and ordering collections (Lesson 9) and numerals (Lesson 12) to 20.
FN06A Counting and place value 3Not yet written. Ochre has scheduled FN06A for release in Term 4 2026 — check back once it is published.
This unit is not yet available in Ochre. Based on the Daily Review Schedule, it will include a lesson on comparing and ordering two-digit numbers with materials, intended as a bridge before Year 1 comparison lessons. Until release, use 1N01A as the primary Year 1 comparison resource.
Will provide a concrete bridge for comparing two-digit numbers with materials.
Number–Place Value Daily Review deckUse this when students have already been taught comparison and need repeated practice.
Daily Review Topic Deck: Number – Place Value
Brief practice comparing collections, comparing/ordering numerals, and reviewing place-value representations.
Do not use when students are making conceptual errors — return to the unit lesson section first.
Year 1
Extend this skill through Year 1.
1N01A Counting and place value 1, Lessons 9–10 and 15–16Use this when Year 1 students need explicit teaching or reteaching with two-digit comparison, ordering, or numbers to 120.
1N01A Counting and place value 1, Lessons 9–10 and 15–16
This is the primary Year 1 Ochre resource for magnitude comparison. Teaches comparing/ordering two-digit numbers with materials and numerals, then comparing/ordering numbers to 120.
Lessons 9–10 for two-digit comparison/order. Lessons 15–16 for comparison/order to 120.
- If students compare by looking only at the ones digit → use the lessons with materials and tens-and-ones modelling.
- If students can compare with materials but not numerals → move from materials to numeral prompts within the same lesson sequence.
Number–Place Value Daily Review deckUse this when students have already been taught comparison and need repeated practice.
Daily Review Topic Deck: Number – Place Value
Brief practice comparing collections, comparing/ordering numerals, and reviewing place-value representations.
Do not use when students are making conceptual errors — return to the unit lesson section first.
Intervention resources (Tier 2 & Tier 3)
Targeted supports for students or small groups when classwide teaching is not enough.
Intervention resources
The Ochre Intervention Modules are Tier 2/3 resources, built on the same Foundation–Year 2 Ochre content already used for Tier 1, for students who need more than classwide or targeted small-group support.
Magnitude comparisonLessons 1–31 · numbers 0–20
Lessons 1–17 cover comparing two collections and numerals directly. Lessons 18–31 extend to ordering multiple numbers on a number track, including with missing numbers.
Small-group or 1:1, outside the classroom, by a teacher, learning assistant or trained volunteer; approximately 20 minutes per lesson.
Scripted lesson plans, a slide deck per lesson, a student workbook, assessment checkpoints, and explainer or demonstration videos.
This is a Tier 2/3 escalation, not a first response to an ENSSA flag. Use it once targeted small-group support from the Ochre resources has not resolved the gap.
Assessment checkpoints sit at the end of each sequence and indicate whether a student is ready to return to Tier 1 instruction alone.