How can we engage all primary school students in rich mathematical learning, support them to make connections, and develop their mathematical language and reasoning? In this article, we draw on one school's experience in considering an approach to mathematics instruction that could support teachers in addressing this question, specifically…

This article provides a task that can be used effectively for exploring arrays in middle and upper primary schools, and the notion of prime and composite numbers in particular. As students are engaging in these activities, teachers can encourage them to record their arrays both diagrammatically and as number sentences.