Basic Skills Mathematics Level 1 gives copious practice in the essential skills involving number work leading to the use of the standard Basic Skills books for Year 1 and 2.
 
Much emphasis is placed on calculations based on tables, and the addition / subtraction facts. Children should do all exercises without a calculator to help develop the mental awareness of numbers and increase speed in working out examples. This book introduces fractions in pictorial form before abstract examples are presented. Prior to commencing the section at the end of the book on problems, it would be helpful to explain that all problems are sums or operations requiring addition, subtraction, multiplication or division. The goal is to learn to choose the correct operation.