Choose a question that can teach a reusable decision.
Start with one missed or uncertain question. Invite the child to show what they noticed before looking at the explanation. An answer can be correct by chance, so a question they felt unsure about may be as useful as a wrong answer.
Keep the review to a point the child can act on: reading the full condition, representing quantities, finding evidence in a text or checking whether a conclusion actually follows. Do not label a child as “careless” when the missing step can be named more precisely.
Use five prompts to turn the result into an action.
Copy these headings into a notebook or print this page. One row is enough for a single review conversation.
| Question and goal | Useful clue | First approach | Turning point | Next action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Which question? What was it asking? | Which word, fact or relationship mattered? | What did the child try before seeing the solution? | Where did that approach stop working? | What one step will they try on a new question? |
Write the child's own explanation where possible. The next action should be a small behaviour, such as “draw the two quantities before calculating”, rather than “get a higher score”.
A filled example shows the level of detail to aim for.
Wholly invented practice example
Question and goal: A toy costs $12 after a $3 discount. What was its original price?
Useful clue: “After a $3 discount” means the starting price was larger than $12.
First approach: The child subtracted $3 and answered $9.
Turning point: They treated the final price as the starting price. Working backwards gives $12 + $3 = $15; checking $15 − $3 = $12 confirms it.
Next action: Mark the starting and final amounts, then reverse the change before choosing an operation.
This is a teaching illustration, not an official NSW, AMC or AAS question and not a sample of a child's real record.
Check the method on a different question later.
Ask the child to explain the repair before showing a fresh problem with the same underlying relationship. If they still need a prompt, teach the step again. If they use it without a prompt, record that observation without claiming permanent mastery from one item.
SteadyMarks parent resource written 16 September 2026. All examples on this page are invented; no child record or official test item is reproduced.