The focus of this activity is to discover if students can make, copy, continue and explain repeating patterns. Often students will only be asked to continue patterns to the right, but ensure you ask students to continue patterns to the left. Like the number sequence a pattern can extend in both directions.
Purpose
- Use body, shapes and objects to make repeating patterns
- Describe patterns using everyday language
- Copy and continue patterns
- Use ordinal numbers to identify elements in the pattern, e.g. the 3rd counter is blue
- Use location words and shape language to describe features of the pattern, e.g. my pattern is made from squares, it goes red, blue, red, blue, etc.
Curriculum Connections (NSW Syllabus Mathematics K-10 – Early Stage 1)
- Sort and classify familiar objects and explain the basis for these classifications (ACMNA005)
- Copy, continue and create patterns with objects and drawings
- Establish understanding of the language and processes of counting by naming numbers in sequences, initially to and from 20, moving from any starting point (ACMNA001)
At the end of this lesson students should be able to answer the following questions
- Can you describe your pattern?
- What did you use to create your pattern?
- What is first object in your pattern? Third? Fifth?
- What comes next in the pattern?
- What comes before in the pattern?
- What is the part of the pattern that repeats?
- How could we record these patterns in our books?
- Instead of using colours, how else could we record the patterns in our books?
For more information, please download the attached lesson plan.
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