Complex Patterns

Day 1: Review previous pattern knowledge

Write on the board the following patterns:
* ABAB * AAB AAB
* ABCABC ABCABC * AABC AABC
* ABABC ABABC * ABBC ABBC

Cover each up with a sticky note. Reveal one pattern at a time and ask students to create the pattern with their pile of unifix cubes. Take anecdotal notes to show who understands patterning.
Teach the students that these pattern are all repeating patterns – they repeat in exactly the same way. After you are confident that students grasp repeating patterns move on to a game. Ask each student to draw a repeating pattern on their paper and then fold it as shown (there’s one attached to these plans in the box).
Play musical chairs. Students will stand behind the table and walk clock-wise around the table when the music plays. When the music stops, students sit at the seat in front of them and draw in cubes to continue the pattern (have them write their name next to the pattern so we have a record of their understanding). The student will then fold the paper so the next student does not know their answers. Stand and repeat with what time you have.

Day 2: Repeating vs. growing patterns

Briefly review repeating patterns – yesterday’s lesson. Explain what a “growing pattern” is. A growing pattern is a pattern that increases or decreases by a constant difference.

The teacher makes this pattern on the whiteboard:
triangle square, triangle square square, triangle square square square, triangle square square square ______BLANK!

* What shape goes in the blank space? (Square)
* Why is a square the next term in the pattern? (A square is the next term because the pattern is increasing one square for each triangle.)
* What is the rule? (The rule is to continue to add one more square to each triangle in the pattern.)

Student Application – Allow students time to use their pattern blocks to copy the pattern from the whiteboard. Be sure that the students extend the pattern at least two times. Model a different growing pattern on the overhead projector and have the students copy and repeat it. Model a growing pattern that decreases on the overhead projector such as: 5 triangles square, 4 triangles square, 3 triangles square, etc.

Have the students copy the pattern and complete it. Have students draw their own growing pattern on the sentence strips provided. Write on the board: Explain the rule that your pattern follows. Give the students time to write their explanations on the back of their sentence strips. (Approximately 5 minutes). Allow students to share their patterns and writings. Display the students’ work. Look to see if the patterns that students created are truly growing patterns and not repeating patterns. Their writings should explain the rule that their pattern follows.

If time, allow students to make their own growing patterns with a partner.

Create growing pattern with a treat if time.

Day 3: Patterns in the World

Patterns are all around us! They can be found in our clothing (stripes, prints, plaids), on the bottom of our shoes, in nature (flower petals, colorful gardens, even in the coats of animals such as tigers, zebras), in the tiles at the grocery store, etc. Students will take a picture walk around the school and the school grounds and find patterns. Each student must find or create with things they find at least 3 patterns. I’ll take pictures of their patterns and we’ll compile them into a book.

Day 4: Body Movement Patterns and Week’s Review

Have students stand in the open space of the faculty room. If there’s not enough room feel free to go out in the hall where we did Olympics or outside if it’s a nice day. One student will draw a pattern type out of the bag – repeating or growing patterns. Then ask them to create a body movement pattern to reflect that type of pattern. For example: clap jump, clap clap jump, clap clap clap, jump. The other students will race to see how quickly they can figure out and join into the pattern. If every student has had a turn and you are bored of this game, head back to the faculty room to do COMPLEX PATTERN BINGO (answers and suggestions here). I made it only 12 squares because I know time will be short. They need 3 squares in a row to score BINGO.