Grade 1 — Mathematics: Identify and Create Repeating Patterns

Overview

Students describe, reproduce, extend, and create patterns of two to four elements.

Activate

In a class discussion using manipulatives, students identify and describe a given repeating pattern containing three or more elements. Demonstrate representing these patterns using another mode (e.g., to sound, colour, action, shape.).

Suggestions for Assessment:
Observe if students identify the given repeating patterns and describe the chunk that repeats to determine which students need differentiation and/or appropriate scaffolding.

With students, construct and post assessment criteria for what makes a repeating pattern (What does a correct repeating pattern look/sound like?). Throughout the Grade 1 patterning process, use the Focused Observation Form to focus on students' growing competence in describing, reproducing, extending, and creating repeating patterns (two to four elements) using manipulatives, diagrams, sounds, and actions and in translating repeating patterns from one representation to another.

With partners, students extend a colour pattern on a given website [Produce to Show Understanding]

Teacher Tip:
While introducing websites to students, emphasize the safe use of the Internet [Ethics and Responsibility]. Practice opening bookmarked sites only, and discuss the classroom and school rules for safe use.

Suggestions for Assessment:
Peer Assessment: Have students peer-assess the patterns based on posted criteria.

Acquire

Students identify errors in a given repeating pattern and correct them [Produce to Show Understanding]

Suggestions for Assessment:
Record Focused Observations: Determine that the student identifies errors in the given repeating patterns.

Students extend a variety of repeating patterns to two or more repetitions.

Suggestions for Assessment:
Recorded focused observations: Determine if students extend the given patterns by at least three repeats and if they describe the chunk that repeats.

Students identify the missing element(s) in a given repeating pattern and add them [Produce to Show Understanding].

Suggestions for Assessment:
Record Focused Observations: Determine that the student identifies the missing element(s) in the given repeating patterns.

Students extend  a variety of repeating patterns to two or more repetitions. Students translate to letter representation. [Produce to Show Understanding]

Suggestions for Assessment:
Record Focused Observations: Determine if students extend the given patterns by at least three repeats, if they describe the part that repeats, and if they translate patterns between diagrams and letters.

Students identify the missing part of repeating patterns and extend  the pattern to two or more repetitions. [Produce to Show Understanding]

Suggestions for Assessment:
Record Focused Observations: Determine if students extend the given patterns by at least three repeats and if they describe the part that repeats.

Apply

Using manipulatives, students create  a repeating pattern. [Produce to Show Understanding] Students describe the pattern using a letter code. Students represent their pattern in an electronic file using a variety of images that can be filled with color and resized.

Teacher Tip:
Examples of patterns are ab, aab, abb, aba, abc, aabb, abcd.

Suggestions for Assessment:
Interview: Ask students to describe their repeating patterns, noting if they are able to explain their pattern by identifying the part that repeats.

Student pairs create a repeating movement pattern (e.g. jump, jump, clap, clap.), translate the movements to diagrams (e.g. square, square, circle, circle.), and recreate the pattern using paint and draw tools. [Collaborate, Produce to Show Understanding] Students print the diagrams and demonstrate the action pattern represented by the diagram pattern. [Communicate]

Teacher Tip:
Images of patterns could be posted in the classroom and used as exercises during exercise breaks through out the day. Students need help to create a legend for their image patterns telling what movement each image represents.

Suggestions for Assessment:
Record Focused Observations: Determine if students translate patterns between movement and diagrams.