Lesson Title: Find the Pattern
Creator: Allison L. Miller
Grade Level: First
Big Idea: Algebra
Essential Question: How can patterns in numbers help us to understand our
number system?
CSOs, LS, TT:
CSO’s:
M.O.1.2.4
Create and analyze number patterns based on real-life
situations using words, AB form, and T-charts and present results.
Learning Skills:
21C.O.PK-2.2.LS.3 Student engages in a problem solving process using
objects to solve problems and demonstrates learning by explaining how they
solved the problem.
21C.O.PK-2.2.LS.4 Student engages in discovery, exploration and
experimentation to reach unexpected answers. Student makes unusual
associations and provides a variety of solutions to problems.
Technology Tools:
21C.O.PK-2.1.TT.1 Student uses keyboard and mouse to enter name and
User ID, types sentences and follows on-screen prompts to successfully operate
computers. Student uses printers, audiotapes, and other technologies.
Student names common technologies (e.g., CD player, DVD player, video
camera, cell phone).
21C.O.PK-2.2.TT.4 Student identifies how technology could be used to
solve problems in our everyday world.
Launch/Introduction (15-20 minutes)
Activating Prior Knowledge
Prior to this lesson, the students have been practicing counting by 2’s, 5’s,
and 10’s. To review these skills:
1)
Read One Is a Snail, Ten Is a Crab (by April Pulley Sayre and Jeff
Sayre). Focus on the pages that count by tens. Find and highlight
the tens on the classroom hundred chart.
2)
Continue skip counting review by highlighting 2’s on the hundred
chart. Have students use counters to highlight 2’s and 10’s on
individual charts. Have one student demonstrate on class 100’s
chart.
3)
Review basic usage of calculators by having students add 5
repeatedly. (after adding the first “5”, students can simply press the
4)
add button repeatedly, the calculator will continue to add by 5’s)
Have a student model on overhead calculator. Highlight results on
the hundred chart to show the pattern of counting by 5’s. Have a
student demonstrate on class 100’s chart.
Finally, review the daily number pattern (please see “Teacher
Notes” for more information) which will show adding or subtracting
1, 2, or 10 (depending upon day and pattern used that day). Use
the highlighted hundred charts to create new sequences to solve
together as a class.
Specialized Vocabulary Development
For teacher information:
sequence: a particular type of non-repeating pattern in which numbers,
objects, letters, or geometric figures are in an ordered arrangement
arithmetic sequence: a non-repeating pattern in which the same number
is added to each previous number to obtain the next number, ie 2-4-6-8-10
growing pattern: same as sequence
terms: the numbers, objects, letters, or geometric figures that make up the
sequence.
common difference: the number in an arithmetic sequence which is
added to each previous number to obtain the next number
Student Vocabulary:
Review: growing pattern, terms
Introduce: common difference
Investigate/Explore (40-50 minutes)
Ask: What other number sequences can we create?
What the students will do:
1) Use calculators, hundred charts, and highlighters to create number
patterns. Choose a number from 3-15 to use for the repeated addend.
Chart the pattern on the hundred chart by highlighting each sum. Create 2
or more different growing patterns as time allows using a different hundred
chart for each. (Allow about 20 minutes, or until each student has at least
2 completed hundred charts.)
2) Choose one of the number sequences created. Select a 6-term section of
the pattern. (For example, if +3 was used, student might pick “15, 18, 21,
24, 27, 30” for the 6-term section.) Record the first three numbers on the
sentence strip, leaving three blanks for the last three numbers. (For
example: 15, 18, 21, _____, _____, _____.) Cover the three blanks with a
Post-It Note. This is to allow the sentence strip pattern to be used more
than once. (Allow about 5-10 minutes.)
3) Exchange sentence strips with another student. Analyze the new strip to
determine the next three numbers in the given sequence. Use any tools
needed to discover the pattern (blank hundred chart, calculator, etc.).
When you think you know the next three numbers, write them on the Post-
It Notes and return the sentence strip to the “creator” to see if you
identified the pattern correctly.
4) Place new Post-It Notes over the blanks, and exchange number patterns
with someone else. Analyze the new pattern as before and record your
responses on the Post-It Notes. Return the strip to the “creator” for
checking. Continue as time allows (15-20 minutes).
Summarize/Debrief the Lesson (20-30 minutes)
Reflections
1) Study each pattern shown on the hundred charts. How can you tell they
are patterns? Are any of the patterns unusual? Students choose favorite
number pattern from sequences created. In math journals, write about
which sequence was chosen and tell why. Allow 5-10 minutes of writing
time.
2) Gather on the floor with journals to debrief the activity. Allow students to
share their journal entries and to show their patterns on the hundred
charts and sentence strips.
3) Ask about using calculators: how did that tool help to create the patterns?
How did the calculator help to analyze sequences?
4) Finally, as a think-pair-share reflection ask: As you created and worked
with number patterns, did you discover anything new about numbers?
Give “think time” for students to reflect on their own discoveries (2-5
minutes). Turn to a partner to discuss discoveries (2-5 minutes). Then
share discoveries with the whole class. List them on chart paper to keep
for additions and references as the year progresses.
Materials:
book: One Is a Snail, Ten Is a Crab, by April Pulley Sayre and Jeff Sayre
large hundred chart (for entire class to see)
several copies of hundred charts (at least 5 per student)
highlighter markers
student calculators
sentence strips (at least 2 per student)
Post-It Notes (at least 6 per student)
math journals
Duration: 75-100 minutes
Assessment: Informally assess students using the following questions
Did student create a pattern?
Can student explain their pattern?
Did student choose favorite pattern and explain why it was chosen?
Teacher Notes:
 My county uses the Saxon Math curriculum. As part of the daily routine,
we have a calendar math meeting. During this time the students review
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many math skills including calendar, time, money, counting and skip
counting, even/odd, and place value. One of the activities we do daily is a
number pattern. This daily number pattern usually increases or decreases
by 1, is a sequence of even / odd numbers, or skip counts by 5 or 10. For
example, the students will see 3, 5, 7, ___, ___, ___ printed on a strip on
the calendar board. We work together as a class to determine the missing
terms. My students will describe the pattern in many ways including: all
odd, skips counts by 2, +2, etc. We agree on the missing terms and fill the
blanks with the appropriate numbers. We have a new pattern every day.
Students need exposure and practice to using calculators as math tools.
For students who need a challenge, encourage them to begin their
sequence on a different number other than “0” (like begin with “4” and
repeatedly add 5 to find new sequence).
The sentence strips can be used as a math station activity.
To differentiate the following ideas can be utilized:
use only half of a hundred chart (1-50)
use partners to complete activity
allow students to go beyond 100
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