Repeating Patterns

Strand: Patterns and Relations (Patterns)
Outcome: 1

Step 5: Follow-up on Assessment

Guiding Questions

What conclusions can be made from assessment information?
How effective have instructional approaches been?
What are the next steps in instruction?

A. Addressing Gaps in Learning

If a student is having difficulty learning to identify or extend patterns, check the student's ability to work with ABABAB patterns first. Use concrete materials whenever possible but with only one different attribute; e.g., use crayons with only one difference in the colour. Do not use objects with a difference in colour, size and shape.

Encourage students to focus on the core of the pattern, not on each individual unit, as they try to extend it. Also, students should work through patterns starting with ABABAB to ABCABCABC to ABBABBABB.

B. Reinforcing and Extending Learning

Students who have achieved or exceeded the outcomes will benefit from ongoing opportunities to apply and extend their learning.

Consider strategies, such as the following.

Provide tips for parents on practicing the identification or extension of patterns at home. Look for patterns in their daily living or patterns on the wallpaper or in a tiling design. Parents might be able to identify musical patterns, especially in different cultures.
In class, have two parallel series of dots and have students create patterns, using UP, DOWN. For example, place dots as shown below. UP, DOWN will result in a zigzag pattern being created (if you skip every second dot on a line). Using an UP, UP, DOWN pattern will result in a straight line between each pointed zigzag.
Take advantage of opportunities that arise in the classroom to identify patterns. Look for patterns in who chooses white milk, chocolate milk or no milk at lunch time. Line students up to go out for recess according to different patterns; e.g., BOY, GIRL, BOY, GIRL or by hair colour patterns.