Planning GuideGrade 9
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Patterns in Linear Equations

Strand: Patterns and Relations (Patterns)
Outcomes: 1 and 2

Step 3: Plan for Instruction

Guiding Questions

  • What learning opportunities and experiences should I provide to promote learning of the outcomes and permit students to demonstrate their learning?
  • What teaching strategies and resources should I use?
  • How will I meet the diverse learning needs of my students?

A. Assessing Prior Knowledge and Skills

Before introducing new material, consider ways to assess and build on students' knowledge and skills related to patterns. You may choose to use indicators from prior grades to help to determine what students should know or understand. Consider using open-ended questions to more accurately assess what students are able to communicate and do.

Research has shown that students often have misconceptions about the concept of variables. Usiskan (1988) identified three different ways that variables are used:

  1. As a specific unknown with a single value; e.g., 2n + 15 = 5n + 3. Students often are asked to solve for the unknown value.
  2. As a pattern generalizer; e.g., 2n + 5 where n can have an infinite number of values.
  3. Variables that change in relation to one another; e.g., C = 2πr, where the measure of the radius (r) affects the value of the circumference (C).

It is important that students have an opportunity to think about the different ways that variables are used, as in these outcomes, possibilities 2 and 3 are both used.

Ways to Assess and Build on Prior Knowledge and Skills

B. Choosing Instructional Strategies

Consider the following general strategies for teaching patterns in Grade 9.

  • Students should be engaged in conversations and discussions of open-ended questions to build confidence and competence with mathematics. 
  • When students are given opportunities to communicate their thinking (either orally or in writing), explain their reasoning and listen to the strategies used by other students, there are more opportunities to deepen their understanding.
  • Have students model patterns using hands-on material or drawings that help them understand the connections between different representations.
  • Students should examine how geometric and numeric patterns can be represented in multiple formats, including oral descriptions, symbols, tables and graphics. They should also be able to verify their answers by substitution.

C. Choosing Learning Activities

Learning Activities are examples of activities that could be used to develop student understanding of the concepts identified in Step 1.

Sample Learning Activities
Starter Download Activities  Word
Guess My Rule Download Activities  Word
Translating English and Building Patterns with Variables Download Activities  Word
Using Technology Download Activities  Word
Contextualizing a Problem with Several Possible Representations to the Download Activities  Word
Extending Growing Patterns Download Activities  Word
Findings Patterns in Graphs Download Activities  Word
Solve Problems Download Activities  Word