Planning tool

Students:

• recognise, describe and create growing patterns: additive patterns that increase by a constant amount
• recognise, describe and create shrinking patterns: additive patterns that decrease by a constant amount
• use what is known to identify the missing element in an additive pattern sequence
• record additive patterns using diagrams and tables.

Some students may:

• not yet grasp that skip-counting patterns are additive patterns. They may be able to skip-count fluently by two, five or ten starting from zero, but are unable to start from a multiple of the number without dropping back to zero, for example, when asked to count by fives starting from 15, they begin from zero.
• have trouble bridging across barriers such as 100 when skip-counting, for example, when asked to count backwards from 120 by tens, some students say: 120, 110, 190, 180, 170 … or they may omit 100, saying 120, 110, 90, 80 … 10. To address this, provide regular opportunities for students to count or skip count in different ways – oral counting, skip-counting physical objects, and written records of skip-counting.
• not yet skip-count from a non-multiple of the number. For example, when asked to start at 13 and count by twos students will say ‘I can’t’ or slip into a familiar sequence. For example, students might say ‘13, 15, 17, 19, 20, 22 …’ The 2, 4, 6, 8 pattern of the even numbers is much more familiar than the odd numbers. To address this, ensure first that students are confident counting to and from any multiple of the number before moving onto non-multiple starting points. Provide repeated opportunities to explore sequences on hundred charts and for oral counting with the various patterns.

The Learning from home activities are designed to be used flexibly by teachers, parents and carers, as well as the students themselves. They can be used in a number of ways including to consolidate and extend learning done at school or for home schooling.

Learning intention

• We are exploring growing and shrinking patterns.

Why are we learning about this?

• Patterns are at the heart of mathematics. Understanding patterns supports other mathematical understandings.

What to do

• Notice and enjoy patterns found in stories, poetry and songs. Listen to and/or create songs with growing number patterns, including skip-counting.
• Notice and discuss growing patterns in the world around you, for example, consider growing patterns involved when looking at a line of cars. How many wheels on one car, two cars, three cars?
• Practise skip-counting from different starting points and describe the rule, for example, 2, 5, 8, 11, 14 … ‘Start at two and add three each time’.
• Identify and explain visual patterns on clothing, wrapping paper, buildings, crockery, cards and furniture. Create a scrapbook to refer back to for ideas during arts and crafts.

Success criteria

I can:

• recognise, continue and create growing patterns with physical materials, for example, two leaves, four leaves, six leaves …
• identify the rule that creates a growing pattern, such as in the pattern 10, 12, 14, 16 … start at 10 and add 2 each time, then continue the pattern until a given number
• identify the rule that creates a shrinking pattern, for example, in the pattern 95, 85, 75 … start at 75 and subtract 10 each time, then continue the pattern until a given number
• identify the missing element in a pattern sequence, for example, 15, 20, ? , 30.