Planning tool

Students:

• recognise and copy repeating patterns using shapes, objects or pictures
• continue repeating patterns using shapes, objects or pictures
• identify the core element or ‘unit of repeat’ and how many times that element (or unit) is repeated.

Some students may:

• be unable to identify the repeating chunk in a pattern that has an incomplete third term in the pattern, for example, the pattern presented is ‘square-circle-square-circle-square’. They student may see the whole five parts as a chunk to repeat rather than identify ‘square-circle’ as the repeating unit. To address this, provide repeated opportunities to look at and circle the repeating unit. Model and scaffold how to do this.

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 repeating patterns.

Why are we learning about this?

• Patterns are everywhere in mathematics. Understanding repeating patterns will support other understandings in number.

What to do

• Explore patterns using objects. Collect items (for example, shells, twigs, leaves, buttons). Sort them according to attributes (such as colour, size, shape) and make repeating patterns (for example, leaf-twig-leaf-twig).
• Notice and discuss repeating patterns in the way we live. Examples might include the days of the week, months of the year, the seasons, or routines such as getting ready for school or setting the table.
• Explore patterns using rhythm. You might like to take turns creating clapping patterns and copying each other’s patterns.
• Notice and enjoy patterns found in stories, poetry and songs.
• Draw, create and describe different repeating patterns (for example, triangle-square-circle-triangle-square-circle). Use the patterns in a creative way, for example, to make a border on a greeting card.
• 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.
• Play games that involve recognising the patterns on dice and dominoes.

Success criteria

I can:

• copy repeating patterns using shapes, objects or pictures
• continue repeating patterns using shapes, objects or pictures
• identify and describe the ‘unit of repeat’ in a repeating pattern, for example, in the pattern ‘square-circle-square-circle-square-circle’, the unit being repeated is ‘square-circle’.