Creating Patterns Fun

Overview

In this 55-minute lesson, Grade 1 students will engage in hands-on activities to create their own repeating patterns using everyday objects such as blocks, beads, and coloured paper shapes. Working in pairs, learners will construct, describe, and share their patterns, developing early algebraic thinking and pattern recognition skills as outlined in the Alberta Mathematics Curriculum. This lesson builds on their initial introduction to patterns and prepares them for deeper exploration in subsequent lessons.

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Curriculum Alignment

Alberta Mathematics Program of Studies (2022)
Grade 1 – Patterns and Relations Strand

• Specific Learning Outcomes (SLO):

  • 1.3.1: Identify, describe, and extend simple repeating patterns, using a variety of materials and oral language.
  • 1.3.2: Create and record simple repeating patterns using objects, movement, sounds, or pictures.
  • 1.3.3: Explain the pattern created or identified using appropriate mathematical language (e.g., “repeat,” “core,” “unit,” “shape,” “colour”).

• Competencies Developed:

  • Reasoning and analyzing
  • Communicating mathematical thinking
  • Engaging in mathematical play and collaboration

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will:

• Create simple repeating patterns (AB, AAB, ABB) using everyday classroom objects.
• Describe their pattern’s structure using age-appropriate mathematical vocabulary.
• Demonstrate understanding by explaining their patterns to a peer.
• Listen and ask questions to their partner for clarity, promoting communication skills.

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Materials Needed

• Small colourful blocks (20 sets)
• Assorted beads or buttons (20 sets)
• Coloured paper shapes (circles, squares, triangles)
• Pattern strips (blank and partially filled for scaffolding)
• Whiteboards and dry erase markers (for recording patterns)
• Visual vocabulary cards with terms like “repeat,” “core,” “unit,” “colour,” “shape”

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Lesson Flow

1. Warm-up (5 minutes)

• Begin with a short interactive pattern chant/song (“Clap, Snap, Clap, Snap”) to energize the class and recall prior learning on patterns.
• Briefly review what a pattern is: a sequence that repeats. Use visual examples on the board (e.g., red, blue, red, blue).

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2. Introduction + Modelling (10 minutes)

• Teacher demonstrates creating a repeating pattern with blocks (e.g., red block, yellow block, red block, yellow block).
• Use visual vocabulary cards to explain concepts: core unit, repeat.
• Write the pattern aloud and use gestures to highlight the repeating elements.
• Ask questions to students: “What comes next? How do you know?”

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3. Guided Practice in Pairs (20 minutes)

• Divide students into pairs, providing each pair a set of blocks, beads, and paper shapes.
• Task: Create their own repeating pattern using at least two different objects or colours.
• Provide pattern strips for students needing extra guidance.
• Each partner takes a turn to explain their created pattern using vocabulary.
• Teacher circulates, providing prompts or extension questions (e.g., “Can you make your pattern longer?” or “What if you add a third object?”).

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4. Class Sharing & Discussion (10 minutes)

• Select 3-4 pairs to share their pattern creations with the whole class.
• Encourage the presenter to physically point to the pattern core and explain the repeating sequence.
• Other students can ask questions or identify the pattern core.
• Highlight diversity in patterns (some might use colours, others shapes or sizes).

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5. Reflection and Recording (7 minutes)

• Provide whiteboards for individual students to draw or write about the pattern they created or saw.
• Prompt: “Draw your pattern. What is the core that repeats?”
• Students share their drawings with a neighbour or the teacher for formative assessment.

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6. Closing (3 minutes)

• Recap key vocabulary and concepts.
• Celebrate creativity and use of mathematical language.
• Preview the next lesson: exploring more complex patterns and describing them in detail.

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Assessment Strategies

• Formative: Observations during pair work (checking use of vocabulary and pattern correctness).
• Peer Assessment: Listening and questioning during sharing phase.
• Individual Assessment: Students’ pattern drawings on whiteboards and ability to verbally explain core components.

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Differentiation

• Support: Use pattern strips with missing elements for students needing extra support; provide one-on-one guidance.
• Extension: Challenge advanced learners to create more complex patterns (e.g., ABC, AABB) or create patterns including size or shape changes, and explain their patterns aloud.

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Teacher’s Notes

• Encourage the use of precise mathematical language even if imperfectly stated by 6-7 year olds.
• Highlight the social aspect of learning through pairs to develop collaboration skills.
• Use positive reinforcement when students identify and explain patterns creatively.
• Integrate movement or sound for students who benefit from kinesthetic learning in future lessons.

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This lesson empowers young learners to “see” mathematics in everyday objects while developing foundational skills key for later algebraic reasoning, fully aligned with Alberta’s Grade 1 Mathematics curriculum.