Order of Operations (BODMAS/PEMDAS)Activities & Teaching Strategies
Active learning works because patterns are best understood by doing. Moving, building, and creating let students test their ideas immediately and see if their predictions hold. This hands-on approach turns abstract sequences into something they can touch, hear, or draw, making the repeating unit visible and concrete.
Learning Objectives
- 1Identify the repeating unit in a given numerical pattern.
- 2Continue a numerical pattern by predicting and writing the next three terms.
- 3Explain the rule used to generate a numerical pattern.
- 4Create a numerical pattern following a specified rule.
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Pairs: Pattern Extension Relay
Pair students with a set of coloured blocks forming a starting pattern of four to six items. One student adds two more to continue the pattern correctly; the partner verifies and describes the repeating unit. Switch roles twice, then share one pattern with the class.
Prepare & details
What comes next in this pattern — red, blue, red, blue, ___?
Facilitation Tip: During Pattern Extension Relay, circulate and listen for students to verbalize the repeating unit aloud before they add the next item.
Setup: Varies; may include outdoor space, lab, or community setting
Materials: Experience setup materials, Reflection journal with prompts, Observation worksheet, Connection-to-content framework
Small Groups: Material Pattern Stations
Prepare four stations with different materials: beads, pegs, buttons, and linking cubes, each with a sample repeating pattern. Groups spend eight minutes at each station copying the pattern onto paper or extending it with materials, then rotate and compare results.
Prepare & details
Can you copy this pattern using the coloured blocks?
Facilitation Tip: At Material Pattern Stations, ask groups to swap their built patterns with another group and challenge them to extend it, forcing peer-checking of the unit.
Setup: Varies; may include outdoor space, lab, or community setting
Materials: Experience setup materials, Reflection journal with prompts, Observation worksheet, Connection-to-content framework
Whole Class: Rhythm Pattern Circle
Students sit in a circle. Teacher models a repeating rhythm like clap-stomp-clap; class copies and one student leads the next extension. Continue for ten rounds, with students describing the repeating unit verbally after each turn.
Prepare & details
Can you describe what repeats in this pattern?
Facilitation Tip: In Rhythm Pattern Circle, model clapping the repeating unit twice before inviting students to take turns leading a new rhythm sequence.
Setup: Varies; may include outdoor space, lab, or community setting
Materials: Experience setup materials, Reflection journal with prompts, Observation worksheet, Connection-to-content framework
Individual: Pattern Drawing Challenge
Provide worksheets with half-complete patterns of shapes or colours. Students draw the next four to six items to continue the pattern, then colour and label the repeating unit. Collect and display for a class pattern gallery.
Prepare & details
What comes next in this pattern — red, blue, red, blue, ___?
Facilitation Tip: For Pattern Drawing Challenge, provide grid paper and colored pencils, and ask students to shade their repeating unit in one color to highlight it.
Setup: Varies; may include outdoor space, lab, or community setting
Materials: Experience setup materials, Reflection journal with prompts, Observation worksheet, Connection-to-content framework
Teaching This Topic
Teach by starting with physical manipulatives before moving to drawings or symbols. Research shows students need to experience patterns through multiple modalities to solidify understanding. Avoid rushing to abstract notation; instead, let students name their repeating units in their own words before formalizing the pattern rule.
What to Expect
Students will confidently identify, extend, and describe repeating patterns using both visual and kinesthetic methods. They will articulate the repeating unit and apply it to new contexts, showing they grasp the core concept of pattern consistency.
These activities are a starting point. A full mission is the experience.
- Complete facilitation script with teacher dialogue
- Printable student materials, ready for class
- Differentiation strategies for every learner
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionDuring Pattern Extension Relay, watch for students who treat any arrangement as a pattern, like adding random colors after a sequence.
What to Teach Instead
Pause the relay and ask the pair to decide on a repeating unit together, using the items they just placed to identify the core AB unit before continuing.
Common MisconceptionDuring Material Pattern Stations, watch for students who claim the entire shown sequence is the repeating unit, such as calling the whole ABAB a unit.
What to Teach Instead
Have the group rebuild the pattern and ask them to identify the smallest part that repeats, physically separating the AB to show it can stand alone.
Common MisconceptionDuring Rhythm Pattern Circle, watch for students who think patterns only work with colors or shapes, not sounds or actions.
What to Teach Instead
Invite the class to repeat the same rhythm pattern using body percussion to connect the visual AB pattern to a kinesthetic one, naming the unit together.
Assessment Ideas
After Pattern Extension Relay, present a sequence like square, circle, square, circle, ___. Ask students to write the next item and explain the repeating unit they observed during the relay.
After Material Pattern Stations, give each student a card with a simple pattern rule, such as 'red, blue, red, blue.' Ask them to draw the next two items and label the repeating unit they used at their station.
During Rhythm Pattern Circle, show two different sequences: one with a clear repeating unit (clap, stomp) and another that is an increasing beat (clap, clap, clap). Ask the class to identify which is a true pattern and explain the repeating part using the rhythm they just practiced.
Extensions & Scaffolding
- Challenge early finishers to create a pattern with a repeating unit of three or four elements and teach it to a partner.
- For students who struggle, provide partially completed patterns with missing elements to extend, focusing on one step at a time.
- Give extra time for students to compose a short rhythm pattern using classroom instruments and notate it with symbols or letters.
Key Vocabulary
| Pattern | A sequence of numbers, shapes, or objects that repeats in a predictable way. |
| Repeating Unit | The smallest part of a pattern that, when repeated, creates the entire pattern. |
| Rule | The instruction that describes how to get from one part of the pattern to the next. |
| Term | Each individual number or object in a pattern. |
Suggested Methodologies
Planning templates for Mathematics
5E Model
The 5E Model structures lessons through five phases (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate), guiding students from curiosity to deep understanding through inquiry-based learning.
Unit PlannerMath Unit
Plan a multi-week math unit with conceptual coherence: from building number sense and procedural fluency to applying skills in context and developing mathematical reasoning across a connected sequence of lessons.
RubricMath Rubric
Build a math rubric that assesses problem-solving, mathematical reasoning, and communication alongside procedural accuracy, giving students feedback on how they think, not just whether they got the right answer.
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