CARD Identifying and Describing Repeating Patterns IDENTIFYING AND with Multiple Attributes DESCRIBING PATTERNS 5 GRADE 1 MATH BIG IDEAS • Patterns contain an element of repetition. •Describing Patterns can be represented and described and in a variety Creating of ways. Patterns

What is the pattern?

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908157_mmp1pc_B2.inddChildren 87see, hear, and experience patterns everywhere. They can hear and experience patterns in 16/12/19 12:55 PM songs, chants, stories, dances, sports, and physical routines. They can see patterns in art, in architecture, and in familiar items such as clothing. To understand and work with patterns, children must recognize attributes (characteristics) such as the colour, size, shape, sound, texture, and orientation (relative position) of objects, sounds, and actions. Children may also use words such as before, next to, and after to describe patterns. Children learn that a repeating pattern involves repetition of the elements that make up the pattern. They learn to identify the shortest string of elements that repeats in a repeating pattern. This part of a repeating pattern that stays the same and repeats itself is called the pattern’s core. Children learn to identify what changes in the pattern and what stays the same. For example, in the pattern made up of two different shapes shown here, the shortest part of the pattern that repeats itself is circle, square, square. This is the core of the pattern.

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In this pattern, only one attribute, or characteristic, of the elements making up the pattern changes: the attribute of shape. (Other attributes in a pattern might be colour, size, relative position, and so on.) … Purpose In this activity, children will examine a variety of patterns that have changing attributes, such as size, colour, shape, and relative position. They will describe the pattern and identify its core (the shortest part of the pattern that repeats). They will also create and describe their own repeating patterns. Note that the patterns on the Activity Card become more complex going from the bottom row to the top row of the card. The button pattern has only one attribute that changes: the colour of the buttons. But the pencil pattern has two attributes that change: the size of the pencils and the direction in which they point.

Materials ■ Objects that can be used to make several patterns, e.g., small toys in two colours or sizes; buttons in two colours or sizes, or buttons with two or four holes; pencils in two sizes; cut-out shapes; Lego® blocks in two colours and sizes; washers and bolts; or natural materials such as large and small pine cones or different types of leaves. You will need enough objects to repeat the core of each pattern three times. ■ A piece of string or yarn to circle the core of each pattern (optional) ■ Paper strips on which to place each pattern (optional)

Describe Patterns 1. Show the Activity Card to the children. Have them look at the pattern made with buttons in the bottom row. Say, Describe the button pattern out loud. (pink button, purple button, pink button, purple button, pink button, purple button) Alternatively, you may wish to set up a similar pattern using various objects that you have in your home. 2. Ask, What changes from one button to the next? (The colour of the button changes.) 3. Ask, How does the pattern of these buttons change? (The colour changes from a pink button to a purple button.) 4. Then ask children, What is the shortest part of the pattern that repeats? (one pink button, one purple button) If you are using real objects, children can use a piece of yarn or string to make a circle around the shortest part of the pattern that repeats. Ask, What do we call the shortest part of the pattern that repeats? (the core)

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5. Continue with the next two patterns shown on the Activity Card. Ask children to describe each pattern and to identify the shortest part of the pattern that repeats (that is, the core). • Toy car pattern: the core is purple car, purple car, purple car, silver car • Shape pattern: the core is small blue triangle, big blue triangle, red circle, big blue triangle 6. Have children look at the pattern made with pencils on the top row of the Activity Card. Say, Describe this pattern out loud. If children notice only the size of the pencils, ask, Which way are the pencils pointing? (Two long pencils are pointing down with the eraser at the top, then two short pencils are pointing up with the eraser at the bottom.) 7. Ask, What changes from one pencil to the next? (Nothing changes in the first two pencils, but then the third pencil is smaller and the eraser is at the bottom, and then the fourth pencil is the same as the third pencil.) 8. Ask, How does the pencil pattern change? (The pattern changes from two long pencils with erasers at the top to two short pencils with erasers at the bottom.) 9. Now ask, What is the shortest part of the pencil pattern that repeats? (two long pencils with the eraser at the top and two short pencils with the eraser at the bottom) If you are using real objects, children can use a piece of yarn or string to make a circle around the shortest part of the pattern that repeats. Ask, What do we call the shortest part of the pattern that repeats? (the core) 10. You may wish to cover up one element of the pattern (e.g., the second pair of long pencils) and ask children to identify what is missing from the pattern.

Create Patterns 1. Provide a variety of materials such as those listed in the “Materials” section above. 2. Encourage children to create a pattern similar to the button pattern. Say, Now you create a pattern like this one using different materials. The pattern should have one attribute (characteristic) that changes. For example, if children select pom poms to show their pattern, they will need to create a pattern in which one attribute of the pom poms changes (e.g., the pom poms’ colour or size). They then proceed to create their pattern. (For example: red pom pom, blue pom pom, red pom pom, blue pom pom, red pom pom, blue pom pom) Be sure they repeat the core of their pattern three times. Ask, What is the core of your pattern? (red pom pom, blue pom pom) 3. Have children create other patterns similar to the toy car pattern, the shape pattern, and the pencil pattern using a variety of materials. For each pattern, ask, What changes about your pattern? What stays the same? What is the core of the pattern? 4. If possible, have children work in partners with another family member and take turns creating patterns. The first person creates a pattern and the second person describes the pattern and identifies its core. Then partners switch roles.

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