Loading preview...

Skills Covered

  • Find the number that breaks a pattern
  • Correct the wrong number
  • Identify the rule of a number pattern
  • Check a rule against every jump
  • Explain mathematical reasoning in writing
  • Use multiplication and division facts in patterns

How to Use This Pack

Each page has six number patterns, and one number in each is wrong. Students circle the wrong number, write the number that belongs there in the Fix box, and write the rule. The box at the bottom asks them to choose one pattern and explain how they found the mistake. Patterns add, subtract, multiply, and divide, and only one number in each can be the mistake.

In the Classroom

Do the first pattern together: find the jump that most of the numbers share, then look for the one place it breaks. Students can work in pairs and compare their explanations in the bottom box.

At Home

Ask your child to say the jumps out loud. When one jump does not match the others, that is where the mistake is.

Tips for Success

  • Find the jump that most of the numbers share
  • The mistake is where that jump stops working
  • Check the fix: the jumps on both sides of it should now match
  • Write the rule only after the whole pattern works

Common Core Standards Alignment

This pack supports the following Common Core State Standards for Mathematics:

  • 3.OA.D.9 Spot patterns in addition tables, times tables and other arithmetic, and explain them with properties, like why multiples of 5 end in 0 or 5.

© Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.

Find the Mistake in Number Patterns

3rd Grade

Four third grade worksheets where every number pattern has one wrong number. Students circle the mistake, write the correct number, and write the rule, then explain how they found one mistake. Patterns add, subtract, multiply, and divide. Includes color and black-and-white versions and answer keys.

Download PDF
Pin

What’s Included

  • 4 printable worksheets with 6 patterns per page
  • A written explanation on every page
  • Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division patterns
  • Color and printer-friendly black-and-white versions
  • Answer keys for all 4 worksheets
Can’t find what you need?

Tell us what to make next, or build your own with a worksheet maker.

Suggest a worksheet

Free to print and share

This worksheet is free to download, print, copy, and hand out in your classroom or at home. You do not need to create an account, and there are no watermarks on the PDF.