Skills Covered

How to Use This Pack

Five pages of shape patterns that grow or shrink by the same amount every step. Page 1 shows steps 1, 2 and 3 of four tile patterns, an L shape, stairs, a cup and a plus sign, and students draw step 4 on grid paper; the first one is a worked example. Page 2 has four more patterns to count: students fill in a table from step 1 to step 6 and write how many tiles each step adds. Page 3 turns it around with patterns that shrink: a tower, a triangle of dots, a ring and a cup lose the same amount each step, and students draw and count step 4. Page 4 builds squares, triangles and houses from sticks; students count the sticks, finish a table and predict step 10. Page 5 asks which step has 14 tiles, which step of a pattern was drawn wrong, and then has students make a growing pattern of their own and describe its rule.

In the Classroom

Build page 1's L shape with square tiles or snap cubes before handing out the pages, adding the same number of tiles each time while the class counts. For page 4, a box of toothpicks or craft sticks lets students build each step and test their step 10 prediction on the next one or two steps. Page 5's make-your-own pattern works well as a partner swap: trade patterns and find each other's rule.

At Home

Make a growing pattern with coins, buttons or blocks: add two each time and ask how many there will be in step 5 before building it. Toothpicks or pasta pieces make good sticks for the square and triangle patterns on page 4.

Tips for Success

• Look at what is new in each step: color or circle the tiles that were added
• Count each step and write the counts in a row; the jump between them is the same every time
• A table makes it easy to keep going past the steps that are drawn
• In a shrinking pattern, find the tiles that were taken away
• Check a prediction by drawing one more step