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Features

Follow a rule step by step to draw a six-armed snowflake on triangle dot paper
Rules with branches, twigs and a hexagon in the middle
Which rule made it? Match snowflakes to their rules
Change one number in a rule and see what changes
Count the lines in one arm, then multiply by 6
Write your own rule and trade it with a partner
Snow and winter pictures, nothing from any holiday
Every page in color and in black and white
Answer keys included

Skills Covered

Follow a set of steps in order
Count along a line of dots
Repeat one pattern six times around a center

Match a drawing to the rule that made it
Predict what changes when one number changes
Multiply by 6 to count all the lines

About snowflakes

A snowflake grows from a tiny six-sided ice crystal. Each of its six arms grows in the same air at the same time, so the arms come out alike: that is why one rule for one arm, done six times, makes a whole snowflake.

How to Use This Pack

Each rule says how to draw one arm, counting dots out from the middle: how long the arm is, where branches grow and how long they are, and sometimes twigs on the branches or a hexagon in the middle. Students draw the arm on triangle dot paper, then do the same on all six arms. Page 1 starts with a worked example and three short rules. Pages 2 and 3 have rules with more steps. Page 4 shows three snowflakes and four rules: students write which rule made each one. Page 5 gives a rule with its snowflake, then the same rule with one number changed to draw, and asks what changed. Page 6 counts the short lines in one arm and multiplies by 6. Page 7 is for writing and trading rules.

In the Classroom

Draw the worked example on the board together, saying each step out loud, then let students follow the next rule alone. The pages work as a math center or as an unplugged coding lesson: a rule is a program, doing it on all six arms is a loop, and a drawing that comes out wrong is a bug to find. Page 7 makes a good partner activity.

At Home

Follow a rule together, one step at a time, and turn the paper as you go so every arm is drawn pointing up. Then make up a rule and see whether your child can draw it from your words alone.

Tips for Success

Count dots, not spaces: dot 1 is the first dot out from the middle
Branches slant out from the arm along the dots, one on each side
Turn the page so the arm you are drawing points up
Draw all of one arm before you start the next

Common Core Standards Alignment

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

2.G.A.1 Draw and spot shapes with given features, like a number of angles or faces, and name triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons and cubes.
3.OA.C.7 Multiply and divide to 100 fluently with strategies, and by year's end instantly recall every product of two single-digit numbers.
3.G.A.1 See that shapes like rhombuses, rectangles and squares share features, such as four sides, that make them all quadrilaterals; draw quadrilaterals outside those groups.
4.G.A.3 Find a line of symmetry, a fold line that makes two matching parts; pick out shapes that have one and draw their lines of symmetry.

Snowflake Rules

2nd – 4th Grade

Snowflakes made by following a rule: a rule says how to draw one arm on triangle dot paper, and doing the same on all six arms makes the snowflake. Students follow rules and see what they get, match snowflakes to their rules, change one number to see what changes, count the lines with multiplication and write rules of their own.

Download PDF

What’s Included

7 worksheets, with answer keys for the first 6
Every worksheet in color and in black and white
Rules to follow, rules to match, a rule to change and lines to count
A page for writing your own rule and trading it with a partner

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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.