Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v5 - Grade 1

Lesson Video

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Performance objectives

• Find and describe simple number patterns.
• Continue number patterns.
• Create your own number patterns.
• Find the rule for a number pattern.

Lesson summary

Patterns are everywhere! From the colourful beadwork of the Ndebele people to the rows of houses in our townships, understanding patterns helps us make sense of the world around us. It's like being a detective, spotting clues and predicting what comes next. Number patterns, in particular, are the building blocks for more advanced mathematics, helping us with counting, adding, and subtracting. Imagine lining up for lunch at school - you're following a pattern! Or thinking about the days of the week – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday… that's a pattern too! Recognizing and creating patterns makes learning maths fun and prepares us for everyday life.

Lesson notes

A pattern is something that repeats in a predictable way. In number patterns, we are looking at sequences of numbers that follow a specific rule. The rule tells us how to get from one number to the next.

Increasing Patterns: These patterns get bigger. We add a number to get the next number in the pattern. Think of adding sweets to your collection each day!

Example 1: Counting in Ones (Increasing by 1) Imagine a line of children waiting to get their lunch. The first child is number 1, the next is number 2, then number 3, and so on. This is a pattern that increases by 1 each time.

Pattern: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… Rule: Add 1 Example 2: Counting in Twos (Increasing by 2) Imagine you have two hands and you are counting the number of fingers, but you are only counting two fingers at a time. 2, 4, 6, 8, 10… Pattern: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10… Rule: Add 2 Decreasing Patterns: These patterns get smaller. We subtract a number to get the next number in the pattern. Think of eating a packet of chips - you have fewer and fewer chips as you eat them!

Example 3: Decreasing by One (Subtracting 1) Imagine you have 5 apples and you eat one each day.

Pattern: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Rule: Subtract 1 Example 4: Decreasing by Two (Subtracting 2) Imagine you have 10 marbles, and you give 2 marbles to your friend each day.

Pattern: 10, 8, 6, 4, 2… Rule: Subtract 2 Identifying the Rule: To find the rule, look at the numbers and see what is happening each time. Are they getting bigger or smaller? By how much?

Creating Patterns: To create your own pattern, first choose a starting number and a rule (add 1, add 2, subtract 1, subtract 2). Then, follow the rule to create the next numbers in the pattern.

Example 5: Finding the missing number and the rule Consider this pattern: 3, 5, 7, __ , 11 Observe: The numbers are getting bigger, so it must be an increasing pattern.

Calculate: What do we add to 3 to get 5?

Answer:

2. What do we add to 5 to get 7?

Answer:

2. Determine Rule: The rule is add

2. Extend: 7 + 2 = 9. 9+2 =

1

1. Answer: 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 Guided Practice (With Solutions)

Question 1: What is the next number in the pattern: 4, 5, 6, ___?

Solution: Observe: The numbers are getting bigger.

Calculate: 5 - 4 = 1; 6 - 5 =

1. Determine Rule: The rule is add

1. Extend: 6 + 1 = 7 Answer:

7. The pattern is 4, 5, 6,

7. Question 2: What is the next number in the pattern: 8, 6, 4, ___?

Solution: Observe: The numbers are getting smaller.

Calculate: 8 - 6 = 2; 6 - 4 =

2. Determine Rule: The rule is subtract

2. Extend: 4 - 2 = 2 Answer:

2. The pattern is 8, 6, 4,

2. Question 3: Complete the pattern: __, 3, 4, 5, __ Solution: Observe: The numbers are mostly increasing.

Calculate: 4-3=1; 5-4=

1. So the rule seems to be add

1. Extend backwards: 3-1=

2. Extend Forwards: 5+1=6 Answer: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Question 4: What is the rule for this pattern: 10, 9, 8, 7?

Solution: Observe: The numbers are decreasing.

Calculate: 10 - 9 = 1; 9 - 8 = 1; 8 - 7 =

1. Determine Rule: The rule is subtract

1. Answer: The rule is subtract

1. Independent Practice (Questions Only)

What is the next number in the pattern: 2, 4, 6, ___?

What is the next number in the pattern: 9, 8, 7, ___?

Complete the pattern: 1, __, 3, __,

5. What is the rule for this pattern: 3, 5, 7, 9?

What is the next number in the pattern: 12, 10, 8, ___?

Complete the pattern: __, 6, 7, 8, __. Create a pattern that increases by 2, starting with the number

1. Write down the first 4 numbers in your pattern.

What is the missing number in the pattern: 15, 14, __, 12? If a pattern starts at 4 and increases by 1, what are the next three numbers? Create a pattern that decreases by 1, starting with the number

8. Write down the first 5 numbers in your pattern.