Shape patterns
Generate a number or shape pattern that follows a given rule; identify apparent features of the pattern not explicit in the rule and explain informally why they occur
What a learner can do afterwards
- Given 'start at 1, add 3', generate terms and notice they alternate odd/even
- Given a shape pattern, predict the next three terms and describe the rule
- Explain why starting at 2 and adding 4 always gives even numbers
The lesson
A pattern rule tells you two things: where to start, and what to do every time. If the rule is 'start at 1, add 3,' you begin at 1, then add 3 again and again: 1, 4, 7, 10, 13.
Zara makes a shape pattern: circle, square, circle, square, circle. The rule is 'circle, then square, repeat.' The next three shapes are square, circle, square.
Want to know why a pattern always lands on even numbers? Look at the start and the step. If you start on an even number and keep adding an even number, you never leave the even numbers behind.
A rule sets the start and the step, and once you build the pattern, watch for surprises hiding inside it, like numbers that keep flipping between odd and even.
Watch it
Where it sits
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.