Pattern Hunt

Early Years (Age 3 – 6)

Curriculum Goal

Kindergarten: Demonstrating Literacy and Mathematics Behaviour

Recognize, explore, describe, and compare patterns, and extend, translate, and create them, using the core of a pattern and predicting what comes next (#18).

Context

Students and teacher explore the classroom and/or school property for patterns.
Students should have prior experience exploring and making patterns.

Materials

Pattern handout (Appendix A)
Camera
Pencils
Pencil Crayons

Lesson

Encourage students to search and select an identifiable pattern in the classroom or school.
Take a photo of the selected pattern.
Have the student paste the pattern onto Appendix A (or paste the photo yourself).
In the blank box on the worksheet, students recreate the selected pattern with pencil crayons.
On the lines provided, students describe the pattern they found and illustrated (e.g., I found an AB pattern in my classroom).
After completion of the visual and written components of the handout, the worksheet should be displayed in the classroom so it can be shared with other students.

Look Fors

Are children accurately identifying and describing patterns?
What strategies do students use when searching and identifying patterns?

Related Lessons

Prior to Pattern Hunt: An introduction to simple ABAB and ABCABC patterning. Students will have the option of exploring and building onto more complex patterns.

Shares curriculum expectations: Recognize, explore, describe and compare patterns, and extend, translate, and create them, using the core of a patterns and predicting what comes next (#18).