Children have one
more year for repeating
patterns – up to
five elements for the
second graders. They
use objects, pictures,
sounds and actions to
create patterns with
three to five elements.
They describe the patterns
with letters. They
extend patterns in both
directions. One more
thing – children now
compare patterns and
describe similarities
and differences. All of
this learning is meant
to: deepen a child’s
power of observation,
strengthen their ability
to make connections
and develop their reasoning
skills. An excellent
task would be to
show your child how
to use the computer
and clip art to create
patterns.
To review, this is an
AABBCDE pattern
that can be extended
in both directions:
___ Z Z Q Q X W
P Z Z Q Q X W P___
___ 9 3 4 4 7 9 3 4 4 7
___Name the number
pattern with letters
________________
Blue Red Green
Black Black Blue Red
Green Black ….
You can see the colour
pattern here. With
your child, draw different
shapes and sizes
using these colours
and determine the pattern
before drawing.
You might do small
and large circles. You
might draw ovals that
are tall or wide. You
might draw outlines on
your shapes in different
colours or with different
lines, like solid
or dotted or zig zag.
Then ask each other
which repeating patterns
can you find?
Shape? Colour?
Size? Outline? Direction?
Grade two students
expand the study of
patterns with the formal
introduction to
increasing patterns.
Our number sequence
is one example: 1, 2, 3,
… Attention was paid
to the number of elements
in a repeating
pattern so now the
quantity must increase
in some regular manner.
It doesn’t have to
be one by one but that
is where children start
because of their familiarity
with counting.
We can still use all
the materials suggested
so far, along with
numbers. Here are a
few examples:
Bell, Book Book,
Plane Plane Plane,
Flag Flag Flag Flag,
Bell Bell Bell Bell Bell,
What might come
next? ___________
Marble, Car Car Car,
Pencil Pencil Pencil
Pencil Pencil, Bead
Bead Bead Bead Bead
Bead Bead… What
next?
5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30…
How can your child
reproduce these patterns?
Extend them?
Though it is not expected
in Grade 2, you
can see that there is a
mathematical function
for each one and older
students will call that
the pattern rule. For
now, students need to
be able to say: going up
by 1s, counting by the
odd numbers, going
up by 5s. Children can
create and find different
ways to increase.
Hundreds charts are
particularly good for
finding increasing patterns.
With increasing patterns,
the extension is
only to the right, for
now. Next year, de-
NEWS
creasing patterns are
explored.
Offer: Hundreds
charts - I have a variety
so let me know
what you would like to
practice with.
Email: for questions
or requests please message
do-math@mail.
com
Next Article: Grade
3 Patterning
– submitted by
Liz-Anne Eyford