Learning Objectives
- Identify and extend number patterns
- Recognize shape and colour patterns
- Create your own patterns
- Find patterns in multiplication tables
Key Concepts
What is a Pattern?
A pattern is something that repeats in a fixed order. You see patterns everywhere: on clothes, on floor tiles, in music, and in numbers. For example, red-blue-red-blue is a colour pattern. Circle-square-circle-square is a shape pattern. 2, 4, 6, 8 is a number pattern where you add 2 each time.
Number Patterns
Number patterns follow a rule. You need to find the rule to continue the pattern. In 5, 10, 15, 20, the rule is "add 5". In 100, 90, 80, 70, the rule is "subtract 10". In 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, the rule is "multiply by 2" or "double". Finding the rule is like solving a puzzle!
Shape Patterns
Shape patterns repeat shapes in a fixed order. For example, triangle-triangle-circle-triangle-triangle-circle. To find what comes next, look at the repeating group. The group here is "triangle-triangle-circle", so the next shape would be a triangle.
Patterns in Multiplication Tables
Multiplication tables have interesting patterns. In the 5 times table, all answers end in 0 or 5. In the 10 times table, all answers end in 0. In the 9 times table, the digits of the answer always add up to 9 (like 9, 18, 27, 36). Finding patterns makes learning tables easier!
Important Terms
- Pattern: Something that repeats in a regular order
- Rule: The instruction that tells you how the pattern changes
- Repeating Pattern: A pattern where a group of items repeats over and over
- Growing Pattern: A pattern where numbers increase or decrease following a rule
Quick Revision
- A pattern repeats in a fixed order
- Find the rule to extend a pattern
- Number patterns use rules like add, subtract, multiply, or double
- 5 times table: all products end in 0 or 5
- 9 times table: digit sum of each product is 9
- You can make your own patterns using shapes, colours, or numbers