PATTERNING AND

ALGEBRA

By: Katarina
Solomon

ALGEBRAIC REASONING
Why work with patterns?
Tangible way of thinking of most
relationships
Natural to look for patterns
More successful understanding
algebraic relations
-> find
generalizations

TYPICAL PATTERNING ACTIVITY

Extended pattern
Children have diffi culties:
Predicting later patters
--> Helps to see the
pattern before to know
what the next set will be
--> Example: Cant tell
10 t h position without the
9th
Finding the general rule

FUNCTIONAL THINKING- ANALYZING

PATTERNS
Input
4
7
6
2

Output
8
14
12
4

Initial thought, conjecture, educated guess

Confirming Idea
Further confirming
Some students may need more

Rule: Output=Input x 2

**When starting with a younger group, use doubling or skip counting as pattern

Input
10

Output
27

By using the input number of 10 will give away the rule

10

27

What we multiply input by

Ex. 10 x 2 = 20

Rule:
(Input x 2)
+7
What we add
Ex. (10 x 2) +7= 27

When using 0 as the input, it will give you what we are adding

Rule: (Input x 2) +7
(0 x 2) +7
= 7

SIMPLE LINEAR GROWING PATTERN

1

* adds
4
more
tiles
each
time

Rule
Number of Tiles= Position Number x 4
1 Unit
- Has 4 tiles
Helps develop unitizing
- Able to understand groups
- Unit represents group of tiles

10th Position -> 10 groups of 4 (40)

100th Position -> 100 groups of 4 (400)
1000th Position -> 1000 groups of 4 (4000)

MISSING POSITION ACTIVITY

With the patterns shown, use these

to figure out the missing positions

2 COLOUR LINEAR GROWING

PATTERNS

Number of Tiles= Position Number x 2+4

Number of Tiles= 10th x 2+4
= 24

1 COLOUR LINEAR GROWING

PATTERNS

Number of Tiles= Position Number x 2+4

Number of Tiles= 10th x 2+4
= 24

4
When patterns only use
one colour, it makes it a
lot harder to see what is
the multiplier and what
is being added.
Tiles positions can make
it easier or harder to see
patterns.

REPEATING PATTERNS
Multi Link Cubes

Colour Tiles

Pattern Blocks

Snap Cubes

TEACHER BASED CLASSROOM

CHANGE
1) Algebrafying instructional materials
2) Identifying students algebraic thinking then
encourage and support the student through it
3) Want to create an algebraic thinking
environment and classroom culture that promotes
algebraic teaching practices

Blanton, M. L., & Kaput, J. J.

(2003). Developing elementary
teachers': "Algebra eyes and
ears". Teaching Children
Mathematics, 10(2), 70+.
Karp, Bay-Williams & Van de Walle.
Elementary and middle school
mathematics: Teaching
developmentally (9th Ed.). Toronto:
Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Ruth Beattys Week 16 Lecture,
February 22nd , Patterning and

Resourc
es