Kindergarten Lesson Plan on Patterns 

By Suzanne Duarte Jones 

 
Lesson Objective: 
Students will understand what a pattern is and begin to be able to 
complete and create patterns. 
 
Standards Addressed: 
● Mathematics Content Standard for California: Kindergarten - Statistics, 
Data Analysis and Probability 1.0, 1.2 Identify, describe, and extend 
simple patterns(such as circle or triangles) by referring to their shapes, 
sizes or colors. 
● ELA Content Standards for California: Reading: Vocabulary and Concept 
Development 1.18 Describe common objects and events in both general 
and specific language. 
Listening and Speaking: Comprehension 1.1 Understand and   
follow one- and two-step oral directions; 1.2 Share   
information and ideas, speaking audibly and in complete,  
coherent sentences. 
2.1 Describe people, places and things (e.g., size, color, shape),  
locations, and actions. 
● ELD Content Standards for California 
Interacting in meaningful ways: A. Collaborative 1. Exchanging 
information with others through oral collaborative conversations on a 
range of social and academic topics; B. Interpretive 5. Listening actively to 
spoken English on a range of social and academic topics; C. Productive 9. 
Expressing information and ideas... 
● Science Content Standards for California: Investigation and 
Experimentation 4.d Compare and sort common objects by one physical 
attribute (e.g., color, shape, texture, size, weight). 
● California Science Framework appendix 1, 2. Developing and Using 
Models (Grades K-2),p. 1579 Develop and/or use a model to represent 
amounts, relationships, relative scales (bigger, smaller) and/or patterns 
in the natural and designed world(s). 
● Social Studies K.1, 1. Follow rules, such as sharing and taking turns, and 
know the consequences of breaking them. 
 
Instruction: 
 
1. Anticipatory set:  
Read aloud Beep Beep, Vroom Vroom, by Stuart Murphy, discussing 
illustrations of patterns. 
 
2. Objective and purpose:  
“Today we will be working with patterns and learning how to 
recognize and make them. You use patterns to do math, read, 
write, do science, art, music and building. Patterns are important 
every day.” 
 
3. Input: 
“A pattern is a set of things that repeats again and again in the 
same order. Repeat means to do over and over.” 
 
4. Modeling: 
Teacher demonstrates a simple abab pattern using two colors of 
Unifix Cubes and linking the cubes together. 
 
5. Checking for understanding: 
Teacher asks “what color comes next?” Teacher makes a pattern 
with other colors, asks “what comes next?” Teacher makes an 
abcabc pattern with three colors and asks “Is this a pattern?” 
 
6. Guided Practice: 
Teacher distributes small containers of Unifix Cubes. “Take a red 
cube and attach a blue one. Now add a red one. Now add a blue. 
What comes next?” 
 
7. Independent practice: 
Teacher gives instruction “Now I want you to use your cubes to 
make your own pattern” and supervises children as they practice 
making patterns. 
 
Closure:  
Teacher distributes index cards and colorful stickers., quickly 
demonstrates making a row of alternating colors. “Now I want you 
to make a pattern on your card using at least four stickers. When 
you are done give me your card and line up for recess.” 
 
Extensions: 
● Students create patterns using materials such as wooden 
cubes, beads, pattern blocks, links, attribute blocks, and 
pegboards. 
● Students create patterns using art media such as crayons, 
paint and tissue paper. 
● Teacher introduces chants, rounds, clapping rhythms and 
percussion such as shakers and rhythm sticks. 
● Read aloud and have in classroom library books about patterns 
such as: Patterns/Los Disenos by Bev Schumacher, Lots and 
Lots of Zebra Stripes: Patterns in Nature by Stephen 
Swinburne, Bees, Snails and Peacock Tails by Betsy Franco, 
Patterns Everywhere by Julie Dalton, Mortimer’s Math 
Patterns by Karen Bryant-Mole, I See Patterns by Linda 
Benton, and The Crayola Patterns Book by Mari Schuh. 
● Read Big Books with patterned language such as Brown Bear, 
Brown Bear, What Do You See? and Polar Bear, Polar Bear, 
What Do You Hear? By Bill Martin, Jr. and I Went Walking and 
Let’s Go Visiting by Sue Williams.