Grade 4 - Patterns Lesson Plan

Title: Patterns of the rainbow

Class: Ms. Sodhi’s grade 4s
Date/Time: Wednesday November 17, 11:15am-11:55am

Google Slides:
[Link]
edit#slide=id.p

Minds On and Activation (5 minutes)

“Hello class, my name is Ms__. Me and my teaching partner __ will be teaching you in small
groups for math for the next two weeks. We are excited to get started!

During our class time, please open your camera and mute yourself when you are not talking.
(go through slides to show them what each function looks like). You can raise your hand using
the “raise hand button”. When I call your name, you can unmute yourself and talk. I want to see
everyone practicing mutual respect when our classmates are speaking so we can all listen to
their ideas. **check for understanding here**
- Thumbs up if you know or down if you don’t know where the mute and camera buttons
are and how to raise hand

I know you already know each other, but me and Ms. __ want to get to know each of you. We
will start with an ice-breaker game. We will go around and everyone can say their name and
what their favourite colour is. I will start, my name is Ms. __ and my favourite colour is pink. Ms.
Wei can you go next? Call each student one at a time.

Check for Understanding:

Ask students to give thumbs up if they know where the camera, mute, and virtual hands button
are, thumbs down if you need help finding it. 

“Thank you all for sharing your name and favourite colour, we’re going to get started on our
math lesson”

Activation Question:
What are the strategies that you have learned to use when solving patterns?

Learning Goals (2 minutes):

“By the end of this lesson you will create and expand growing patterns using a T-chart. I want
you to practice active listening when we come back together to go over the problem.”

Curriculum Expectation: C1.3 determine pattern rules and use them to extend patterns, make
and justify predictions, and identify missing elements in repeating and growing patterns

Input:
Go over how to create a t-chart based on a question (explain that each element of the pattern
gets its own column and label). Explain how we can use bridging in our T-chart to help us find
the pattern rule Explain how the pattern rule can help you extend the T-chart.
Guided Practice/Modelling (10 minutes):
The teacher will provide the problem to students and guide them through to model some
possible strategies to solve the problem before sending them off for their independent work. The
teacher will ask questions and provide a blank T-chart and model students how to fill out the first
two rows of the chart. It aims to show students an example of the approach they can use to get
the answer and how to write in the t-chart.

Explain that SEE is literally what you see, and NOTICE is specific to mathematics - you can use
key terms to explain. Prompt students to explain “I SEE blocks” “I NOTICE the tiles are
increasing in each figure.

Show students the problem and ask: 

 What do you SEE in this picture? For example, I see different colour boxes. What I see
is literal.
 What do you NOTICE? For example, I notice that the number of boxes increases in each
figure.

Ask:
- What do you know?
- What do you need?
- What is the next step? Problem solving
- What is the final step? Conclusion

Instruction:
Ask students if they have coloured pencils (if they do then great they can use those – if not don’t
worry about colours). Tell students to copy down the pattern into their grid books.

Show students the blank T-chart and ask student:

 I want you to ignore the different colours for now and we will come back to it
 What should we put for the first column on the T-chart? what should we put for the
second column on the T-chart?
 Look at the problem, what should we put for the first two rows? (figure1 has 1 tile, and
figure 2 has 3 tiles)

Example of the T-chart:

Figure # # of Tiles

1 1

2 3
Based on what we have discussed about the problem and the t-chart:
 Are there any patterns?
 How are you going to create figure 5?
 What strategies could you use to solve the problem?
 What will figure 5 look like?

Now moving onto colour:

 Could we also include colour in our t-chart? How? (if no one has any ideas – say “I
would add another column to the tchart and list the colours there
 What did you notice about the colours? Do you think we should have different colours as
our added element or the same colours as what already appears?
 What colour do you think should be added to figure 5?
 Can it be any colour? Why/why not?

Once students have figured out the figure 5 and understand what to do for their independent
work, the teacher will start explaining expectations for completing the independent work.

Checks for understanding:

If same student answering, ask if anyone else can add something?

Independent Work (10 minutes) – if time if not skip to consolidation

“Now you are going to solve this problem independently. Please make sure you copied the
pattern into your grid books. Add 2 more figures until figure 7. Use a t-chart, bridges or models
to help you show your work and understanding. You will have about 6 minutes to complete the
task. When we come back together, you should have completed two more figures in the pattern.
You should use a T-chart to help you show your answer, and one sentence of conclusion of the
pattern rules. We will come together to explain our problem solving.”

Throughout the independent work, the teacher will also look around and check every student to
give individual supports if needed.

Heads-Up: The teacher would provide 5, 3 and 1 minute heads-ups for supporting students in
time management.

              Figure    Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4

Check for Understanding: 
 Can you tell me what the first thing you are going to do is? What next? 
 How far are you extending your figures to?
 During the activity - we can check in on students - asking individually “__are you doing
okay?” or “give me a thumbs up if you have drawn one figure already”

Consolidation (5 minutes)
Ask student to share their answer – hold up to screen.
Questions we can ask: 
 What kind of pattern is this? How do you know?
 How can you explain what the growing pattern is? Can someone show me? 
 What is the repeating element of the pattern?
 What did you notice about the squares? What did you notice about the colours?
Do you think we should have different colours as our added element or the same
colours as what already appears?
 How did you know?
 How can you explain this to us? 
 Does everyone agree with ____’s idea? (What do you think about sb.’s idea?)
 How can you explain your thought process?

Differentiation:
- Give students options – they can use a T-chart or draw figures to help solve, or use
bridges
- Chunking – go over with students as a class step 1, then step 2, etc. when going to
solve the problem during modeling phase
- Reword the question if no response within a minute or two
- Allow wait times after asking question and calling someone to answer
- Give prompts if students are having trouble coming to an answer – guide them
- Check in with students when they are doing independent work
- Remind students they can go to the math word wall in the classroom if they need help
writing a concluding sentence

Resources:
- Chromebooks and internet connection
- Gridbooks
- Pencil/eraser

Assessment:
For learning:
 Observation
 Anecdotal notes
 Checklist
 Conversations/conferencing
 Work samples/products
 Check-ins
As learning:
 Rubric
 Success criteria
 Self-reflection
 Other
Of learning:
 Quiz
 Test
 Presentation
 Assignment
 Other product