Our brains love pattern-seeking and natural patterns in the world are where math and science meet!
In a previous post, Beyond Fibonacci: Tribonacci, Tetranacci, and More! I shared resources you can use to teach some fun number patterns, including “cousins” of the Fibonacci sequence and the Ulam sequence.
Here you’ll find a video lesson and other ready-to-use resources to challenge your students’ thinking as they play with patterns.
You can go straight to the video lesson below, but you might like to check out this NRich Maths lesson, “Wild and Wonderful Number Patterns.” Students explore “two-operation” patterns that use two of the four basic operations (+, -, x, ÷).
The next step would be to have students create and trade their “wild and wonderful patterns” and have classmates try to determine the rule for continuing the pattern. This is explained in the video tutorial below. If you have trouble sharing this embedded video, you can also find it HERE.
Here are two types of brainteasers that also involve looking for patterns.
ANSWERS: (1) Dice pattern: 4-1, 2-0. 4,3, 3-0 … The number 4 with odd numbers, alternating with counting numbers increasing. The next die would be 4-5 and the one after that would be 4-0. (2) In each pie, you must find the starting number that is then multiplied by 3, 5, 7, and 9. The starting number for the first pie is 3. The other pie on top has a starting number of 5. At the bottom, 7 x 3 = 21, 7 x 5 = 35, 7 x 7 = 49, so the missing number is 7 x 9 or 63.
If your students enjoy these, you might like to check out the Math & Logic Progressive Puzzle Playing with Patterns. The only prerequisites are (1) an understanding of “two-operation” sequences and (2) knowing how to find the value of a number with an exponent (e.g. 53 = 5 x 5 x 5).
The book linked below would also be a great addition, particularly if you have budding mathematicians who love exploring patterns!
Share your experiences using these resources either in the comments below or in our Facebook group!
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Additional Resources
How to Think About a Number ~ Let Us Count the Ways!
The Math Behind the Fun and Games ~ Lessons for Masterminds Who Love Wordle
Mathemagic and Arithmetricks: Connecting Math Patterns to Magic