Pattern Snakes
Word of the day: pattern
“I'm going to make a snake, and it has a secret code. Can you crack it?”
Grab
- two kinds of pasta, or two colors of blocks, LEGO or crayons
- a string (optional, for threading pasta)
Do
- Lay out red, blue, red, blue, red... and stop. Ask what comes next.
- Make an ABB pattern: red, blue, blue, red, blue, blue. Ask again.
- Let them make one and you guess. Get it wrong on purpose once so they get to correct you.
- Clap it: clap, stomp, clap, stomp. Patterns can be sounds too.
The big moment
You get one wrong on purpose and they catch you.
Ask (guess first, then try)
- What comes next?
- How did you know?
- Can you make one I can't figure out?
What's going on (for you)
Spotting and extending patterns is the root of algebra: the rule matters more than the objects. Turning a color pattern into a clap pattern shows them that the rule is separate from the stuff.
If they want more
Look for patterns on clothes, tiles, fences, the days of the week.