Teaching Patterning in FDK

*If you would like to see what I did for patterning in 2015 click here*

This week was all about patterning!

The FDK expectation for patterning is…

P4.1 identify, create, reproduce and extend repeating patterns through investigation, using a variety of materials and actions.

First I introduced them to our patterning anchor chart that we would be referencing all week.

Before I introduced the anchor chart I didn’t have the core circled or the name of the pattern.

We added those together.

I modelled the first one and I had my kids come up and “help me” with the rest 😉

Then we posted it up on our math wall.

(identifying the core is not an FDK expectation, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to expose them to the vocabulary 😉

I copied this anchor chart from The First Grade Parade.

On the second day we played “What’s Missing?”

I prepared a chart with pieces missing and the students tell me the missing piece, come up and stick it on the right spot, circle the core and name the pattern.

I got this lesson idea from Mrs. Ricca’s Kindergarten.
I was a hot mess that week and threw away the chart before I took a picture 🙁
But you can go to her blog to see an example there!

On Day 3 & 4 we played the game “Guess My Pattern”.
I made a pattern with shapes and covered each shape with a post-it note.
Then I peeled off a post-it note one at a time and after each peel got students to think-pair-share
and tell their partner what the pattern might be.

Again I threw away my chart before I took a picture
(it was one of those weeks!!)
but you can download the detailed lesson outline for “Guess My Pattern” by clicking on the image below.

We also watched this fun patterning video by Harry Kindergarten:

And here are some of the centres that were open through the week:

This one is “Pencil Perfect Patterns” from “The Bus Stops Here” by Cara Carroll.
The kids had to extend the patterns and put the correct card in the last box of each pattern.

We also did patterning with buttons.

This girl made a AB pattern with hearts and stars!

At this centre the students used the clothes pins and ice cube trays to make patterns.
I got this idea from Mrs. Ricca’s Kindergarten.

This little boy came up to me and said “Come look Miss Naka I made an ABCDEF pattern!”

Some of these kiddos just blow me away!

Of course we also had teddy bear counters out…

Some students also transfered their knowledge into pattern books:

Some of my friends used shape stickers…

And some used bingo dabbers!
The bingo dabbers were a HUGE hit!!

You can download the pattern book for free here.

My kids LOVE Fuzz Bugs (the original sorting one) so they were so excited to see Fuzz Bugs Patterning! We played this on the SMARTBoard during centres.

You can find Fuzz Bugs on abcya.com or click here.