Understanding Patterns
Patterns are created when
items are organized in a coherent fashion. Patterns are found not only in art,
poetry and clothing, but also in the way people play the stock market, travel
to work or get ready for school. This month, the MarcoGram features lessons
that explore the development of patterns, whether it's combining sounds to
create pleasing music, or providing scientists with an explanation of the past
to prepare for the future. Use the warm-up activities below to encourage your
students to locate and identify patterns, then scroll down for links to more
lessons and resources to use in your classroom.
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| Warm-up Activities |
© MCI Foundation |
1.
Mathematics has been called the science of patterns. In a pattern, a core unit
is repeated in predictable ways. Mathematicians use their knowledge of patterns
to understand place value, multiplication, functions and many other
topics.
Patterns are easily identified by finding similar items that repeat. Are there any patterns on your clothing, such as stripes, plaids or flowers? Can you identify any patterns in the classroom? Before class begins, create a patterned design with different colored shapes cut from construction paper. Supply students with an assortment of the same shapes, a large piece of white paper and glue. Ask them to mimic your design by gluing the matching shapes to the white paper. Encourage them to find shape or color patterns in the design. Alternately, students can use crayons or paint to mimic the design, or create a new pattern. Students learn about patterns,
seriation and classification in:
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Image courtesy of the Edward Lear Home Page. |
2.
Edward Lear (1812-1888) is best known as the father of the five-line limerick
poem, which has a distinct rhyming and rhythm pattern, and sometimes begins
with "There once was a...." He published many of these nonsense poems, which
were often accompanied by his own pen-and-ink illustrations.
Read this example of a Lear limerick: There was a
young lady of Ryde,
What is the rhyming pattern of the lines in this limerick? (aabba) Is there a pattern in the beat, or syllables, of the poem? What patterns can you find in other poetry styles, such as the haiku or sonnet? Ask students to select and read a limerick out loud. Explain the rhyming pattern and the distinct syllables and meter of the lines. Supply the first line of a limerick and ask students to compose the next four lines. Encourage students to draw an illustration to accompany their poem. Explore patterns in poetry,
rhyme and verse in:
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© Microsoft Design Gallery Live |
3.
City planners often refer to traffic patterns when designing the placement of
additional homes and businesses. In a similar way, economic analysts look for
patterns in the stock market to predict future trends for investors.
When do you follow a pattern during a typical school day? (Possible answers include waking up at a certain time and preparing for school, the school bus route, class schedules or getting lunch.) What might happen if you didn't follow the pattern for one of those activities? Do you prefer to follow a set pattern, or to create a new way of doing things each time? When is it beneficial to follow a set pattern, and when is it more difficult? Ask students to track how they spend their time after school. Create a graphic organizer with spaces for writing in a goal (such as completing their homework before bedtime) and how they achieved that goal (for example, they didn't watch TV after school). Then, ask them to look for patterns in their behavior. Are there things they do at the same time or in the same order each day? Have students predict the outcome if they changed their pattern. Would the outcome be better or worse? To extend the activity, ask students to predict different outcomes and experiment with different behavior patterns for an entire week. Explore patterns in geography
and economics in:
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Take a careful look at this coded message: "Woh era uoy yadot?" Can you crack this code? If you need a hint, read backwards. (Answer: "How are you today?")
Distribute to each student a unique phrase along with a general code key. (For example, the letter A could equal the number one, and so forth.) Ask students to code their messages using the code key, and then exchange messages with their neighbor. Ask them to decode the message they received.
Decipher communication codes
in:
"Patterns
of Communication"
(Grades 3-5), Science NetLinks, American Association for the Advancement of
Science.
Listen to a short musical piece in class, and clap along with the beat. What is the pattern? In your opinion, is the melody pleasing to listen to? Can you determine when more than one note is played at the same time, creating harmony?
Ask students to select a piece of their favorite music, either from their personal collection or from the music department. Ask them to determine the rhythmic pattern, and play it out for the other students, either by clapping or using rhythm sticks. Ask the students if they can identify the song by listening only to the rhythm. If necessary, provide some hints by adding some chords or pieces of the melody.
Listen for musical patterns
in:
The nine-week unit "Music
Composition" (Grades 6-8), ARTSEDGE,
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; and
"Play
With Words: Rhyme and Verse"
(Grades K-2), EDSITEment, National Endowment for the Humanities.
| Featured Lessons |
"Can You
Haiku?" (Grades 3-5)
EDSITEment, National
Endowment for the Humanities
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/32ed_haiku.cfm
Students learn the rules and
conventions of haiku, study examples by Japanese masters and create their own
haiku.
"Draw a
Story: Stepping from Pictures to Writing" (Grades K-2)
ReadWriteThink, International
Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/32rwt_writing.cfm
Students draw a sequence of
pictures to tell a simple story that includes character action, problem and
solution.
"Edward Lear,
Limericks and Nonsense: There Once Was..." (Grades 3-5)
EDSITEment, National
Endowment for the Humanities
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/32ed_lear.cfm
Students explore the form and
pattern of limericks.
"Explore the
Spatial Patterns of Your Hometown" (Grades 6-8)
Xpeditions, National
Geographic Society
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/32xp_hometown.cfm
Students analyze the pattern
of distribution of businesses and residences within their own communities to
develop a more sophisticated understanding of already familiar places.
"Here's Your
Chance to Make Millions in the Stock Market" (Grade 9-12)
EconEdLink, National Council
on Economic Education
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/32econ_market.cfm
Students learn how investors
study patterns in the stock market to develop stock tips.
"Look in the
Mythic Mirror: The Cultural Connection" (Grades 6-8)
ARTSEDGE,
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/32ae_cultural.cfm
Students compare and contrast
mythological archetypal patterns across cultures.
"A Matter of
Pattern" (Grades K-2)
Science NetLinks, American
Association for the Advancement of Science
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/32sci_pattern.cfm
Students create and predict
patterns formed when making paper snowflakes.
"Music
Composition" (Grades 6-8)
ARTSEDGE,
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/32ae_music.cfm
In this nine-week unit on
music composition, students determine musical patterns while learning rhythms,
melodies and harmonic composition.
"Patterns of
Communication" (Grades 3-5)
Science NetLinks, American
Association for the Advancement of Science
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/32sci_patterns.cfm
Students explore the use of
patterns in communication codes and symbols.
"Patterns
That Grow" (Grades 3-5)
Illuminations, National
Council of Teachers of Mathematics
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/32ill_patterns.cfm
Students use logical thinking
to create, identify, extend and translate patterns.
"Play With
Words: Rhyme and Verse" (Grades K-2)
EDSITEment, National
Endowment for the Humanities
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/32ed_verse.cfm
Students listen to poems and
rhymes, clap out syllables, and sing along with familiar tunes.
"Poetry: A
Feast to Form Fluent Readers" (Grades 3-5)
ReadWriteThink, International
Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/32rwt_poetry.cfm
Students use Internet
resources to observe poetry performed orally, and discuss elements of the
performance that lead to fluency and meaning of the written text.
"Powerful
Patterns" (Grades PreK-2)
Illuminations, National
Council of Teachers of Mathematics
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/32ill_powerful.cfm
In this nine-lesson
curriculum unit, students review classification and seriation concepts and make
patterns with a variety of objects.
"Seasonal
Haiku: Writing Poems to Celebrate Any Season" (Grades 3-5)
ReadWriteThink, International
Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/32rwt_haiku.cfm
In this three-part lesson,
students practice haiku-writing patterns.
"What's Up
with the Weather?" (Grades 9-12)
Xpeditions, National
Geographic Society
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/32xp_weather.cfm
Students pretend they're
meteorologists and write a press report explaining the cause of the seemingly
strange weather patterns that have afflicted the country in the past few years.
Academy of American Poets
Chart Patterns
Color Patterns -- Virtual
Manipulative
Explore Science: Make a
Six-Sided Snowflake
Exploring Pascal's Triangle
Investigating Patterns: Number
Patterns
Mystery Operations
Patterns Here, There and
Everywhere
Square Maker
Symmetry and Pattern: The Art
of Oriental Carpets
TerraX: Morse Code
Search for more lessons and resources
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December 2002: Reading: It Takes You Places November 2002: Double Take: There Are (At Least) Two Sides to Every Story October 2002: Money Matters: Become a Financial Wizard Find more MarcoPolo lessons Explore the current list of new Partner lessons by visiting the Teacher Resources section of the MarcoPolo Web site. Use the MarcoPolo Search Engine to search for lessons by topic, keyword, grade level or Partner. Get trained to use MarcoPolo The MarcoPolo Program has provided free professional development to more than 160,000 educators to date. Find out how to bring MarcoPolo training to your school or district by visiting the Professional Development section of the MarcoPolo Web site.
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