We start our unit by asking what is a pattern and what makes it a pattern. Then we practice making patterns with manipulatives. Here are some of the patterns my students made using some fun Target Dollar Section and Dollar Tree finds...
|Target Fall Table Scatter|
|Puff Balls from the Dollar Tree|
|Erasers from the Target Dollar Section|
|Sometimes they use things in ways you never thought about.|
Other students put beads (Dollar Tree) onto pipe cleaners. This is great because you do not have to tie a knot and it is good fine motor practice (I actually moved it into my fine motor center because the kids loved it so much even over the oh so popular playdough)
The next day we did the same centers only this time they had to record their pattern (which we later glued into their math journals).
Though it isn't all unicorns and roses. I still have a couple giving me this when they work independently...