Stage 1 Identify Desired Results

Established Goals:
4.15 The student will recognize, create, and extend numerical and geometric patterns.
~Reminder Note: This is the entire SOL

What essential questions will be considered?

1. Explanation: What is a pattern?
2. Interpretation: How can patterns be used to tell us about the past, present, and the future?
3. Application: How are patterns applied in the larger world?
4. Perspective: What do effective problem solvers do, and what do they do when they get stuck?

What understandings are desired?

Students will understand that
1. Explanation: If children can answer this question, they understand that there are many
types of patterns some in which the sequence can be easily seen and others which may be
harder or take more time to recognize. For example a pattern that can easily be seen is the
pattern of the seasons while a pattern that is harder to see is multiplying a number by 4
then subtracting 2 like 2, 6, 22
2. Interpretation: If children can answer this question, they understand that patterns can
help explain what happened in the past, tell us what is happening in the present, and
predict what can happen in the future.
3. Application: If children can answer this question, they understand that patterns are all
around us and can be seen in many aspects of life.
4. Perspective: If children answer this question, they understand that effective problem
solvers use a variety of strategies to evaluate patterns. These same strategies can be
applied to solve problems in relations to other topics as well.

What key knowledge and skills will students acquire as a result of this unit?
Students will know

Students will be able to

Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd.ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Essential Knowledge- Very Detailed and

Explicit
Numerical: A list of numbers that follow a
certain sequence.
Geometric: A list of shapes that follow a
certain sequence.
Repeating: Reoccurring, never changes
Growing: A pattern that increases every
sequence, adds something each time
Shrinking: A pattern that decreases every
sequence, takes away something each time.
Students need to realize that there are
characteristics of which every pattern has
such as
Every pattern consists of a set of
items which may include but are not
limited to numbers, shapes, seasons,
days of the week, and more.
Every pattern must be either growing,
repeating, or shrinking.
Every pattern follows a certain
sequence.
Patterns are never ending
Patterns are seen in a variety of areas. Such
areas may include; social, behavioral,
mathematical, scientific, historical,
scheduling and more.

Patterns help students become effective

problem solvers by:
Teaching students to take their time
because some patterns are easier to
read and recognize or solve than
others.
Skip the pattern and come back to it
with a fresh mind.
Read and re-read the pattern before
trying to recognize the type of pattern.
Evaluate possible solutions and get
rid of the solutions that are

Essential Skills- Thinking Skills

Generate a definition for numerical and
geometric patterns
Define repeating and growing

Uncover the characteristics of any given

pattern

Examine how patterns can relate to ideas

throughout other subjects and everyday life
Analyze how patterns can help tell us about
the past and the present
Predict what may be the next term, 11th term,
etc. in the sequence
Decide what it means to be an effective
problem solver

Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd.ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

obviously impossible.

Stage 2 Determine Acceptable Evidence

What evidence will show that students understand? Essential Questions and
Essential Understandings are included.
1. Explanation: What is a pattern?
Explanation: If children can answer this question, they understand that there are many
types of patterns some in which the sequence can be easily seen and others which may be
harder or take more time to recognize. For example a pattern that can easily be seen is the
pattern of the seasons while a pattern that is harder to see is multiplying a number by 4
then subtracting 2 like 2, 6, 22
3.
o Breaking it down: Students will take on the role of a mathematician and create a
poster that will be used to present to a Kindergarten class at our school in order to
inform them about the topic of patterns. The poster must make the mathematical
case, contain their personal definitions of a pattern, explain why patterns are
important to learn about, provide examples of patterns and where they can be
found both in and outside of math, and be worded so that Kindergarten students
can understand the information on your poster. Students will present their posters
to Kindergarten classes within the school and then be put on display in the
hallways. A JMU math professor, Dr. Ann Wallace, will come in to class and
watch the presentations.
2. Interpretation: How can patterns be used to tell us about the past, present, and the future?
Interpretation: If children can answer this question, they understand that patterns can help
explain what happened in the past, tell us what is happening in the present, and predict
what can happen in the future.3. Application: How are patterns applied in the larger
world?
o Public Service Announcement: Students will create a public service
announcement that outlines how patterns can help them understand about the past,
present, and future. They will be given weather data from the past 5 years and
interpret this data by taking on the role of a meteorologist and be expected to
inform Harrisonburg and Rockingham County residents about the weather they
should be expected to face in the near future. Their public service announcement
must correctly inform residents about upcoming weather AND how they can
prepare for the weather while also backing up their statements by explaining how
they used patterns to help understand the past, present, and future weather. A
written draft will be prepared. Students will then practice presenting their
announcements and eventually be recorded by the teacher. The recordings will be
sent to Jay Webb at WHSV. For parents that are against recordings, these students
will present their announcements to the class but they will not be recorded. Jay
Webb may also come to class and watch the presentations as an alternative.
Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd.ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Continued:
3. Application: How are patterns applied in the larger world?
Application: If children can answer this question, they understand that patterns are all
around us and can be seen in many aspects of life.
o In the Eyes of a Life Consultant: The teacher will begin by explaining the role
of a life coach and give a brief introduction. Jaime K Reaser, a life coach from
Harrisonburg will come and talk to the class about what she does in her field and
where she may see patterns evolve. When students have a good understanding
about this position, they will take on the role of a life coach themselves. The
teacher will hand everyone a daily schedule (pre-made by the teacher) which is to
be each students client. Their goal is to interpret the schedules and find
problems within. Once they have noticed the problems it is their job to choose
two and write two paragraphs about what they would tell their client as they meet
with them tomorrow. Each paragraph must include: the problem, the solution, a
short explanation to their solution, and answer how their knowledge about
patterns helped them come to their solution.
4. Perspective: If children answer this question, they understand that effective problem solvers
use a variety of strategies to evaluate patterns. These same strategies can be applied to solve
problems in relations to other topics as well.
Perspective: What do effective problem solvers do, and what do they do when they get
stuck?
o Farmer Brad: Local turkey farmer Brad Miller will be welcomed to the class.
He will speak for a short period on his life as a turkey farmer and as a member of
the Virginia Poultry Cooperative. The teacher will explain that the real reason for
Brads visit is that he has 1 major problem in relation to patterns on the farm and
he needs help finding a solution. The problem proposed will be pre-made by the
teacher as will the solutions provided. The problem and the proposed solutions
will be handed to each student. Students will take on the role as another member
of the Virginia Poultry Cooperative. Students will create a PowerPoint slideshow
to try and convince the farmer why the solution they choose is the best. Their
PowerPoint must include: 3 things they learned from farmer Brad, 2 questions
they would still like to ask, the problem, the solution, and their explanation for
their solution. Their explanation should include their personal knowledge about
patterns.

Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd.ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

What other evidence will be collected in light of Stage 1 Desired Results?

Work Samples:
Students will create an in/out chart at the beginning of the unit.
A very few number of worksheets will be provided for reiteration of the learning content.
Prompts:
Choose a profession, maybe it is something that you want to be when you grow up. Can
you explain where you may see patterns at your job? How can patterns better help you
understand what is happening around you at work or better help you complete your job?
Quizzes:
Vocabulary matching
Students will be asked to create their own questions for a quiz. The topic of each
question will be given and students must make their own questions based on that topic.
(For example: geometrical growing patterns)
Homework:
At the beginning of the unit, students will be asked to create a list of patterns they see
within their street and home and bring to class the following day.
Discussion:
The class will discuss what they found within their homework assignment
Test:
A test will be given at the end of the unit.

Metacognition:
Students will complete an exit ticket for each PBE. Within this exit ticket students will answer
the following questions: What is one thing that you did really well? What is something that you
could have done differently? (Self-Assessment).
Students will participate in daily discussions which reflect on the content at hand. They will
answer questions such as: What strategies would work for solving this problem? How do patterns
help us understand the world around us? How might patterns become useful to a Forrest
Ranger? (Reflection)
Students will end the unit by answering a questionnaire. This will consist of both selfassessment questions and reflection questions such as the following: What are my strengths in
patterns? What are my weaknesses in patterns? If there were more time to spend on patterns,
what would I like to talk or go more in depth about? What strategies did you choose to use when
solving problems about patterns and why? How could the teacher have helped me differently?
(Self-Assessment and Reflection)

Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd.ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Stage 3 Plan Learning Experiences

Day 1
1. Begin by passing out characters of the spider book to each student that are premade.
Explain that as you read the book when the character the student has is mentioned, they
should post it on the board in the front of the class. Read the book and have students
complete their task. Ask students what the notice about the characters on the board.
Since patterns are familiar to students, they should come to the conclusion that the
characters represent a pattern. If not, guide them. Then ask students to think about the
characteristics of a pattern. Explain to them that the Kindergarten teachers need help
explaining to their students what a pattern is. Over the next few days it is our job as a
class to discover what we can about patterns in order to present our ideas to the
kindergarten students. H
2. Introduce the unit to the students. Share with them the essential questions and their
performance tasks. W
3. Explain that you were up late last night trying to make patterns for todays lesson. Some
examples should be patterns and others should not. The patterns should include both
numerical and geometric patterns along with growing and repeating patterns. Give each
student an example. Draw a 2 column chart on the white board. Have each student come
up and place their example in either the pattern column or the not a pattern column.
Ask students to explain their reasoning. Once all students are finished ask students to
give a thumbs up if they think that all the examples are in the correct place. If not, have
students come up and fix what they see wrong. Talk through each example again with the
students. Have the students make an in/out table in their math notebooks. They should
choose 3 examples of each category to copy in their notebook and then create 2 of their
own for each category. They should have 5 in each category total. E
4. Have students complete an exit ticket consisting of several patterns. They need to make
their own table and classify them. R
Day 2
1. *Introduce the problem of the day. Write the problem on the board and read the problem
aloud. Ask students to write a definition of a pattern in THEIR OWN words. Remind
them that we will talk about the answer tomorrow so they have the rest of the day to think
about their answers. Remind students that this may be easier after todays math lesson. E
2. The pattern category should be put back onto the whiteboard from the previous day.
Have students use the think, pair, share strategy and ask them to sort the category into
two distinctive categories. Give students time to silently think about their answers, pair
with a partner to talk about their answers, and then share with the rest of the class.
Students should come up with a shape category and a number category fairly easy if
they choose the repeating and not repeating, guide students to shape and number
categories. Have students talk at their tables about what they think may be a good
definition of each category. This should be fairly simple for the students. Then have the
groups share their definitions out loud. Come up with a class definition and explain that
the technical terms are geometrical and numerical. Have students write the definitions in
their math notebook. E
Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd.ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

3. Have students then think about how they would separate the geometrical and numerical
categories each into two separate categories one more time. This may take some time for
processing. Use the think, pair, share strategy once again. Guide the students in a class
discussion in order for them to come to the conclusion that some repeat and others do not.
E
4. Mention the category that does not repeat can once again be broken down into two
categories. This may be difficult for students. Have a class discussion and guide students
into realizing that some increase and some decrease. Mention that this is also known as
growing and shrinking. Have tables once again try to come up with a definition of
repeating, growing, and shrinking. Come together as a class and come up with a class
definition. Have students write the definitions in their notebooks. E
5. Provide students with a worksheet that has several questions about repeating, growing,
and shrinking patterns. Students are given a pattern and they need to write if it a
geometrical or numerical pattern and if it is repeating, growing, and shrinking. E
Day 3
1. New problem of the day. Ask students to classify given patterns whichever way they may
choose. Then ask students to explain why they chose to classify the patterns they way
that they did. E
2. Review previous problem of the day. Show examples of good definitions. Come up with
a class definition of what a pattern is and have students write the definition in their math
journal. R
3. Vocabulary Matching Quiz, very short. E, T-Process
4. Pull up the smartboard lesson on extending patterns and finding the missing number for
both geometrical and numerical patterns. Remind students to think back to their
vocabulary and refer to their notebook if they need help. The questions begin easier and
get harder as the lesson goes on. Questions may ask students to find the next term, the
12th term, or the missing term. Present a question, give students time to answer. Have
students work together at their tables. Work through each question as a class after the
tables are finished. Focusing on how students got to the answer which they have come
up with, or the rule of the pattern. E
5. Give students a worksheet which correlates directly with the smartboard lesson. Students
will need to find the term the question asks for and explain how they got to that term. E
Day 4
1. New problem of the day. Give students a pattern and tell them that a fellow fourth grade
teacher has extended the pattern. They need to decide if she has done so correctly. They
need to justify their answer. E
2. Review previous problem of the day. R
3. Performance Task #4: Farmer Brad: Local turkey farmer Brad Miller will be welcomed to
the class. He will speak for a short period on his life as a turkey farmer and as a member
of the Virginia Poultry Cooperative. The teacher will explain that the real reason for
Brads visit is that he has 1 major problem in relation to patterns on the Students will
take on the role as another member of the Virginia Poultry Cooperative. A picture of the
inside of a turkey house will be shown. Students will create a PowerPoint slideshow to
Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd.ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

explain how Farmer Brad can use patterns to solve his problem. Their PowerPoint must
include: 3 things they learned from farmer Brad, 2 questions they would still like to ask,
the problem, the solution, their strategies and their explanation. Their explanation should
include their personal knowledge about patterns. E, T-Process
a. Problem: Farmer Brad needs to hang water fountains in the house. He knows that
he needs enough space between each water fountain for a 40 pound bird of full
size to fit through. This means he needs approximately 1 foot between each water
fountain and each fountain is approximately 6 inches wide. 1 turkey house is 600
feet but he has 4 houses on the farm. Help Brad discover how many water
fountains he needs to purchase for all 4 turkey houses. Explain your answer and
how you used patterns to help you solve your problem. What strategies did you
use? Were they helpful?
Day 5
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

No new problem of the day.

Review previous problem of the day. R
Finish up presentations for Farmer Brad, he will come back this day. E, T-Process
Present PowerPoint Slideshows E
Exit Ticket: What could I have done differently? What did I do well? E-2
Introduce picture assignment. Ask students to take pictures with either a disposable
camera the teacher gives them or their own camera/ call phone. Ask them to take pictures
of patterns that they see over the course of the next few days/weekend. Explain that if
they are using their own camera, their guardian needs to print the pictures. If they are
using a camera which I give them I will take the cameras and get the pictures developed
myself. Pictures do not need to be printed if students can bring their electronic device to
class in order to present them. Explain that we will use these pictures for a later
assignment. Students should have both mathematical and non-mathematical problems and
need to have at least 10 pictures but are more than welcome to take more. E

Day 6
1. New Problem of the day: How does the clip from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
which we watched together in class compare to patterns? Explain your thoughts and use
complete sentences. E
2. No previous problem of the day to review.
3. Have students take a few minutes to think back on the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
clip. Explain that what goes in the machine must come out, the only difference is the
item changes. H
4. Introduce an Input/Output table. Give students an example of a completed table and
explain that it is their job to find what is changing from one side to the next. For example
multiply by 2 may be an answer. Then give students some examples where some
numbers are missing and the rule is given. They have to find the missing numbers. Then
lastly give students some examples of where some numbers are missing and so is the rule.
Students will have to find both. E
5. Have students go to
http://www2.smarttutor.com/player/swf/Algebra_Functions_L3_V1_T4a.swf and give
them time to play the game. E
Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd.ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Day 7
1. New problem of the day. Related to Input/Output tables. Find the rule and missing
numbers and describe how you got there. E
2. Review previous problem of the day. R
3. Introduce the contract and provide time for students to begin. Explain that the grade they
receive on the contract will be averaged with another assignment for a test grade. E
4. Ask students if we always see patterns in the form in which we have been learning about
the past three days. Have partners brainstorm a short list of where patterns can be seen.
They may research if they are struggling, compile into a class list. This is just for
students to use for brainstorming about their picture assignment. E, T-Process
5. Ask students to think again to themselves about why patterns are important. Particularly
what patterns can tell us about the past, present, and future. Have a class discussion
about ideas that students have come up with. E
Day 8
1. New problem of the day. Compile a list of at least 5 different places patterns can be seen.
These should not include mathematical patterns. Think creatively. Think back to our list
that we compiled yesterday. Then explain why each pattern is important for humans to
know about. Example: Weather patterns are important because they are used to tell us
what weather we may expect in the near future. Students may not use my pattern.
E
2. Review previous problem of the day. R
3. Contract time E
4. Split the class into groups of 4. Groups of 3 and 5 may work also. Each group will
receive a book on the topic of Weather. Each group will become experts about their
book. The jigsaw method will be used and each group will present to the rest of the class
their book. After each group has presented, talk as a class about what patterns can be
seen in each book or all the books combined. Explain to students that we cannot only see
what is happening at this time or predict a patterns future, but we can learn from the past.
E, T-Process
Day 9
1. New Problem of the Day. Think about working at a grocery store. What kinds of
patterns are you likely to see? Explain. E
2. Review previous problem of the day. R
3. Contract time E
4. Explain to the students that there are two different assignments which they can choose
from. Explain performance tasks 2 and 3. Tell the students that once they have
completed their task, they must make handout that explains their task and how they
completed it, along with what their group has learned from the task that they have
chosen. A sheet for the requirements of the handout can be handed to each student. Split
the class into no more than 6 groups. E, E-2
a. Performance Task #3: In the Eyes of a Consultant, the teacher will begin by
explaining the role of a life coach and give a brief introduction. Jaime K Reaser,
Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd.ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

a life coach from Harrisonburg will come and talk to the class about what she
does in her field and where she may see patterns evolve. When students have a
good understanding about this position, they will take on the role of a life coach
themselves. The teacher will hand everyone a daily schedule (pre-made by the
teacher) which is to be each students client. Their goal is to interpret the
schedules and find problems within. Once they have noticed the problems it is
their job to choose two and write two paragraphs about what they would tell their
client as they meet with them tomorrow. Each paragraph must include: the
problem, the solution, a short explanation to their solution, and answer how their
knowledge about patterns helped them come to their solution. Have students
relate back to the previous class session.
b. Performance Task #2: Public Service Announcement, students will each create a
public service announcement that outlines how patterns can help them understand
about the past, present, and future. They will be given weather data from the past
5 years and interpret this data by taking on the role of a meteorologist and be
expected to inform Harrisonburg and Rockingham County residents about the
weather they should be expected to face in the near future. Their public service
announcement must correctly inform residents about upcoming weather AND
how they can prepare for the weather while also backing up their statements by
explaining how they used patterns to help understand the past, present, and future
weather. A written draft will be prepared. Students will then practice presenting
their announcements and eventually be recorded by the teacher. The recordings
will be sent to Jay Webb at WHSV. For parents that are against recordings, these
students will present their announcements to the class but they will not be
recorded.
Day 10
1. New Problem of the Day: How do patterns help tell us about the past, present, and
future? E
2. Review previous problem of the day. R
3. Contract time E
4. Give students time to finish up their task and/or presentation. E, E-2
5. Have groups present their handouts. E, E-2
6. Exit Ticket: What could I have done differently? What did I do really well? In what
ways are learning about patterns that are not mathematical help me think about the world
in a different perspective? E-2
Day 11
1. No new problem of the day.
2. Review previous problem of the day. R
3. Contract time, this will be the day that the contract is due. E
4. Introduce Unit Test: Explain to the students that their test is going to be different from
normal. Their contract and their last performance task grades will be combined for a test
score. The score received on these two items will be averaged for a test score. Students
will be able redo portions of each assignment for a better grade if needed. E, T-process
Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd.ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

a. Performance Task #1: Breaking it down, students will take on the role of a
mathematician and create a poster that will be used to present to a Kindergarten
class at our school in order to inform them about the topic of patterns. The poster
must make the mathematical case, contain their personal definitions of a pattern,
explain why patterns are important to learn about, provide examples of patterns
and where they can be found both in and outside of math, and be worded so that
Kindergarten students can understand the information on your poster. Students
will present their posters to Kindergarten classes within the school and then be put
on display in the hallways. A JMU math professor, Dr. Ann Wallace, will come in
to class and watch the presentations.
Day 12
1. Finish up posters. E, T-Process
2. Present posters to Kindergarten students. E
3. Self-Assess/Reflection Questionnaire; what are my strengths in patterns? What are my
weaknesses in patterns? If there were more time to spend on patterns, what would I like
to talk or go more in depth about? What strategies did you choose to use when solving
problems about patterns and why? How could the teacher have helped me differently? R,
E-2
*Problem of the Day: A question will be given each day and can be completed by the student for
extra credit on specific assignments. There will be no class time for completing the problem but
can be completed when students finish assignments early, down time in class, completed at home
and more. The students will put their answers into the problem of the day box. These problems
are due the following morning when students walk into class. We will take about 10 minutes,
more or less time as needed, the following day to go over student responses and the correct
answer. Since this is optional. At the beginning of revisiting the previous days problem, I will
give ALL students time to complete the question. Students that did not turn their answer in on
time will not receive the extra credit.

Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd.ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development.