Can you solve the pattern: 🔢✔️❗️🔢✔️_____

This week in math class we started patterns and algebra. Growing up in elementary and middle school I enjoyed learning about patterns and algebra, I became comfortable with the units and understood them better, as opposed to learning about fractions where I only started grasping fractions and problem solving with fractions.  However this week was a good lesson involving manipulatives, interactive minds on activity, inspirational quotes and good mini-lesson presentations.

Our opening activity got us involved off the bat working with our group members to find the patterns.

This opening activity was wide based in the sense that it gave each student the opportunity to start with any pattern they wanted to, and also find the pattern with the method they preferred (ie. T-table, graph, equation, or block pictures). They could start with the equation and find the picture and graph that match it or start with the picture blocks. It also builds a growth mindset for some students giving them the option to start with something they may not be familiar with or strong with and get support from their group members.  This activity brought forth the learning skills of working collaboratively in a group and possibly individually, had a wide based to begin with and can introduce patterns in a variety of ways. When we had the chance to add the pattern blocks into the activity it allowed us to visualize the equation with the blocks; what the pattern was grouped by and the ‘extra’ value.

I personally solved the patterns by starting with the equation and finding the rest of the matching cards that way. I thought of this particular activity similar to sports, the equation was the rule I have to follow in order to continue finding the remainder of the pattern. The equation was the starting foundation to discover the graph that represents the equation and then the pattern blocks. I really enjoyed this particular opening activity it will definitely be a resource I will add to my toolbox of teaching resources.

This week’s reading material was very helpful and provides us teacher candidates with multiple resources in teaching patterns and how to find similarities between patterns, understanding a starting equation what a pattern is grouped by and the extra that is added onto that creates the patterns. It also laid out common errors and misconceptions of patterns and suggested strategies for us educators to help guide our students.

The quote that Patricia showed us this week from Twitter by user @Natalie Palombi is a great quote! This was my first time reading this quote and I found it to be very inspirational for students and one that can definitely be posted in the classroom. I think it is important to have students understand that making mistakes only builds us and helps us to improve for the next time we are faced with a similar situation. When we make mistakes it is important for us to learn how we can correct our mistakes, gives us the opportunity to develop an open mindset, to discover new ways to solve problems and work with our peers to share our ideas and thoughts behind problem solving.

This week was loaded with lots of presentations each having great themes and activities to go with them. Henna’s Halloween themed activity was a fun activity that got us figuring out the pattern we had and find the matching solution or riddle for the pattern. We got to work in a group for time but I think you could also have students work independently and then share their solutions and how the steps they took to solve the patterns. Kevin’s worksheets had us working with different patterns and got us thinking of the rule that goes with each pattern and trying to find that the rules. Some questions also had to explain the patterns in words not just with numbers. Kate’s baseball themed activity and Jessica’s grocery shopping spree got us working collaboratively in groups and made discovering patterns fun and interactive.

Let's congress

This past week in Math was different then past weeks. It felt more of a continuation from previous weeks with fractions and decimals and adding on with ratios. This week I also had my mini lesson presentation that I think went well. But first with the lesson, we started it off again with another captivating open activity. This specific activity had me challenged, I found it hard to start and once I started writing down the information fro the equation I couldn’t think of a way to solve the problem. I found it difficult to solve this particular problem because I could not visualize the problem. At first I wanted to start by drawing the figures out and trying to imagine them but then I just tried to do the same by looking at the image on the screen. One we wrote it out as a ratio it started to make sense to me but then when we did it as solving for the variable it was hard for me to grasp that concept of solving for this particular equation. This equation came with the opportunity to use different methods to solve and definitely could have the potential to build on from the original problem.

A big part of this week’s lesson was the concept and idea of a math congress. We built from last week’s math problem with figure out Joel’s kitten problem. We expanded our small 4 people group into bigger congresses. A congress can really bring out the importance of group work and working in a team setting, getting students to share ideas and problem solving solutions with each other, help build connections to solutions and even connections to real world and bring forth a deeper understanding. Starting off by learning about congresses and being apart of one helps to understand the importance and deeper meaning. It allows for us educators to be in the shoes of our younger learners. It brings forth to strong mathematical process that are in the curriculum and that is reasoning & providing and communication. These two processes can sometimes be overseen in math; as a student I never really provided reasoning behind how and why I solved my math problems I just did what I had to, to find the answer. But when we allow our students to share their understanding and thought process it will make it easier for them to be able to do it again with a different problem. We allow for our memories to bring forth important concepts because we understand them better. Communication is the same and it falls and in hand with reasoning and providing. With a math congress students can have ownership of their work and ideas and have a choice, which in mathematics is important for students to have the ability to choose how to solve a problem the way they understand it best.

Like I mentioned earlier I also had my presentation this past week. I think overall it went well I think my idea made sense to what I was teaching and I hope it targeted what I wanted it to, which was to help my peers understand that adding integers is as easy as walking forwards and backwards. Adding movement and physical activity is something I think about frequently when creating lesson plans and concepts. I understand sometimes concepts and ideas won’t always be captured with that strategy but with math it makes it easier then other subjects and I for one will work in crossing curriculum’s and subjects over to help explain the relationship with one another. I think all three of the lesson plans on integers were well done by both Adam and Kelley, they taught integers different then me and I enjoy seeing that. I think as educators it is important to work with one another and share ideas and strategies that work in your classroom. I think as teachers we can make a strong team and working with each other is a piece, but allowing each other to become a part of their classroom and share ideas and perceptions is something I look forward too.