Grade Two

Students will explore, recognize, represent, and apply patterns and relationships, both informally and formally.

In grade two, children will build on their knowledge from grade one to compare and contrast patterns; demonstrate an understanding that there are many ways to continue a pattern; identify and use patterns in an addition table; identify and extend place value patterns; represent patterns using their own symbolism; and solve simple, open sentences involving addition and subtraction facts.

Suggestions for Teaching

Providing children with different patterns allows them to discover that patterns can have many different shapes and forms such as repeating patterns and growing patterns. This allows them to compare and contrast patterns to see similarities and differences. For example:

Repeating Pattern:
2, 4, 6, 2, 4, 6, 2, 4, 6...
ooOOooOOooOO...

Growing Pattern:
2, 4, 6, 8, 10...
O, OO, OOO, OOOO...

It is important to provide students with opportunities to continue patterns. Also, providing students with an addition table is a great way to identify patterns in numbers. Patterns can be found both horizontally, vertically or diagonally in the addition table.

Encourage students to be creative in making and representing their own patterns with their own unique symbols and notation.

When teaching patterns, try to incorporate addition and subtraction open sentences where one value in the operation is left out, such as
8 + 2 = ___
8 + ___ = 10
___ + 2 = 10
10 - 8 = ___
10 - ___ = 2
___ - 8 = 2

Remember to provide manipulatives to all students during this type of activity.