Follow the Pattern
3th Grade – Math  – Swedish Education System

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Materials for the lesson

Phase 1. The music: If You’re Happy and You Know It.

The video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfCMRk-osJ8

Phase 3. Simple maps for each student.

Layout of the classroom

Phase 1 and 2. The classroom setting is empty to move freely.

Phase 3 and 4. The normal classroom setting.

Phase 1

The teacher asks the students to repeat after him or her. The teacher claps the hands one and the students repeats. It can be different patterns with slow or fast movements.

–       Clap your hands

–       Click your fingers

–       Tap your shoulders

–       Nod your head

–       Blink your eyes

–       Turn around

After the students repeat the movements the teacher starts the music: If You’re Happy and You Know It. They dance all together.

The tips to the teacher: use this video while dancing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfCMRk-osJ8

Phase 2

 The whole class stands in a circle. The teacher starts with one movement and then changes it something different after a couple of seconds. For example, clapping hands, dancing movements, shaking head, and waving hands. Every time the teacher makes the movement the rhythm follows with the music: Chokala Chokala Chokala Po Po. The teacher creates the movement and students follow one by one.

The important thing is that everyone should copy the person on their right side. The teacher starts her movement; “waving her hands” and then changes it to “clapping”. The student on the right should wait until she has changed to the second movement and then copy the pattern from the beginning; waving her hands, clapping, etc. The next should repeat in the same way, wait until the student has got the second movement and start the pattern from the beginning. The students should focus on, observe and follow the movements. When the whole group fails to follow the pattern, the teacher divides the whole classroom into small groups. Then they gather again. At the beginning the teacher creates the movements. Later on the students who are volunteers can take the lead and create patterns.

Phase 3

The teacher brings some maps, which have directions from one place to another. These maps can be complicated or simple. Each student gets one map. They observe the map carefully. In the map there are two points, which can be called ‘A’ and ‘B’.

The teacher divides the students into pairs. The members of the pairs do not see each other’s map. One member of the pair comes in front of the whiteboard and the other one explain how a person will go from point A to B. One of the pair explains and the other one draws on the whiteboard. Then the teacher compares two maps. Each pair completes the activity.

Tips to the teacher: In order to speed the process 3 pairs can be part of the activity at the same time.

Phase 4

The teacher asks questions in order to reflect on different pattern in life with music, map and dance.

–       Why do we need to know how to follow pattern?

–       Where are these patterns in the life?