Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v5 - Grade 1

Patterns: number patterns and simple rules – Week 6 focus

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Subject: Mathematics

Class: Grade 1

Term: 2nd Term

Week: 6

Theme: General lesson support

Lesson Video

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Performance objectives

Lesson summary

This lesson introduces Grade 1 learners to the exciting world of number patterns. A pattern is a sequence of things that repeats in a logical, predictable way. Number patterns are lists of numbers that follow a specific rule. Understanding patterns is a fundamental mathematical skill. It helps learners develop logical reasoning, make predictions, and understand the basic structure of our number system. In South Africa, patterns are all around us – in the vibrant geometric designs of Ndebele houses, the intricate beadwork of Zulu culture, and the rhythms of our music and dance.

Lesson notes

What is a Number Pattern? A number pattern is like a secret code with numbers. It's a list of numbers that is not random but follows a special rule. Our job is to be number detectives and figure out the rule! The rule tells us how to get from one number in the pattern to the next. For Grade 1, we will focus on rules where we add the same number each time. This is also called skip counting.

A. Counting in 1s This is the simplest pattern. The rule is "add 1".

Pattern: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, ...

How it works: We start at

1. We add 1 to get

2. We add 1 to get

3. We keep adding

1. Example: Thabo is collecting stones. Every day he finds one more stone.

Day 1: 1 stone Day 2: 2 stones (1 + 1)

Day 3: 3 stones (2 + 1)

The pattern of his stones is: 1, 2, 3, 4, ...

B. Counting in 2s (Skip Counting by 2) The rule for this pattern is "add 2".

Pattern: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, ...

How it works: We start at

2. We add 2 to get

4. We add 2 to get

6. It’s like skipping over one number on the number line. (Start at 2) -> Jump over 3 -> (Land on 4) -> Jump over 5 -> (Land on 6)