Lesson 2

Make and Break Apart Pattern Block Designs

Warm-up: Which One Doesn’t Belong: Pattern Block Designs (10 minutes)

Narrative

This warm-up prompts students to compare four designs of pattern blocks. It draws students’ attention to the total number of pattern blocks in a design and the numbers of shapes within each group in the design, which will be useful when students create and compare pattern block designs in upcoming activities. This activity gives students a reason to attend to the features of each representation and to use language precisely (MP6).

Launch

  • Groups of 2
  • Display the image.
  • “Pick one that doesn’t belong. Be ready to share why it doesn’t belong.”
  • 1 minute: quiet think time

Activity

  • “Discuss your thinking with your partner.”
  • 2–3 minutes: partner discussion
  • Record responses.

Student Facing

Which one doesn’t belong?

APattern blocks in rows. Orange shapes, 4. Blue shapes, 3.

B2 rows blue pattern blocks. Top row, 3. Bottom row, 3.
C3 rows of pattern blocks. First row 2 squares. Second row, 2 blue shapes. Third row, 2 squares. 
DPattern blocks, scattered. 3 square blocks, 3 blue blocks.

Student Response

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Activity Synthesis

  • “Let’s find at least one reason why each one doesn’t belong.”

Activity 1: Create Pattern Blocks Designs (10 minutes)

Narrative

The purpose of this activity is for students to compose a group of 7 objects and identify the parts and total in the design. In the activity synthesis, students share their designs and discuss that while the total number of pattern blocks stays the same, the numbers of each type of pattern block changes. As students share, the teacher records an expression to represent the parts in each design.

MLR8 Discussion Supports. Invite students to begin partner interactions by repeating the question, “What is the same and what is different?” This gives both students an opportunity to produce language.
Advances: Conversing

Required Materials

Materials to Gather

Launch

  • Groups of 2
  • Give students pattern blocks and crayons. 
  • “Create a design with 7 pattern blocks. Use only green triangles and orange squares. Draw a picture of your design and write numbers to show how many green triangles and how many orange squares you used.”

Activity

  • 3 minutes: independent work time
  • Monitor for students who use different numbers of triangles and squares to create a design with 7 pattern blocks. 
  • “Share your design with your partner. Tell them how many green triangles you used, how many orange squares you used, and how many pattern blocks you used altogether.” 
  • 2 minutes: partner discussion

Student Facing

My Design

Green triangle. Line. Orange square. Line.

Student Response

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Activity Synthesis

  • Invite 2–3 students who used different numbers of squares and triangles to share their designs.
  • “What parts do you see in _____’s design?” (There is a group of 5 green triangles. There is a group of 2 orange squares.)
  • As students share, record each design with an expression. For example:
  • “In the past, we used expressions to show when something was added or taken away. We can also write an expression to show the parts that we see. This design has 7 pattern blocks, 5 green triangles and 2 orange squares. I can write that as \(5 + 2\).”
  • “What is the same about each design? What is different?” (They each have 7 pattern blocks. They each have only squares and triangles. The designs look different. They used different numbers of squares and triangles.)
  • If needed, say “Each design had 7 pattern blocks, but they used different numbers of green triangles and orange squares. There were still 7 pattern blocks.”

Activity 2: Han’s Pattern Block Design (10 minutes)

Narrative

The purpose of this activity is for students to see 8 pattern blocks broken into 2 parts in multiple ways. Students represent each pattern block design with an expression. When students write an expression to represent the pattern blocks they reason abstractly and quantitatively (MP2).

Representation: Access for Perception. Students with color blindness will benefit from verbal emphasis, gestures, or labeled displays to distinguish between the different colors of pattern blocks. 
Supports accessibility for: Visual-Spatial Processing

Required Materials

Materials to Gather

Launch

  • Groups of 2
  • Give students pattern blocks.
  • “Make another design with 7 pattern blocks, using only green triangles and orange squares. Use a different number of orange squares and green triangles than you did in the previous activity.”
  • 2 minutes: independent work time
  • “Share your design with your partner. Tell your partner how many pattern blocks you used altogether, and how many green triangles and orange squares you used.” 
  • 2 minutes: partner discussion.
  • “Here are some pattern block designs that Han made with 8 pattern blocks. Write an expression to show how many green triangles and red trapezoids he used in each design.”

Activity

  • 3 minutes: partner work time

Student Facing

Han used 8 pattern blocks.

  1.  
    Pattern blocks. Green 5, Red, 3.


    Expression: ___________________________

  2.  


    Expression: ___________________________

  3.  
    Pattern blocks. Green, 3. Red, 5.


    Expression: ___________________________

  4.  
    Pattern block design. Red, 4. Green, 4.


    Expression: ___________________________

Student Response

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Activity Synthesis

  • “What are the different ways to make 8 that you found in the designs?” (5 and 3, 4 and 4, 6 and 2)
  • Display the first and third designs.
  • “What is the same about these designs? What is different?” (They both show 5 and 3. They both have 8 pattern blocks. One used more red trapezoids and one used more green triangles.)

Activity 3: Centers: Choice Time (20 minutes)

Narrative

The purpose of this activity is for students to choose from activities that offer practice with addition and subtraction.

Students choose from any stage of previously introduced centers.

  • Check It Off
  • Find the Value of Expressions
  • Bingo
  • Shake and Spill

Required Materials

Materials to Gather

Required Preparation

  • Gather materials from: 
    • Check It Off, Stage 1
    • Find the Value of Expressions, Stage 1
    • Bingo, Stages 1–3
    • Shake and Spill, Stages 1–3

Launch

  • “Today we are going to choose from centers we have already learned.”
  • Display the center choices in the student book.
  • “Think about what you would like to do first.”
  • 30 seconds: quiet think time

Activity

  • Invite students to work at the center of their choice. 
  • 8 minutes: center work time
  • “Choose what you would like to do next.”
  • 8 minutes: center work time

Student Facing

Choose a center.

Check it Off

Center. Check It Off.

Bingo

Center. Bingo.

Find the Value of
Expressions

Center activity. Find the Value of Expressions.

Shake and Spill

Center. Shake and Spill.

Activity Synthesis

  • Display 4 red counters and 2 yellow counters.
  • “Andre was playing Shake and Spill and this is what his counters looked like. What are the two parts that you see in the counters?” (4 and 2)
  • “If Andre shakes and spills 6 counters again, what is a different way that his counters could look?” (3 red and 3 yellow, 5 red and 1 yellow)

Lesson Synthesis

Lesson Synthesis

Display this pattern block design from Activity 2:

Pattern block design

“How many pattern blocks are in this design?” (8)

“What parts do you see in this design?” (6 green triangles, 2 red trapezoids)

“One way that we can break apart 8 is 6 and 2. 8 is \(6 + 2\).”

“What can we change about the design to show a different way to break apart 8?” (Sample response: You could take away one red trapezoid and add one green triangle. Then it would show 7 and 1.) 

Invite students to share and demonstrate student suggestions.

Cool-down: Unit 5, Section A Checkpoint (0 minutes)

Cool-Down

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