Kindergarten Fall Math — Counting to 100, Subitizing, Cardinality, Shapes, and Pattern
Lesson 12 30 min math.gK.f.lesson_12

Patterns — AB and ABB, extend and create

Skills targeted
Objectives
  • Students can identify the unit of repetition in an AB and ABB pattern.
  • Students can extend a pattern by 2-4 more terms and create an original repeating pattern.
Vocabulary
patternunitrepeatextendABABB

Lesson plan

Warm-up

5 min

Body-pattern routine: teacher claps-stomps-claps-stomps; children echo. Repeat with clap-clap-stomp pattern.

Teacher moves
  • Name the pattern after children participate: 'That was AB — clap stomp clap stomp.'
  • Try ABB: clap stomp stomp clap stomp stomp.
Media
M-K-F-AT-12-C Video Physical / non-image

45-second video. Two children (varied skin tones) facing the camera, demonstrating: clap-stomp-clap-stomp (4 cycles) labeled 'AB'; then clap-stomp-stomp (4 cycles) labeled 'ABB'; then clap-clap-stomp (4 cycles) labeled 'AAB'. On-screen captions show the pattern letters as each move is made. Simple gym background, bright lighting.

Direct instruction

10 min

A PATTERN is something that REPEATS. The repeating part is called the UNIT. Watch.

Key examples
  • We read the unit, then we repeat the unit.
    model 'Unit is red-blue. Pattern label: AB. What comes next? RED!'
    prompt Build cube pattern: red-blue-red-blue-red-blue.
  • The unit can be 3 things — like A-B-B.
    model 'Unit is red-blue-blue. Pattern label: ABB. What comes next? RED!'
    prompt Build cube pattern: red-blue-blue-red-blue-blue.
  • We could even sing it: HIGH-LOW HIGH-LOW. Same pattern.
    model 'The pattern doesn't care WHAT we use — it cares about the UNIT.'
    prompt Pattern translation: red-blue cubes = clap-stomp body pattern = circle-square shape pattern.
Checks for understanding
  • What is the unit of red-blue-red-blue? (red-blue)
  • What letter pattern is clap-stomp-stomp? (ABB)
Media
M-K-F-AT-12-A Chart Physical / non-image

24"x18" poster titled 'PATTERNS.' Three rows. Row 1 (AB): red-blue-red-blue-red-blue cubes with 'unit: red-blue' labeled. Row 2 (ABB): red-blue-blue-red-blue-blue with 'unit: red-blue-blue' labeled. Row 3 (AAB): red-red-blue-red-red-blue with 'unit: red-red-blue' labeled. Each row has 2 empty cells at the end with prompt 'what comes next?' Below all rows: large 'a pattern REPEATS its UNIT.'

Guided practice

10 min
Tasks
  • Vertical surface task (VRG light): pairs stand at chart paper taped at child-height. Each pair gets a started AB pattern (4 cubes); they extend with 4 more.
    scaffold Pattern strip with empty cells beyond the started portion.
  • Bead-string create: each child threads a 10-bead pattern (own choice: AB or ABB) onto a pipe-cleaner.
  • Translation: take partner's bead pattern and translate to a body-movement pattern (clap/stomp/jump/wiggle).
Media
M-K-F-AT-12-B Photograph
Top-down photograph of a wooden 2-row, 4-pit Mancala-style sowing board, with stones (8 total — 2 per pit) arranged. Bri

Top-down photograph of a wooden 2-row, 4-pit Mancala-style sowing board, with stones (8 total — 2 per pit) arranged. Brief teacher-facing caption: 'Mancala — a West African counting game c. 700 CE. Used for one-to-one practice. Note: cultural context required during use — name the African origin.' Sized as a 6"x4" inset photo for use during cultural-context discussion.

Formative assessment

2 min
Exit ticket
  • Extend pattern: red-blue-red-blue-red-_____ -_____
  • Create your own ABB pattern using crayons (3 colors).
scoring Both correct = mastery snapshot; extend correct, create incoherent = practicing; both wrong = reteach

Closure

Moves
  • Class chants their favorite bead pattern out loud.
  • Preview: 'Tomorrow we meet shapes!'

Homework

5 min
Tasks
  • Find a pattern at home (clothes stripes, floor tiles, wallpaper) and describe it to a grown-up. What is the unit?

Exercises in this lesson

math.gK.f.at.patterns_extend.ex_01
Here is the start of a pattern: red - blue - red - blue - red - blue. What 4 cubes come next?
 extend with cubes · diff 2
math.gK.f.at.patterns_extend.ex_02
Create your own ABB pattern using 3 colors of crayons in your math journal. Draw at least 9 elements (3 full repetitions of the unit).
 create ABB with crayons · diff 3

Differentiation

Scaffolds
  • Start with AB before ABB
  • Provide letter labels under each pattern element
  • Limit to 2 colors before introducing 3
Extensions
  • AAB and ABBA patterns
  • Find the unit in a 12-term pattern
  • Translate a pattern across 4 different modalities
English Learners
  • Bilingual sentence frame 'My pattern is ___ ___ ___' on table tent
  • Color-name word cards
Ieps 504s
  • Larger beads (chunky beads, easier threading)
  • Pre-started pattern with 6 of 8 terms

Teacher notes

Patterns are algebraic thinking at K — recognizing structure that recurs. The UNIT of repetition is the key concept; without it, children just see 'a string of things.' The translation-across-modality move (cubes → body → song) is the higher-order generalization step — research (NCTM 2014) shows it predicts later algebraic reasoning. Mancala is named explicitly as a West African counting/sowing game (c. 700 CE) — this is a culturally responsive mathematics moment, not decoration.