Patterning and Algebra
One of the central themes in mathematics is the study of patterns and relationships. This study requires students to recognize, describe, and generalize patterns and to build mathematical models to simulate the behaviour of real-world phenomena that exhibit observable patterns.
Young students identify patterns in shapes, designs, and movement, as well as in sets of numbers. They study both repeating patterns and growing and shrinking patterns and develop ways to extend them. Concrete materials and pictorial displays help students create patterns and recog- nize relationships. Through the observation of different representations of a pattern, students begin to identify some of the properties of the pattern.
In the junior grades, students use graphs, tables, and verbal descriptions to represent relation- ships that generate patterns. Through activities and investigations, students examine how pat- terns change, in order to develop an understanding of variables as changing quantities. In the intermediate grades, students represent patterns algebraically and use these representations to make predictions.
A second focus of this strand is on the concept of equality. Students look at different ways of using numbers to represent equal quantities. Variables are introduced as “unknowns”, and tech- niques for solving equations are developed. Problem solving provides students with opportu- nities to develop their ability to make generalizations and to deepen their understanding of the relationship between patterning and algebra.
Young students identify patterns in shapes, designs, and movement, as well as in sets of numbers. They study both repeating patterns and growing and shrinking patterns and develop ways to extend them. Concrete materials and pictorial displays help students create patterns and recog- nize relationships. Through the observation of different representations of a pattern, students begin to identify some of the properties of the pattern.
In the junior grades, students use graphs, tables, and verbal descriptions to represent relation- ships that generate patterns. Through activities and investigations, students examine how pat- terns change, in order to develop an understanding of variables as changing quantities. In the intermediate grades, students represent patterns algebraically and use these representations to make predictions.
A second focus of this strand is on the concept of equality. Students look at different ways of using numbers to represent equal quantities. Variables are introduced as “unknowns”, and tech- niques for solving equations are developed. Problem solving provides students with opportu- nities to develop their ability to make generalizations and to deepen their understanding of the relationship between patterning and algebra.
Ontario Curriculum, Mathematics (grade 1-8), 2005