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Learning Objectives 

Students will: 

• Define a pattern and repetition.
• Identify AB patterns in nature and manmade objects or material.
• Construct an AB pattern using small manipulatives.
• Organize an AB pattern using simple items found in the classroom.
• Demonstrate an AB pattern with instruments.

Standards Alignment

National Core Arts StandardsNational Core Arts Standards

Common Core State StandardsCommon Core State Standards

Recommended Student Materials

Editable Documents: Before sharing these resources with students, you must first save them to your Google account by opening them, and selecting “Make a copy” from the File menu. Check out Sharing Tips or Instructional Benefits when implementing Google Docs and Google Slides with students.

Additional Materials

• 2 color blocks, Unifix cubes, tiles, counting bears, and/or other manipulatives
• age-appropriate magazines (optional)
• instruments (rhythm sticks, bells, cymbals, triangles, or use tools like pencils, spoons, buckets...etc.)

Teacher Background

Teachers should be familiar with basic concepts of rhythm and AB pattern structure.

Student Prerequisites 

Students should know basic shape vocabulary and mathematical concepts, such as pattern and repetition.

Accessibility Notes

Adapt math materials as needed and allow extra time. 

Engage

1. Warm-up! Start with a pile of blocks that contains two colors. Have the students sort the blocks by color into two separate piles. Next, have the students lay out the blocks in a long line alternating color. Explain that they have just created an AB pattern.

2. Introduce students to patterns using the . Gather the students in whole group. Ask two students to hold a large sheet of paper with the letter “A”, and another as “B” and arrange them in an AB pattern. Explain that it is called AB pattern because A is one thing, B is something else.

3. Have students create AB patterns. Bring up several more students (shirt colors, shoe types, or other recognizable patterns) and instruct the students to arrange themselves in AB patterns. Write the pattern that is created on chart paper or an interactive board and explain that pattern is something that repeats. Label this as an AB pattern.

4. Create AB patterns through clapping. Make one clap for “A” and two claps for “B”. Ask the students to say “A”, “B” aloud and in time with the claps as you point to the students that are arranged up in front of the room. [NOTE: You can try more complicated patterns if you think that they understand the concept. Older students should easily be able to try ABA and ABBA, etc.]

Build

1. Show students the . These pictures can come from all different areas of life: inside, outside, at home, in school, playing in the pool, or at a playground.

2. Ask students to think about where they have seen patterns. Write or draw them on chart paper or an interactive board. Give constructive feedback explaining why each example is or is not a pattern. If the example is not a pattern, ask students what they could do to make it a pattern or challenge them to find another type of pattern in the same category.

3. Reinforce the AB pattern by showing them examples of AB patterns in textile samples. Find patterns in students' clothes, like alternating stripes, polka dots, or pictures illustrating the AB pattern (magazines are a good source for these pictures.)

Apply

1. Students practice arranging manipulatives in an AB pattern. Students are given a set of manipulatives, such as Unifix cubes, in two different colors. Students practice arranging them in an AB pattern. If time allows, try other patterns.

2. Students analyze AB patterns. Gather the students together. On chart paper or an interactive board, model AB patterns using shapes. Ask students to duplicate the pattern with their manipulatives and illustrate them on the handout. Tip: Insert the handouts into sheet protectors and reuse them!

3. Students analyze more complex patterns. On chart paper or an interactive board, create an ABA or ABBA pattern using shapes. Ask students to write the pattern down. Ask the students to duplicate this pattern with their manipulatives.

4. Students explore the classroom for AB patterns. Have students go around the room and search for patterns or prearrange patterns for students to view. Allow time for students to share the patterns they found.

5. Create AB music patterns by clapping. Clap once for A and twice for B for both simple AB and more complex patterns still on the chart paper, interactive board, or found in the classroom.

6. Check for understanding by asking students to make instrumental music using patterns. Using two different instruments (rhythm sticks, bells, cymbals, triangles, or use tools like pencils, spoons, buckets...etc), assign one instrument to the letter A and another to the letter B. Put AB patterns on chart paper or an interactive board. Ask the classroom musicians to play the patterns. Depending on the number of students and/or instruments, each student may have only one instrument to play.

7. Assign homework to take patterns outside the classroom. Ask students to look in their closets and drawers for clothing that shows an AB pattern. Ask them to wear or bring that clothing with them to school tomorrow. Examples can be a shirt or scarf with two-color stripes, a repeated set of images on a belt or socks, etc. (Bring a few extra clothing patterns to the class for students who do not bring or wear a pattern.)

8. Have a pattern parade in the classroom (or into the hallways and school).  Put the class into an AB pattern. Give each student representing “A” one type of instrument and each student representing “B” another type of instrument. As they march, establish a left-right (AB) pattern and play the instruments on the same pattern. For example, “A” strike rhythm sticks on the left foot and “B” shake the tambourine on the right. As each student enters the “grandstand area,” have him or her stop and explain the pattern he or she is wearing.

Reflect

1. Make a wall mural of the pattern parade. Using a large roll of paper, have each student draw himself or herself in the order he or she marched in the parade. Have the student label if he or she was an A or B, what instrument he or she played, and the pattern he or she wore.

2. Assess students’ knowledge of patterns by taking a pattern walk around the school, playground, nature trail, etc. looking for AB patterns. Have each student draw one picture reflecting a pattern they saw. Put the pictures together to create a classroom book. It could be called “Patterns on our Playground” or something similar.