Investigation Menu

Week 2 - Days 2, 3, 4 & 5

Introduction
This investigation menu includes both linear and quadratic functions. Whenever we Connection to CCSS
can add choice to students’ mathematics learning it enhances their engagement and MP 1
enjoyment. In the different tasks on offer students will be asked all the ways they can MP 2
see the growth using multiple representations, they will consider how to generalize MP 7
the patterns, and they will consider what they can learn about growth from looking MP 8
at different representations. These pattern tasks give students more important HSA.CED.A.2
experience of using algebra to express relationships.

The exploration of patterns can extend across multiple days. In our notes below we offer a structure for one
day of work, that can be repeated across multiple days with differnt patterns.

Agenda

Activity Time Description/Prompt Materials

Launch 10 min Students select the activity they want to • Suspension Bridges
explore. • Toothpick Squares
• Flowerbeds
• Dotty Pattern
• Squares Over Squares

Explore 25 min Investigate the activity. • Maths journal

• Toothpicks
Make a poster showing at least four • Square tiles
representations to show how the pattern • Circle counters
is growing: words, graph, table, visual, and • Colored pencils
algebraic expression. Use color-coding
to show the connections between the
representations.

Extend Have students select another activity from • Maths journal

the menu.

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To the Teacher
Our goal for these tasks is that students gain more experience investigating patterns and describing
them algebraically, through open, exploratory activities. It is likely that you will encounter a wide range of
student understanding of algebraic relationships. The “low floor, high ceiling” nature of the tasks means
that students will be able to work on the ideas that are right for them. It may be that students are best
served continuing to work on a problem over a few lessons, while others may be better served moving to
different problems.

If a student finishes before others, an excellent extension question to ask them, is can they see the
growth of the pattern in a different way?

Launch
Share with students they will have an opportunity to continue to work on their ideas about multiple
representations and growth patterns. Let them know they will choose from five investigations. Provide
each student a copy of each problem and suggest that they keep them all to share and do with family and
friends outside of class.

Pass out each activity in the menu to each student: Suspension Bridge Cables, Toothpick squares,
Flowerbeds, Dotty Pattern, and Squares over Squares

We suggest that students choose other students to work with, in small groups, and that groups start
their work together by giving each student time to look at the problem on their own, then have everyone
share how they see the pattern growth. If all students start by sharing their visual thinking, they become
more invested in the group work and there is less chance that anyone will be left out of the work.

Explore
Some representations will be more straightforward to create while others will take a lot of time.
Encourage students to try to create other representations rather than spending all their time on one
for example, if you see students working for a long time writing the equation for the Suspension Bridge
problem.

Discuss
Have students form larger discussion groups with other students working on the same investigation.
Invite all discussion groups to start by sharing how they see the pattern.

Make Posters
Invite students to make a poster that shows their growth pattern, illustrates some different cases, shows
the growth using 4 different representations, and uses color coding to connect between the different
cases.

If students are working on different patterns you may want to save displaying the posters until the end of
the week and the conclusion of the menu of tasks.

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Extend
Have students select another activity from the menu. Ask students to find a different way of seeing the
growth in the pattern.

Look-Fors

• How are students using information from the visual pattern to create their different representations
(such as tables or graphs)? When students are making sense of different multiple representations
they can sometimes over simplify the growth pattern. For example, they may notice one aspect of
the growth and use that in their table or graph, not realizing there are other aspects of the pattern
that they are not including. If this happens invite other students to share how they are describing the
pattern, to make space for students to engage in sense making and reasoning about the connection
between representations

• What representations are students using? We gave students some choice in the different
representations they use so that they are given the opportunity to make their own decisions. This is an
occasion for the teacher to see what representations students are using and which ones they avoid.
Graphs are often overlooked so this is something to watch out for. Graphing can be used with paper
and pens or with graphing technology. If you notice graphs are not being used for this activity that is
OK because there are opportunities in the following activities for graphing.

• How are students using color? Encourage students to use color to tell a story, make a connection,
count, outline and show growth. As you move around the classroom you could ask students to share
with you what their colors represent. This is a nice occasion to ask a question you don’t know the
answer to (the best kind!) and seek to understand what your students are communicating. If students
are not using them to make connections you might offer this idea as something to do.

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 Suspension Bridge
Handout

When making a cable for a suspension bridge many strands are assembled into a hexagonal
formation and them compacted together. The diagram illustrates a ‘size 5’ cable made up of 61
strands.

How would the patterns grow?

How many strands are needed for a size 10 cable?

What about a cable of any size?

Use at least four representations to show how the pattern is growing: words, graph, table, visual, or
algebraic expression. Show the connections between the representations using color-coding, arrows,
and words.

Adapted from Bell, A. (1995). Purpose in School Algebra. The Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 14(1), 41-73.

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 Toothpick Squares
Handout

How would the pattern grow?

How would you describe how many toothpicks you would need to make a 13 by 13 square?

How many toothpicks would you need to make any sized square?

Use at least four representations to show how the pattern is growing: words, graph, table, visual, or
algebraic expression. Show the connections between the representations using color-coding, arrows,
and words.

Adapted from several sources

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 Flowerbed
Handout

The colored hexagons are flowerbeds surrounded by white tiles.

How do you see the pattern growing?

How many tiles would surround 10 flowerbeds?

How many tiles would you need for any number of flowerbeds?

Use at least four representations to show how the pattern is growing: words, graph, table, visual, or
algebraic expression. Show the connections between the representations using color-coding, arrows,
and words.

Adapted from Problems with Patterns and Numbers. (1984). Nottingham: Shell Centre.

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 Dotty Pattern
Handout

How do you see the pattern growing?

How many dots will be in the tenth case

How many dots would be in any case?

Use at least four representations to show how the pattern is growing: words, graph, table, visual, or
algebraic expression. Show the connections between the representations using color-coding, arrows,
and words.

Visual pattern from http://www.visualpatterns.org/121-140.html

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 Squares Over Squares
Handout

Case 1 Case 2 Case 3

How do you see the pattern growing?

How many unit squares will be in the tenth case?

How many unit squares would be in any case?

Use at least four representations to show how the pattern is growing: words, graph, table, visual, or
algebraic expression. Show the connections between the representations using color-coding, arrows,
and words.

Visual pattern from http://www.visualpatterns.org/121-140.html

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