Grade 3 · Algebra & Patterning
Increasing and Decreasing Patterns
Grade 3 patterns now include both increasing (growing) and decreasing (shrinking) sequences. A decreasing pattern like 100, 90, 80, 70 subtracts the same amount each step. Doubling sequences (1, 2, 4, 8, 16) increase by a multiplicative rule rather than an additive one. The key competency is describing the pattern rule in words and numbers: not just what comes next, but WHY it comes next and what general rule generates every term.
LESSON VIDEO
▶
Lesson video
A short walkthrough to play in class or assign for flipped/at-home viewing.
WHAT STUDENTS WILL LEARN
✓Create and represent increasing and decreasing patterns using concrete, pictorial, and numerical forms
✓Identify and describe what makes a pattern increase or decrease (e.g., doubling, adding 3)
✓Represent the same pattern in multiple ways and explain how each shows the same rule
✓Connect increasing patterns to multiplication and skip-counting
✓Share examples of increasing and decreasing patterns in First Peoples art and natural settings