Differentiation in patterning

Okay, the only way I used the ipad in this lesson is to have the students explain their pattern to me (I recorded it on my ipad but in the future I could use theirs) and to take pictures.

This lesson was 2.6 in Everyday Math. I found that my students are advancing rapidly and the pattern lesson in 2.6 was just going to be to easy (and I wanted them to record their work, using the connecting level, and begin moving them to more abstract patterning.) This activity is a modification of Math Their Way. I often use Math Their Way activities to initially make the learning activities more concrete and manipulative based. The students were instructed to make a pattern identified for them on small index cards. The index cards had their names and 1 or 2 patterns on it. There were 2 patterns for many of them because if they were done early I wanted them to have the opportunity to make another. Almost all of them (all but 4) had the pattern written in letter form, AABB, ABC, ABAB, etc. The other four were written in the shape I wanted them to use (see Zachery's below). Here a bunch of examples of cards.

 

The students completed the patterns and I was able to observe. When I found the students with an error in their pattern, I just used their cards to jot down a quick note. See Kenyah's above. I wrote down her mistake with pencil. Here are the students patterns.

 

I am able to display their work and could use their cards as well next to them (if I didn't write on them). These cards can be used again by adding more patterns for them to make. I would have the previous patterns they made.

This is just a quick way to differentiate and record students' observations.