Lesson MINI

LESSON MINI

Patterns, Data, and Digital Tools

Grade:

K-2

Topic:

Digital Literacy

Unit:

Teaching for Tomorrow

Overview

In this lesson mini, students will develop foundational computational thinking skills through hands-on and digital activities. They will create and identify various patterns using physical manipulatives and digital tools, follow step-by-step instructions to complete digital tasks, collect and organize classroom data using digital surveys, create digital bar graphs to visualize their data, and interpret their graphs by answering questions about the class data, fostering critical thinking and data literacy skills.

Ideas for Implementation

Digital literacy

Library media

Learning centers

Intervention or enrichment

Interdisciplinary collaboration

STEM

Key Vocabulary & Definitions

bar graph (noun): a visual tool for comparing data that uses bars of various lengths to display information, with taller bars representing larger quantities and shorter bars representing smaller ones

data (noun): facts or information that can be used to organize or understand something

pattern (noun): something that repeats in a regular and predictable way

prediction (noun): a statement about what will happen or might happen in the future

survey (noun): a method of gathering information by asking a sample of people the same questions

Authentic Learning Extensions

Authentic learning opportunities for studying foundational computational thinking and data-literacy skills involve real-world experiences and practical applications that help students understand how to navigate digital environments, follow step-by-step instructions, collect and visualize classroom data, and problem-solve meaningfully. Here are some examples:

Independent Reading: Have students read relevant picture books that explore computational thinking concepts. This helps students link mathematical concepts to literacy skills.

Seasonal Patterns: Encourage students to build patterns using elements from nature that are reflective of different seasons (e.g., acorns, leaves, flowers). In addition, encourage students to create digital patterns using visuals that are representative of the different seasons.

Step-by-Step Instructions: Encourage students to play with toys, games, or building blocks that prompt them to follow step-by-step instructions (e.g., plastic brick building sets, popular board games). This helps students build connections between classroom learning and recreational time.

Surveys: Invite students to explore a variety of age-appropriate digital survey tools and collect data about their friends and family. Guide students to think about simple questions they can ask in order to practice collecting and organizing digital data.

Choose Activity

LESSON MINI

Patterns, Data, and Digital Tools

Activity

1 :

Creating Patterns with Digital Tools

By the end of the activity, students will be able to identify, continue, and create various patterns (AB, ABC, ABB, AABB) using physical manipulatives and digital tools, and describe the repeating unit in their patterns.

>40

Minutes

Materials and Resources

Materials

Devices such as Chromebooks or tablets (one per student)

Physical manipulatives (e.g., beads, blocks, cutouts)

School- or district-approved digital drawing tool

Whiteboard and display

Writing utensils and markers

Resources

Implementation

Prepare for the Activity: Choose a digital drawing tool approved by your school or district to generate sample patterns for students to use for practice.

Tell students that during today’s activity they will learn about patterns. Define a pattern as something that repeats in a predictable way, such as yellow, black, yellow, black or 1, 2, 1, 2.

Begin the activity by saying, “Patterns can be found all around us—for example, in body movements, shapes, colors, and even in nature.” Ask students:

Can you say a pattern that uses colors? How about numbers?

What other ways could we show a pattern?

Invite students to imagine they are detectives and to use imaginary magnifying glasses to look for patterns around the classroom. Encourage students to observe things such as one another’s clothing, classroom furniture, and even displays. Distribute a Patterns Discovery handout to each student, and give them some time to walk around the room and draw the patterns they observe. When the allotted time is up, gather the class together, and call on volunteers to share their findings. Ask students to explain what makes each example a pattern and what rule it follows.

Display the school- or district-approved digital drawing tool and generate different types of patterns (e.g., AB, ABC, ABB, AABB), calling on students to make predictions about what comes next. For each pattern, ask students to identify the repeating unit and explain their reasoning for what comes next. Provide physical manipulatives, such as beads, blocks, and/or color or shape cutouts, for students to independently create their own patterns.

As students finish creating their patterns, divide the class into pairs, and have them ask their partners the following questions:

“What patterns did you make?” Encourage students to show each other their patterns and explain the rule or structure they used.

“Can you guess what comes next?” Challenge students to look at their partners’ patterns and predict what comes next by identifying the repeating unit.

As students finish, bring the class back together, and call on volunteers to share what their partners came up with. Guide students to reflect on the similarities and differences in their patterns by asking questions such as “How are these patterns the same or different?” and “What makes a pattern more complex?”

Provide each student with a digital device, and have them work in groups of three or four students to create different types of patterns using a selected digital tool. Have students create five to seven patterns using things such as repeating colors, shapes, and sizes. As students finish, call on volunteers to display and explain what they came up with and to describe the pattern rule they applied.

Lead the class into a pattern practice task using repeating body movements such as clap, snap, clap, snap or touch your nose, touch your head, clap twice. Have students repeat the body movements to connect body movements to patterns. Ask students to identify what type of pattern each movement sequence represents (e.g., AB, ABC, ABB, AABB).

Wrap up the activity by providing picture books about patterns and having students read them independently to reflect on their new learnings.

Differentiation and Variations

Language Support: Focus the activity around simple AB or ABC patterns using familiar concepts such as color, shape, and/or size. Pre-teach relevant vocabulary and support it with visual aids. This approach benefits students’ learning because it provides foundational knowledge for identifying patterns in both the physical and online worlds.

Make Connections: Instead of closing the lesson with an independent reading task, have students create a simple pattern and showcase it using physical manipulatives and a digital tool to illustrate their understanding of patterns. This benefits students’ learning because it strengthens their connection between the physical and digital worlds.

Complex Patterns: Challenge students to identify the core elements in more complex patterns, creating patterns that are longer and have varying characteristics. This approach builds on students’ foundational knowledge and fosters deeper thinking and analysis. Students can also create patterns with multiple attributes (e.g., alternating both color and size) or explore growing patterns in which elements increase in a predictable way.

Collaborative Teaching

One Teaching, One Assisting: For collaborative teaching and learning environments, this learning activity is well suited to a One Teaching, One Assisting strategy. In this model, one teacher leads the activity while the other circulates, assisting individual students as needed. This ensures that when students encounter difficulties, they receive immediate help in the form of personalized support and answers to their questions. By addressing students’ unique needs and keeping them on track, this approach enhances individual learning experiences and fosters a supportive classroom environment. Studies indicate that immediate feedback and individualized attention can significantly enhance student understanding and retention of material.

Activity Introduction and Pattern Detectives: The lead teacher introduces students to the concept of patterns and invites them to discover patterns around them. The assisting teacher gives each student a Patterns Discovery handout and supports students with this task. The lead teacher gathers the class and calls on volunteers to share their findings.

Patterns Practice: The lead teacher displays the digital drawing tool and generates different types of patterns, calling on students to make predictions about what comes next. The assisting teacher provides physical manipulatives for students to independently create their own patterns.

Digital Patterns: The lead teacher provides each student with a digital device and has them work in small groups to create different types of patterns using a digital tool. Both teachers circulate the room and provide support as needed.

Activity Wrap-Up: The lead teacher guides the class into a pattern practice task using repeating body movements. The assisting teacher wraps up the activity by providing picture books about patterns and having students read them independently to reflect on their new learnings.

Patterns, Data, and Digital Tools

Activity

2:

Following Digital Instructions

By the end of the activity, students will be able to follow a sequence of three- to five-step instructions to complete a digital task.

>40

Minutes

Materials and Resources

Materials

Coloring supplies

Devices such as Chromebooks or tablets (one per student)

School- or district-approved digital drawing tool

Whiteboard and display

Writing utensils

Resources

Implementation

Prepare for the Activity: Choose a digital drawing tool approved by your school or district for students to use to generate patterns.

Tell students that during today’s activity they will follow instructions to create different patterns. Explain that instructions are sets of steps that tell us what to do. Share with students that they will work in small groups to complete this activity.

Begin the lesson by reviewing the definition of patterns. Write the following definition on the board and review it with students: “Patterns repeat themselves in a predictable way.” Then model an example of an AB pattern on the board (e.g., circle, square, circle, square). Call on student volunteers to continue the pattern and come up with their own examples.

Tell students they will solve a pattern mystery by following a set of instructions. Explain that you will read aloud five short sentences, and they will use a digital drawing tool to create the pattern. Distribute one digital device to each student, and ensure that everyone can access and use the school- or district-approved drawing tool successfully.

Read aloud the following instructions and allot time for students to complete the task:

Today you will create an ABC pattern on your digital device. Make sure your digital drawing tool is blank.

Draw a yellow circle.

Then draw a blue square.

Next, draw a red triangle.

What comes next? Continue the pattern.

After students complete their patterns, invite them to partner with a classmate sitting nearby. Ask students to share with their partner the pattern they drew and discuss how they determined what comes next.

Tell students that they will pretend they are detectives solving an important mystery. Invite them to put on their imaginary detective hats and trench coats and take out their magnifying glasses. Consider displaying an image of a detective from a royalty-free resource.

Share with students that they will work in small groups to read a set of instructions together and use their digital devices to create different patterns.

Divide students into groups of three or four students, and direct them to open a blank page in the digital drawing tool. Then distribute one Mystery Pattern: Instructions handout per group. Have students follow the instructions to create the pattern; circulate the room and offer support as needed. Students may also use coloring supplies to create the pattern in the space provided on the handout. As students finish the activity, gather the class together, and have students compare their digital pattern creations. Encourage students to discuss what strategies helped them follow the instructions successfully and what patterns they observed.

Distribute one Pattern Detectives at Work! handout to each group. Tell students it’s their turn to write instructions! Have each group fill in the blanks to write a new pattern for other classmates to create. As students finish, have them exchange their handouts with another group. Allot time for students to follow the instructions on the handout and create a new pattern, both digitally and, if they wish, on the handout.

Bring the class back together and close the activity by calling on each group to display and explain the patterns they created. Model how to do this and offer support to students as they are presenting their work. Invite students to reflect on what they learned about following and creating digital instructions.

Differentiation and Variations

Language Support: Provide supportive visual aids when reading aloud the pattern instructions to enhance students’ understanding. In addition, for the small-group task, ensure multilingual language learners are paired with supportive peers.

Physical Manipulatives: Provide students with physical manipulatives, such as colored shapes, beads, or blocks, to enhance their understanding of the patterns they need to create. This approach benefits students’ learning because it offers hands-on support for their understanding of digital instructions.

Written Instructions: Challenge students to write a set of three- to five-step instructions instead of providing them with a fill-in-the blank handout. This approach encourages students to practice their writing skills and apply their learning creatively by generating unique instructions for pattern creation.

Vary the Topic: Instead of providing instructions about pattern creation, prepare alternative instructions related to a relevant topic of study. This helps students develop strong critical thinking skills and internalize new learning to apply it in a different context.

Collaborative Teaching

Team Teaching: For collaborative teaching and learning environments, this learning activity is well suited to a Team Teaching strategy. In this model, sometimes referred to as “tag team teaching,” both teachers deliver instruction together, often alternating or integrating their teaching styles seamlessly. This collaborative approach provides students with multiple perspectives and teaching styles, enriching their learning experience. By modeling effective teamwork and communication, this approach demonstrates how different viewpoints can enhance understanding and create a dynamic and interactive classroom environment. Evidence indicates that team teaching can enhance student engagement and provide a richer, more diverse educational experience.

Activity Introduction and Warm-Up: Teacher A reviews the concept of patterns and calls on student volunteers to continue the modeled pattern and come up with their own examples. Teacher B circulates the room and ensures students are on task.

Pattern Mystery Task: Teacher A tells students they will solve a pattern mystery by following a set of instructions. Teacher B distributes digital devices and ensures that everyone can access and use the drawing tool successfully. Teacher A reads aloud the instructions and provides time for students to complete the task. After students complete their patterns, Teacher B invites students to share their discoveries and discuss the patterns they created. Teacher A then distributes the Mystery Pattern: Instructions handout and gives students time to complete the task. Again, Teacher B invites students to share their discoveries with the class.

Writing Time: Teacher A distributes the Pattern Detectives at Work! handout and tells students that now it’s their turn to write instructions. As students finish, Teacher B guides them to exchange their handouts with other groups and practice creating unique patterns.

Wrap-Up: Both teachers bring the class together and close the activity by calling on each group to display and explain the patterns they created. Teacher A and Teacher B facilitate student reflection on the process of following and creating instructions.

Patterns, Data, and Digital Tools

Activity

3:

Collecting Classroom Data

By the end of the activity, students will be able to design survey questions, collect responses from classmates using digital tools, and identify the most and least popular choices in their data.

>40

Minutes

Materials and Resources

Materials

Devices such as Chromebooks or tablets (one per student)

Master Classroom Survey (for teacher display and to complete in class)

School- or district-approved digital survey tool

Whiteboard and display

Writing utensils

Resources

Implementation

Prepare for the Activity: Choose a digital survey tool approved by your school or district to prepare a survey using the question “What is your favorite season? a. winter / b. spring / c. summer / d. fall.” Then prepare a Master Classroom Survey to complete in class with students.

Tell students that during today’s activity they will practice asking and answering questions about likes and dislikes and collecting information from their classmates.

Begin the lesson by writing the following question on a digital whiteboard: “What marine animal do you like best? a. dolphin / b. seal / c. shark / d. whale.” Support each choice with simple drawings to enhance understanding.

Read aloud the question and each answer choice. Then read the question a second time, and tell students to raise their hands to show their preference.

Tally students’ responses on the board. Then ask, “What is the most popular animal choice in our class?” Count the answers together, and invite students to reflect on their collective choices. Ask students to share what they notice about the data and why they think certain choices might be more or less popular.

Explain to students that the purpose of this activity is to collect data, which are “facts or information that can be used to organize or understand something.”

Explain to students that now it’s their turn to collect data. Highlight that they will ask their classmates about their favorite season. Activate students’ thinking by asking the following questions:

What are the four seasons?

Can you describe winter? What do you like and dislike about winter?

Can you describe spring? What do you like and dislike about spring?

Can you describe summer? What do you like and dislike about summer?

Can you describe fall? What do you like and dislike about fall?

Records students’ ideas on the board using simple words and visuals.

Model how to use the school- or district-approved digital survey tool, and read aloud the survey question and the four choices: “What is your favorite season? a. winter / b. spring / c. summer / d. fall.” Ensure that each answer choice is supported by a visual aid (e.g., ❄️/🌸/☀️/🍁). Show students how to best navigate the survey, and model how to fill in their peers’ names and click on the different answer choices.

Distribute a digital device to each student, and guide them to open the survey. Ensure each student understands how to access the survey. Then divide the class into groups of four or five students. Before students begin working, distribute a Survey Notes handout to each student, and explain that they will record their classmates’ answers both online and in Part 1 of the handout. Highlight that data collectors often gather data on paper and online.

Tell students to take turns asking each other, “What is your favorite season?” Remind students to note their classmates’ names and answers in the online survey and on the handout.

Bring the class back together, and call on one group representative to share their classmates’ answers. Record their ideas in a Master Classroom Survey using the digital survey tool. Then ask these questions:

What is the most popular season in our classroom?

What about the least popular?

Why do you think this is?

Note: The Master Classroom Survey will be used in Activity 4.

Direct students to Part 2 of the handout. Ask them to think of a question they would like to ask their group members about their favorite things (e.g., food, color, toy, book, movie). Have students fill in the question and possible answer choices. Depending on students’ abilities, they can draw or write the question. Then have them ask the question to a few group members.

Afterward, bring the class back together for a debrief. Call on volunteers to share something new they learned about a classmate. Close the activity by asking students, “What is the definition of ‘data’?” and “What are some ways we can collect data?” Encourage students to consider both paper-based and digital methods they used during the activity.

Differentiation and Variations

Language Support: Pre-teach vocabulary related to the survey questions (e.g., animal, data, seasons, winter, spring, summer, fall). Offer students the opportunity to conduct the survey in their home languages with a supportive peer.

Strategic Grouping: Ensure you assign students to groups strategically so that students can support one another due to their individual competencies. This approach supports students’ learning because it fosters collaborative work.

Digital Survey: After students complete Part 2 of the Survey Notes handout and write their own survey question, have them create a digital survey to collect data about fellow classmates online. This benefits students’ learning because it helps them think about how to collect and organize data online.

Survey Stations: Instead of focusing on one question for the whole group, consider setting up a survey station for students to walk through to answer different questions about personal preferences. This allows students to answer questions independently. Then analyze the data collected by the whole class. This alternative approach benefits students’ learning because it exposes them to different questions and different approaches for collecting, organizing, and evaluating data.

Collaborative Teaching

Activity Introduction: The lead teacher begins the lesson by writing the survey question on a digital whiteboard. The assisting teacher ensures students are engaged and that they answer the group survey effectively.

Digital Survey Warm-Up: The lead teacher explains to students that now it’s their turn to collect data, shares the survey question, and leads a class discussion about the different seasons. The assisting teacher records students’ ideas on the board.

Small-Group Activity: The lead teacher models how to use the digital devices and the digital survey tool. The assisting teacher distributes digital devices and divides students into small groups. The assisting teacher tells students to take turns quietly asking each other “What is your favorite season?” and reminds students to note their classmates’ names and answers in the online survey.

Note-Taking to Collect Data: Before students begin working, the assisting teacher distributes the Survey Notes handout and asks them to record their classmates’ answers in Part 1 of the handout. Both teachers circulate the room and support student groups as needed. As students finish, the lead teacher brings the class back together to debrief.

Survey Design: The lead teacher directs students to Part 2 of the handout and asks them to think of a question they would like to ask their group members about their favorite things. Both teachers circulate the room and support students as they write their own survey questions.

Activity Wrap-Up: Both teachers close the activity by asking students, “What is the definition of ‘data’?” and “What are some ways we can collect data?”

Patterns, Data, and Digital Tools

Activity

4:

Creating Digital Graphs

By the end of the activity, students will be able to create a digital bar graph to represent their collected classroom data.

>40

Minutes

Materials and Resources

Materials

Devices such as Chromebooks or tablets (one per pair)

Master Classroom Survey from Activity 3 (for teacher display)

School- or district-approved digital graphing and digital drawing tools

Whiteboard and display

Resources

Implementation

Prepare for the Activity: Choose digital graphing and digital drawing tools approved by your school or district.

Tell students that today they will create a digital bar graph to represent their classroom preferences.

Begin the lesson by displaying the Sample Bar Graph: My Favorite Color and analyzing it as a class. Introduce comparative vocabulary (e.g., more than, less than, fewer) to help students express their ideas effectively. Share that the bottom line shows the different color options (e.g., red, yellow, blue, green, and pink) and the numbers on the side show how many students voted for those colors. The taller the bars are, the more students voted for those colors; the shorter bars represent fewer students. Ask students to examine the graph and share their observations. Then guide the discussion with questions such as the following:

What is the most popular color?

What is the least popular color?

How many people like the color green?

How about the color blue?

Display the Master Classroom Survey, and guide students to analyze the results. Ask:

What is our classroom’s favorite season?

How about the least favorite season?

Assign students to work in pairs, and distribute one digital device to each pair with the Master Classroom Survey results easily accessible for students. Guide students to use the school- or district-approved digital graphing tool to build a bar graph to show the class’s favorite seasons. Before students begin working with their partner, model how to use the graphing tool as a whole group, and practice inserting different data together. Circulate the room and offer support as needed.

As students finish the activity, call on volunteer pairs to display their bar graphs and evaluate their results. Review relevant vocabulary (e.g., more than, less than, fewer) to help students analyze the data they collected. Encourage students to explain what their graphs show and what patterns they notice in the data.

Note: Students’ bar graphs will be used in Activity 5.

Have students independently draw a visual representation of the class’s favorite seasons on the digital drawing tool. Invite students to save their work, and then consider creating a class collage.

Wrap up the activity by having students share their work with a peer and discuss reasons why people might enjoy this season.

Differentiation and Variations

Language Support: Pre-teach comparative vocabulary (e.g., more than, less than, fewer), and strategically pair multilingual students with supportive peers. Provide a bilingual glossary or a digital translation tool to support students in navigating the different survey questions.

Small-Group Instruction: For younger learners and for those students who need extra support, consider guiding students to build digital bar graphs in a small-group setting facilitated by a teacher instead of having them complete the task independently. This supports students’ learning because it gives them the opportunity to explore using digital tools and creating a bar graph in a more supported setting.

Digital Graph Challenge: Challenge students to represent the same data using a different type of visual representation, such as a tally chart. This benefits students’ learning because it exposes them to different ways of representing information visually.

Focus Topic: Instead of focusing on the seasons, consider using a different topic or question that is more relevant and connected to your current unit of study. This benefits students’ learning because it helps them build connections and internalize new learning.

Collaborative Teaching

Alternative Teaching: For collaborative teaching and learning environments, this learning activity is well suited to an Alternative Teaching strategy. In this model, one teacher instructs most of the class while the other works with a small group of students who need specialized attention or remediation. This provides targeted instruction for students who need extra help, ensuring they can keep up with their peers. It also allows for enrichment activities for advanced students, addressing diverse learning needs and ensuring that all students receive the appropriate level of challenge and support. Studies have shown that differentiated instruction significantly benefits students who have varied learning needs, leading to more equitable educational outcomes.

Activity Introduction: Teacher A begins the lesson by displaying the Sample Bar Graph: My Favorite Color and analyzing it as a class. Teacher B pulls out a small group of students and completes the same task in a more supported setting.

Digital Bar Graphs: Teacher A assigns students to work in pairs and distributes digital devices with the Master Classroom Survey Results easily accessible for students. Teacher A also guides students to use the digital graphing tool to build a bar graph to show the class’s favorite seasons. Teacher B continues working with a small group of students and supports them in building a bar graph to represent the class’s favorite season.

Sharing Time: Teacher A calls on volunteers to display their bar graphs and evaluate their results. Teacher B invites students to share their work in a small-group setting.

Drawing and Wrap-Up: Both teachers close the activity by having students independently draw a visual representation of the class’s favorite seasons using the digital drawing tool.

Patterns, Data, and Digital Tools

Activity

5:

Interpreting Our Class Data

By the end of the activity, students will be able to use their bar graphs to answer at least two questions about the class data.

30-40

Minutes

Materials and Resources

Materials

Blank note cards (one per student)

Student bar graphs from Activity 4 (one printed copy per student)

Whiteboard and display

Writing utensils

Resources

Implementation

Tell students that today they will put their detective skills to practice and use their bar graphs from Activity 4 to answer questions about their class’s results.

Begin the lesson by distributing to each student a printed copy of the bar graph they created in Activity 4 (prepare extra versions for students who were absent). After you distribute the graphs, ask students to review their findings. Ask:

What does this graph show?

What does the bottom line show? How about the line on the side?

Invite students to share their observations and discuss what patterns they notice in the data.

Distribute a Data Detectives Quiz to each student, and review the instructions. Share that you will give students a set amount of time to answer questions about their bar graphs. Encourage students to examine their graphs carefully as they work through each question.

After students finish the quiz, review the answers together, calling on students to share their ideas. Have students self-assess their answers and mark the number of questions they got correct, and then collect their work.

For review, display the Sample Bar Graph: My Favorite Cookie, and challenge students to think about what types of questions they could ask about the bar graph. Invite students to share their questions and discuss what information the graph reveals. For example:

What is the most popular cookie?

What is the least popular cookie?

How many more students prefer [one cookie] over [another cookie]?

Wrap up the lesson by distributing one note card to each student and having them write down something new they learned from the Sample Bar Graph: My Favorite Cookie.

Differentiation and Variations

Language Support: Offer bilingual translations of the survey questions. Pre-teach key vocabulary to enhance students’ understanding and support them in reading bar graphs. Offer sentence starters to answer questions about the “My Favorite Cookie” bar graph.

Speaking and Drawing: To support students who are not yet writing fluently, consider adapting the activities so that they can represent their ideas orally and through visual representations. For example, have students draw something new they learned from the “My Favorite Cookie” bar graph.

Written Response: Challenge students to write a few simple sentences summarizing what they learned about the “My Favorite Cookie” bar graph. This approach benefits students’ learning because it provides them an opportunity to summarize main ideas and practice writing independently.

Question Generators: Instead of providing students with a pre-made quiz, have them use their individual graphs to write and answer questions about what the data represents. This approach helps students apply new learnings, develop independent writing skills, and draw meaningful connections.

Collaborative Teaching

Parallel Teaching: For collaborative teaching and learning environments, this learning activity is well suited to a Parallel Teaching strategy. In this model, the class is divided into two groups, and each teacher delivers the same activity simultaneously to their group. This reduces the student-teacher ratio, allowing for more interaction and individualized attention. With smaller groups, students are more likely to participate actively and receive immediate feedback, which fosters a deeper understanding of the content and promotes a more engaging learning experience. Evidence suggests that small-group instruction leads to increased student engagement and improved academic outcomes.

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