The ability to recognize, copy, describe, create, and extend patterns enables students to understand order. Instructional opportunities related to patterning provide a model for students so they may order objects in their everyday lives Patterns at the primary level take two forms: growing patterns and repeating patterns. Repeating patterns are the primary focus of this objective. It is also important that students recognize a pattern and are able to copy it. This indicates they are understanding that there is a core, or a part, in the pattern that repeats.

Several examples of repeating patterns include AB, ABC, and AAB. An AAB pattern may be represented using counters in an arrangement of green, green, red, with actions of clap, clap, stomp, or as shown below:

When students represent a pattern in a variety of ways, they begin to make generalizations. This is an important aspect in algebraic thinking. It is also essential that students understand the part in the pattern, or the core of the pattern, that is repeating. Often children describe a pattern as red, red, blue, red, red, blue, red, red, blue, etc. A child with a deeper understanding of this pattern would identify it as a pattern of red, red, blue only (or AAB) and identify red, red, blue as the core of the pattern

Resource:
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2000.