Fill ziplock bags for yourself and your class with 6 red and 6 blue Unifix Cubes. Ask your kindergarten students to sit in a circle on the rug, and pass out the ziplock bags of cubes to each student. Open your ziplock bag of math cubes, and make a pattern of one red and one blue math cube. Use all the cubes, and say the color of each cube as you make the pattern (red, blue, red, blue). Ask your students to open their ziplock bag of math cubes and make the same red, blue pattern. Check each student's progress, and help when necessary until all students have completed the correct pattern.
Take your math cubes apart, and make a red, red, blue pattern, saying the color of each cube as you make the pattern (red, red, blue). Ask your students to make the same red, red, blue pattern. Check each student's progress, and help when necessary until all students have completed the correct pattern. Take your math cubes apart, and make a blue, blue red pattern without saying the colors. Repeat the pattern twice (blue, blue, red; blue, blue, red). Ask your students to tell you the pattern you are making (blue, blue, red). Ask the student what color cube would come next to begin the pattern again (blue). Ask your students put their math cubes away and sit at their desk.
Use your computer and whiteboard projector, and screen to go the Learning Today website and open the concrete and pictorial patterns game "Penguin Parade." Look at the pattern for the penguins in the parade, then answer the question "Which penguin comes next?" by clicking on the penguin that comes next in line. Continue clicking on penguins until the pattern is complete. Look at the penguin pattern again, then answer the question "Where does the pattern repeat again? by clicking on the space at end of the next section of the repeating pattern.
Look at the pattern next for the penguin parade, then answer the question "Which penguin is in the wrong place?" by clicking on the penguin that is not a in the correct place in the repeating pattern. Look at the next pattern of penguins, then answer the question "Which penguin belongs here?" by finding the pattern and clicking on the missing penguins. Find the answer to the question "Where does the pattern repeat again?" by clicking the space at the end of the next section of the repeating pattern.
Click on each penguin with an instrument in the next penguin parade to hear them play their instrument. Click on the color hat that matches each penguin's instrument. Watch the penguins play their instruments then choose which row of penguins will play next. Watch the "penguin party" at the end of the program. Invite a group of students to play this pattern game in your classroom's computer area during group time or take the whole class to the computer lab to play the game at their own individual computers. Work with any students who need your help with the pattern concept.