Patterns. It was always a theme throughout the school year in my mathematics classes. So to kick-off patterns, during the first week of school, the students create a color pattern using their name. Then, we discuss the patterns made by names of different lengths. It may seem like a simple activity, but some great conversations can be generated when students focus on the reasons why certain patterns appear. For example, in the photo above, there are 15 squares in each row. What happens when the length of the name is 3 letters long…or 5 letters long? Why does that happen? And why do the 4-letter names and 8-letter names have the same pattern? What about 6- and 9-letter names? Etc.

This is a fun way to tie in something that is important to the students – their name – and our work in looking for patterns. And, of course, when the conversation has ended, these make a great bulletin board!