Watch this short class dance: clap, clap, stamp, clap, clap, stamp, clap, clap, stamp.
Hands up: which bit did we do more than once? It felt long when we said every clap. Maybe there is a clever shorter way to write it.
That chunk that kept coming back (clap, clap, stamp) is a pattern.
A short way to say "do that chunk again" is a loop: repeat clap, clap, stamp three times.
Watch as we break the dance into small steps on paper strips. That breaking-down is what we will do next.
In your group, choose one task: a short class dance, a repeating border on squared paper, or a PE warm-up set.
- Break the task into small ordered steps on blank paper strips.
- Find the chunk that repeats and circle that pattern.
- Say how many times it should loop.
- Practise so you can show your sequence to the class (act it, hold up the border, or lead the warm-up).
Quick capture so we keep the short version: on your Investigation Journal page, write the ordered steps, mark the repeating chunk, and note how many times it loops.
Two or three groups show their sequence. The rest of us watch for the ordered steps and the loop.
Start with something we already know: our PE warm-up set, or a familiar assembly chorus. Where is the loop hiding?
Then we widen the talk: where else do people use repeating patterns to make work shorter or machines run smoothly?
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