The purpose of this activity is for students to develop math questions about shapes created from pattern blocks. Arrange students around the room so that students can easily circulate to see each other’s shapes. Consider expanding the Gallery Walk into a larger activity. Invite other students, teachers, or family members to participate and ask students questions about their shapes. 

When students ask mathematical questions and recognize the mathematical features of the shapes and the pattern blocks from which they are made, they model with mathematics (MP4).

• Choose one student-created shape to display.
• “What questions did you think of to ask about _______’s shape?”
• Share and record responses.
• If not mentioned in the discussion, ask, “What questions can we ask about _____’s shape that use the words ‘more’ or ‘fewer’?” (Did they use fewer triangles or hexagons to make the shape? Which pattern blocks did they use more?)
• Share and record responses.
• “Think of a story that you can tell about _____’s shape. Think of a question that you can ask at the end of the story.”
• Share responses.
• “In the next activity, you will make and tell stories about your own shape.”

The purpose of this activity is for students to develop and solve story problems about shapes made from pattern blocks. Students will likely gravitate toward Put Together, Total Unknown or Add To, Result Unknown story problems. The purpose of the Activity Synthesis is to highlight Take From, Result Unknown story problems. When students solve story problems, they reason abstractly and quantitatively.

Engagement: Internalize Self-Regulation. Provide students an opportunity to self-assess and reflect on their story problem. For example, their story problem should have a question at the end.
Supports accessibility for: Organization, Memory, Attention

• Choose one student-created shape to display.
• “Think of a story that you can tell about ______’s shape. Remember to think of a question to ask at the end of the story.”
• Share and record responses.
• If not mentioned in the discussion, ask, “What kind of story could I tell about _____’s shape that uses subtraction, or taking away?” (____ made a shape with 8 pattern blocks. Then their little sister took away 2 pattern blocks.)

The purpose of this activity is for students to learn Stage 7 of the Pattern Blocks center. Students count out a given number of pattern blocks (up to 20) and put them together to make an object of their choice. Introduce Pattern Blocks—Build and Drawhen, they draw the object on the recording sheet. A blank template is included at the end of the blackline master so that additional numbers can be written.

 After they participate in the center, students choose any previously introduced stage from these centers:

• Geoblocks
• Grab and Count
• Find the Pair

• “Which pattern blocks did you find the most challenging to draw? Why do you think they were the most challenging?”