1 - Getting Started ~3 mins
Look at the steps up to the school door. Each step is one higher than the last.
If we built our own staircase from cubes, what would step 5 look like?
2 - Watch and Notice ~8 mins
Two staircases on the board. For each one, watch how much it grows at every step: that amount is the growing rule.
Now a different staircase. How much does this one grow at every step?
3 - Try It Together ~9 mins
Today we build the next step of the 1, 2, 3 staircase. What does step 4 look like? Say the growing rule before the new tower lands.
Build the next step
4 - Draw the Staircase in Your Copy ~5 mins
In your maths copy, draw a staircase of towers with 1, 2, 3 and 4 squares.
5 - Class Challenge ~8 mins
The numbers on the line are the tower heights from our staircases: same growing rule, now on the number line.
Mark the next number, or the missing number. How much does each pattern grow each step?
Growing number patterns
Unlock the full learning experience
You're previewing this lesson. Get full access to this lesson and hundreds more — each one ready to teach, with interactive activities, printable resources and pupil progress tracking built in.
This lesson is copyright of Coding Ireland 2017 - 2025. Unauthorised use, copying or distribution is not allowed.