4th grade · Math · Unit 9 of 17
Patterns & Tables
Growing and shrinking patterns
What your child practices
Extending increasing and decreasing number patterns, naming pattern rules, finding rules in input/output tables, and describing how two quantities are related.
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) teks student expectation: 4.5(B) · input-output tables and number patterns that follow a rule
How we explain it
Children can open this short lesson before they practice.
- A table lists each step and its number.
- Find how much the numbers change each step.
- Use that rule to carry on the pattern.
Example: A pattern starts at 4 and adds 3 each time. What is the 5th number? 4, 7, 10, 13, 16. The 5th number is 16. Answer: 16
Patterns & Tables in Texas
In the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), this is unit 9 of 17 in 4th grade Math, after Fractions and before Equations.
Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.
Source: Texas Education Agency (TEA)
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
How many arms are there for 9 starfish?
Starfish Arms 1 5 2 10 3 15 4 20 answer box
45
Hint: The arms are always 5 times the starfish. Multiply 9 × 5.
Question 2
A tank drains the same amount of water every hour. How many liters will be left after hour 5?
Hour Liters left 0 65 1 57 2 49 3 41 - 33
- 41
- 25
- 17
25
Hint: The number goes down by 8 each hour. Keep subtracting 8 until you reach hour 5.
Question 3
What is the pattern rule?
380, 392, 404, 416
- Start at 392. Add 12 each time.
- Start at 380. Subtract 12 each time.
- Start at 380. Add 12 each time.
- Start at 380. Add 13 each time.
Start at 380. Add 12 each time.
Hint: A pattern rule tells the first number and how it changes. 380 to 392 goes up by 12.
Question 4
Which rule turns each In number into its Out number?
In Out 4 16 6 18 7 19 10 22 - Add 8
- Multiply by 7
- Multiply by 4
- Add 12
Add 12
Hint: Test a rule on every row, not just the first one. A rule that works for 4 → 16 might not work for 6 → 18.
Question 5
What number comes next?
398, 410, 422, 434,
answer box
446
Hint: Find the change from one number to the next: 398 to 410 is +12. Do the same to 434.
Question 6
What number comes next?
685, 610, 535, 460,
- 395
- 310
- 385
- 535
385
Hint: Find the change from one number to the next: 685 to 610 is −75. Do the same to 460.