This problem solving activity has an algebra focus.
Manu was singing a song. It went "one, two, three, one, two, …"
What are the next three numbers?
What is the tenth number he’ll sing?
This problem is about recognising number sequences and then being able to use the sequences in some way. In this question the number sequence is 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, …. The students have to recognise this sequence before using it to find the tenth number in Manu's song. To succeed in this lesson your students will need to be able to read and count with numbers up to 10.
Manu was singing a song. It went "one, two, three, one, two, …" What are the next three numbers? What is the tenth number he’ll sing?
Find other ways to show the pattern (counters, actions ...) or increase the difficulty of the sequence.
The next three numbers are 3, 1, and 2 in that order.
To find the tenth number Manu will sing it may be easiest to write out all the numbers. (It can be done by drawing or by using counters numbered 1, 2, 3.) We have listed the first ten numbers with their ‘number’ underneath.
1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
So the tenth number that Manu sings is one!
Other ways to represent this repeating triplet include:
blue red yellow blue red yellow ...
click slap clap click slap clap
Printed from https://meaningfulmaths.nt.edu.au/mmws/nz/resource/manu-s-song at 8:54pm on the 26th February 2024