Definition
Growing pattern
A growing pattern is an ordered pattern in which a chosen amount increases by a rule as the stages continue.
What it means
Place two neighbouring stages side by side and mark only what is new. That new part shows how the pattern grows. Sometimes the same amount is added every time; sometimes the amount added follows another rule. The stage order matters because each stage is built from the rule.
Remember it
Freeze two stages, circle what is new, and ask: “What growth rule made the next stage?”
Example
A row has 3 tiles at Stage 1. At each new stage, one tile is added to the left end and one to the right end. The totals are 3, 5, 7, 9, so the growth is +2 each time and Stage 5 has 11 tiles.
Watch for
A repeating pattern such as red–blue–red–blue copies the same unit. A growing pattern compares numbered stages and uses a rule for how a chosen amount increases.
Common mix-up
In 3, 5, 7, 9, the totals are the stage sizes, but the growth amount is 2. The total and the amount added are not the same thing.
Exact meaning
A growing pattern is an ordered sequence of stages made by a rule that increases at least one chosen quantity, such as number, length, or area, from one stage to the next.