Max Maths, Year 6, Learn together, Number sequences (1)

In a lesson from the Max Maths Year 6 curriculum, students explore the concept of number sequences through engaging activities. The first task presents a sequence of numbers with a missing element: 41, 49, 57, 65, ?, 81, 89, 97. Students are encouraged to investigate the pattern in which the numbers are increasing. By observing that each number is 8 more than the previous one, they can deduce that the sequence progresses by adding 8 each time. With this understanding, they calculate that the number following 65 should be 73, filling in the gap in the sequence.

The lesson continues with a visual pattern recognition activity involving a sequence of dots arranged in squares. Students are asked to identify the pattern and predict what the next step in the sequence would be. Tya, a character in the lesson, observes that the dots form an expanding square shape. To find the total number of dots, she multiplies the number of dots going across by the number of dots going down. The progression is clear: 1 across and 1 down for Step 1 gives 1 dot, 2 across and 2 down for Step 2 gives 4 dots, and so on, following the pattern of square numbers. The sequence of total dots is therefore 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, which helps students understand the relationship between the arrangement of objects and numerical patterns.