Description/Aim

This activity brings the nth linear sequences to life by inviting students to creat visual representations of them. Starting with a blank canvas students are encouraged to use a bit of artistic licence. The activity then moves towards representations that grow in a systematic way and lead tyo increasingly general conclusions about arithmetic sequences.

The task ends with discussion about the general term and is set up nicely for looking at the sum!!!

Why we like this activity ….

The practical task and the blank canvas allows everyone in at the beginning. Students tend to bounce of
eachother and get more and more creative as vthey build an understanding of what they are learning.
Adding visual aid to this concept helps no end!

How this activity can be used ….

I have used computers with this one recently so that I can take photos and students can include them in
their reports. Real images of their work is a powerful record, especially when it comes to revision.
Depending on class size, this activity works well with pairs or threes.

What to expect when using this activity – from our experience

Lots of discussion and creativity! The whole class discussion is important to help the focus move
towards systematic representations.

Extra Notes

Multi - link cubes (or similar) required
follow with the sums activity