CBSE Class 5 · Mathematics
Shapes and Patterns
Official NCERT chapter from Math-Mela (book code eemm1). ExamMaster notes are original teaching at CBSE Class 5 depth.
This lesson follows the official chapter “Shapes and Patterns” in Math-Mela. The words below are ExamMaster’s teaching, not a paste from the book. Use the NCERT chapter for the classroom sequence; use these notes to hold the idea without copying exercises or figures.
- CBSE Class 5
- Easy level
- 8 concepts
1A woven mat hides a repeating unit
A weave is a pattern only if a chunk repeats: over-under, or two colours. The unit is that chunk.
A mat with no repeating chunk is just a texture.
Figure. A woven mat hides a repeating unit. Here the unit is A then B; the next two tiles are that unit again, not four new decorations.
How it works
- Find a chunk that restartsThe unit.
- Name itOver-under, or colour-pair.
- Check the next repeatSame unit, or a break.
2One under, one over is a rule you can say
The rule is a sentence: under, then over, then under… Prediction is that sentence.
A rule you cannot say is a guess.
Figure. One under, one over is a rule you can say before you colour. The picture is the rule written in tiles, not a guessing game.
How it works
- Say the ruleUnder then over.
- See what just endedOver.
- Say the nextUnder.
3The next row flips the weave rule
If row 1 is U-O-U-O, row 2 may be O-U-O-U — the same pair, flipped start. That is a new row-rule, still a pattern.
A random third row with no flip-link is a break.
Figure. The next row flips the weave: every over sits above an under. That flip is the rule, not a new pattern name.
How it works
- Hold row 1’s unitU-O.
- Start row 2 with the other pieceO-U.
- Check it continuesA flipped weave.
4Copy the weave onto a new strip to check
The next strip must reuse the rule. A new doodle means the pattern broke.
Checking is copying, not admiring.
Figure. Copy the weave onto a new strip. If the copy matches tile for tile, the rule was named; if it drifts, the unit was guessed.
How it works
- Hold the ruleFrom strip 1.
- Place it on strip 2Same order, or the named flip.
- If it fails, fix the copyDo not rename the failure a style.
5Colour can be the chunk
Red-blue-red-blue is a colour-unit. Name colour as the property before you predict.
Mixing an unspoken colour-unit with a weave-unit is two patterns mashed.
Figure. Colour can be the chunk: colour, colour, blank is a 3-step unit. The next three tiles must repeat that chunk, not start a new colour story.
How it works
- Pick the propertyColour, or over-under.
- Name the unitIn that property.
- Predict in that property onlyDo not swap mid-mat.
6A growing pattern adds a piece
1 stripe, then 2, then 3 is growing: each term adds one. That is not a repeating U-O of two.
Do not call growing a two-chunk repeat.
Figure. A growing pattern adds one piece each step: 1 tile, then 2, then 3. The next step is 4, not a new decoration.
How it works
- See the add-on+1 stripe.
- Predict with that add-onNext is 4.
- Keep it apart from U-OTwo kinds of pattern.
Growing stripes
A border has 2, then 4, then 6 stripes. What is the add-on, and what comes next?
- Add-on+2 stripes
- Next8
- Kindgrowing, not U-O
Pro tip. Growing adds a piece each time. A weave-repeat restarts a chunk.
7Almost the same weave is a new pattern
U-O-U-X is not “almost U-O”. Almost is a miss. Name a new unit or say it stopped.
Forcing the old unit onto X is a lie.
Figure. Almost the same weave is a new pattern. The last tile flipped from under to over, so the unit is no longer o-u.
How it works
- See the unexpected pieceX.
- Ask: new unit, or a stop?Evidence.
- Do not paste the old unit over itBroken is broken.
8The basket is the story; the unit is the maths
A basket is the picture. The repeating or growing rule is the maths.
Do not invent a basket-only over.
Figure. The basket is the story you were told; the unit tile is the maths you copy. Count the unit, not the whole basket, when you continue the weave.
How it works
- Keep the settingA weave.
- Name the unit or add-onThe rule.
- Predict from that ruleThe basket is not a new operation.
Row 1 U-O-U-O and row 2 O-U-O-U is
- The same pair, flipped start
- A broken list
- A growing +1
A flipped weave is still a pattern.
Notes
- The official chapter title is “Shapes and Patterns”. Teach the school test for that title, not a contest shortcut.
- If a step needs a later class, stop. The next official chapter will pick it up.
Recap
Hold these pegs from the official chapter “Shapes and Patterns”. The wording is ExamMaster’s teaching, not a textbook recap.
- A woven mat hides a repeating unit
- A weave is a pattern only if a chunk repeats: over-under, or two colours.
- One under, one over is a rule you can say
- The rule is a sentence: under, then over, then under… Prediction is that sentence.
- The next row flips the weave rule
- If row 1 is U-O-U-O, row 2 may be O-U-O-U — the same pair, flipped start.
- Copy the weave onto a new strip to check
- The next strip must reuse the rule. A new doodle means the pattern broke.
- Colour can be the chunk
- Red-blue-red-blue is a colour-unit. Name colour as the property before you predict.
- A growing pattern adds a piece
- 1 stripe, then 2, then 3 is growing: each term adds one.
Practise Shapes and Patterns
Reading is free and needs no account. Practice, mocks and progress live in the app.
- A 4-question practice set that ends the chapter
- 1 quick check with worked explanations
- Timed mocks scored with the real marking scheme
- Readiness tracked per topic, kept on your device