Project the pattern
Show the image and read the colors aloud: purple, yellow, yellow, purple, yellow. Ask students to choose A (purple) or B (yellow). Give everyone a few seconds to decide before asking for answers.
Ask students to explain the repeat
The intended answer is B, yellow. The repeating unit is purple, yellow, yellow. Have students circle or point to one complete unit, then use the frame “The pattern repeats ___, ___, ___.” Invite them to predict the next two colors after the missing circle.
Make a pattern students can hear or touch
Replace purple with a clap and yellow with a tap, or use two different shapes instead of relying on color. Have partners invent a new three-part repeating unit and leave one space for the other partner to complete.