Lesson 2

Lesson 2: Conjectures and Inductive Reasoning

 

Focus

 

Winning a game or solving a puzzle involves looking for patterns. These patterns may be numerical, like the pattern in the squares activity in Lesson 1. Patterns may also be spatial, like in the triangle puzzle you investigated.

 

 

 

In Lesson 1 you developed personal strategies to solve puzzles or win games. You may have used logic or reasoning to identify patterns or moves that helped you to be successful. As you worked through the puzzles or games, did you find that you had to adapt your strategy because of your opponent’s approach or other changing conditions in the game? Did you have to develop a new approach or revise your original strategy because the pattern you identified was incorrect?

 

In this lesson you will continue to investigate how reasoning can be used to make predictions or generalizations. The role of reasoning in developing a personal strategy and what happens when a generalization is shown to be false will also be explored.

 

This lesson will help you answer the following inquiry questions:

• How can reasoning be used to make predictions or generalizations?

• How can a prediction be invalidated?

Assessment

• Lesson 2 Assignment

All assessment items you encounter need to be placed in your course folder. You should have already had a discussion with your teacher about which items you will be handing in for marking. For those items you will not be handing in for marking, you should have already had a discussion with your teacher about how you can access the solutions to these questions. Make sure you follow your teacher’s instructions.

 

Save a copy of the Lesson 2 Assignment to your course folder. You will receive more information about how to complete the assignment later in this lesson.

Materials and Equipment

• two decks of cards