Garden Pattern – MYP Year 5 Extended Algebra Investigation
MYP Year 5 Extended garden pattern investigation: real-world algebraic generalisation across Criterion B, C, and D. Structured support for class 5 students.
What the Garden Pattern Task Is
The Garden Pattern is a real-world algebraic generalisation task in which students analyse a repeating tile or planting arrangement in a garden setting and derive a general algebraic rule describing it. It is a signature MYP task style — grounded in context, assessed across multiple criteria, and requiring both algebraic and written reasoning.
The Real-World Context
Tasks of this type typically present a garden bed that grows in a regular way: for example, a central row of flower tiles surrounded by a border of path tiles, with the entire arrangement scaled up at each stage. Students must determine how many of each tile type appear at stage n.
What Students Are Expected to Do
Understand the Structure Before Algebraising
The most effective approach is to spend time with the diagram — identifying which parts of the arrangement grow, which stay constant, and what drives the increase at each stage. Students who jump to algebra without understanding the structure tend to produce formulas that are numerically correct but logically unjustifiable.
Build a Table and Identify the Pattern
A clear, labelled table of values is expected in any strong response. Students should record at minimum the first four or five stages, and note whether differences are constant (linear) or changing (likely quadratic).
Write and Verify the General Rule
Once a formula is proposed, students must verify it against at least one stage not used in deriving it. In a multi-part task, this verification step is often explicitly requested.
Interpret in Context
Garden pattern tasks frequently include Criterion D marks for applying the rule to a real scenario — such as calculating how many tiles are needed for a garden of a given size, or determining the maximum stage that fits within a budget or space constraint.
MYP Criteria This Task Assesses
- Criterion B – Investigating Patterns: identifying, generalising, and justifying the rule
- Criterion C – Communicating: presenting working clearly with correct notation, labelled diagrams, and logical structure
- Criterion D – Applying in Context: using the formula to answer a real-world question and interpreting the answer meaningfully
Common Weaknesses to Avoid
- Writing a rule that only works for the stages shown — not verified beyond the given data
- Treating a two-variable situation (flower tiles and border tiles) as a single formula without distinguishing between them
- Answering Criterion D questions with a number only — no interpretation, no units, no contextual conclusion