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Find the Rule is a free printable Grade 3 maths worksheet on naming a small additive rule, not just continuing it, aligned to Common Core standard 3.OA.D.9. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two pupils in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

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All 25 sets ask different questions.

Find the Rule

3.OA.D.9

NameDate

Write the rule and the next number.

1.2, 4, 6, 8, 10, ___ What is the rule?
2.8, 10, 12, 14, 16, ___ What is the rule?
3.3, 5, 7, 9, 11, ___ What is the rule?
4.7, 10, 13, 16, 19, ___ What is the rule?
5.1, 4, 7, 10, 13, ___ What is the rule?
6.5, 8, 11, 14, 17, ___ What is the rule?
7.7, 9, 11, 13, 15, ___ What is the rule?
8.9, 12, 15, 18, 21, ___ What is the rule?

LessonPrint · 3.OA.D.9 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Find the Rule

Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.add 2; next is 12
  2. 2.add 2; next is 18
  3. 3.add 2; next is 13
  4. 4.add 3; next is 22
  5. 5.add 3; next is 16
  6. 6.add 3; next is 20
  7. 7.add 2; next is 17
  8. 8.add 3; next is 24

Questions about Find the Rule

What does the Find the Rule worksheet cover?

It practises naming a small additive rule, not just continuing it — 8 questions for Grade 3, all on Common Core 3.OA.D.9: Spot and explain number patterns. The instruction to pupils is “Write the rule and the next number”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.

Which Common Core standard does Find the Rule practise?

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.OA.D.9 — 3.OA.D.9, in the Operations & Algebraic Thinking domain for Grade 3. The published standard reads: “Identify arithmetic patterns (including patterns in the addition table or multiplication table), and explain them using properties of operations.” The worksheet assesses that standard rather than a paraphrase of it.

What age or grade is this worksheet for?

Find the Rule is written for Grade 3, typically ages 8-9. It is one of the sheets on 3.OA.D.9, so it suits any pupil working at that standard — including older pupils revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.

Does Find the Rule come with an answer key?

Yes. All 8 answers are generated from the same problems as the questions, so the key cannot drift out of step with the sheet. It starts on a fresh sheet of paper, after the questions, so it is not handed out with the class by accident.

How many different versions of Find the Rule can I print?

25 — one per pupil, and all 25 ask different questions. Set 1 downloads the whole class as a single PDF. Every version is fixed to its own address, so a sheet printed today holds the same problems when you reopen it next week.

Is Find the Rule free to print and photocopy?

Yes. Find the Rule, its answer key and its 25 versions are free to print and photocopy for your own class, with no account, no email capture and no subscription at the download step. Please do not resell them or republish them as your own.

More practice for 3.OA.D.9

Spot and explain number patterns.

All Grade 3 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 3.OA.D.9 of the Common Core State Standards for mathematics.