Kindergarten Button Lesson Plan

Teacher Materials Needed:
Buttons of all colors, shapes and sizes
Book:  The Button Box by Margarette S. Reid
Computer with Internet Access

Student Materials:
paper and crayons
creative minds

Mathematical Goals:
-Students will understand how to sort different objects by observing them closely and be able to explain why they chose to sort the way they did.
-Students will understand what a pattern is and will be introduced to the many possibilities of patterns everywhere.
-Students will notice certain patterns and begin try to continue unfinished patterns.

Related to NC Standard Course of Study
3.01: Describe likes and differences between and among objects
3.02: Sort by a given attribute; sort by own rule and explain
3.03: Identify, copy, continue and describe patterns

Launch:
Read The Button Box and be sure to talk about why the boy sorted certain buttons if students are confused.  Introduce the idea of patterns by taking a group the boy sorted and make a pattern with them (from your group of buttons).  Explain to the children that they are just being introduced to patterns and they have to try sorting first before they can try to do patterns!

Explore: We are going to try sorting and to look at patterns near the end of our lesson today.  1. Give each student a handful of different buttons and give them time to "get to know" their buttons.  They should look for likes and differences between their many different buttons as they are observing them.  Ask the students to sort their pile of buttons by color.  On their paper they should draw four buttons (if they have four different groups) and color in the buttons for the colors they sorted by.  This will be their data for the activity.  2. Next have the students split into groups of two.  The two people will work together to sort their buttons into groups other than color (examples may be size, shape, number of holes in the middle, etc).  3. Last, have each group of students pick one of their sorted groups and try to make a pattern with that group (You may have to show your model again and review what a pattern is- that you can make a pattern with colors, size, shape or by number!).

Summarize:
-Discuss with the students if they think they have every sorted before this lesson, if so what did they sort and why?
-Have each student talk about how they sorted by color- was this easy?  If it was difficult, what made it so?
-Allow each group to tell the class about their sort that they chose.  Why did they choose that particular sort?
-After each group has explained their sort, ask if the class can think of any more possible sorts to do with buttons.
-What are some other things we could sort, and why would they be good to use in a sorting lesson?
-What about patterns causes confusion for you?
-Are patterns and sorting related?  Could I make a pattern of something without thinking about sorting, why or why not?
-Think about your drive to school every morning, what are some patterns that you see everyday?
-Have students talk about what patterns they chose to make with their group of buttons and why they chose to do that particular pattern.

Assessment of Learning
Go over the instructions for the math assessment on the computer dealing with hearts and stars patterns.  Have students work in groups of two at the computer and complete the five math questions involving hearts and stars patterns (since this is a kindergarten class you should already have the website pulled up so the students can get started).  The webpage can be found at:     http://www.math.rice.edu/~lanius/counting/pattern2.html#5
 
 
 

Math Reflection

 I believe that my math lesson went well today.  I really think the group was able to relate to this lesson because we studied sorting at the beginning of the year.  I think the book helped them remember why sorting is so interesting for children and it helped them with ideas when they had to sort for themselves. The book was also beneficial when the students were given actual buttons to sort.  Buttons are great items to sort because there are so many different kinds and at Wal-mart you can buy a whole bowl of mixed buttons!
Working with groups also worked out well because the students ideas were being shared and they learned from one another constantly.  I also think it is a good idea to let students share with the whole class their findings because they take pride in what they have been thinking and figuring out (even the college students were proud!). When I work with real children I think I will have to change the amount of time I give the students to observe the buttons and discuss, with college students this did not take a lot of time.  Also when working with kindergartners I would want to split the students in to groups instead of the students having the choice.  I would do this because it may take students forever to decide who they want to be their partner and disruptions could occur.  Also I would like to work with the different learning levels in the class so that students on higher learning levels could interact with students who are not on the same learning level.  When I introduced the pattern idea so soon after the sorting idea the students seemed to not be sure as to what I was asking them to do, or what they needed to learn.  So, it might be wise when I’m teaching kindergartners to make sure I do sorting and then after a couple of days of sorting, introduce patterns (I was really quite thrilled with the pattern assessment idea and I really wanted to use it!).
The students enjoyed the pattern assessment on the computer, but I could tell that I would really have to be prepared and organized for this kind of assessment with kinders!  It was difficult getting the college students to the computers and explaining what they needed to do!  I’m quite sure I will not have 20 computers in my classroom either!  I would need to set up a system where the students could come up to the computer one at a time and do the assessment while the other students did different centers dealing with sorting (center work would need to occur after many weeks of learning how to work in centers effectively without needing the teacher’s attention every few seconds!).  The students in my group enjoyed the button activity and agreed with me about waiting to introduce the pattern idea until more had been done with sorting.  They enjoyed the assessment though and quickly wrote down the website so they could use it as teachers.  They saw the benefits of children working individually and then in groups and were curious to know if kindergartners could actually work in groups without killing one another.  I realize that I have not taught kindergarten, but I think that anything is worth a try and kindergartners are use to working in centers.  I feel I have learned from this experience that teaching a lesson will not always go the way you have imagined (I learn this every time I teach in my third grade classroom!).  I would be interested in actually getting the chance to teach this lesson to kindergartners to see their reactions and their abilities!