228 Math Algebra Grade: PreK-2 Objectives: The students will classify buttons according to given traits. The students will also sort these buttons into given categories. Content Standards: understand patterns, relations, and functions sort, classify, and order objects according to size, number, and other properties Process Standards: Communication: Organize and consolidate their mathematical thinking through communication. Reasoning and Proof: Recognize reasoning and proof as fundamental aspects of mathematics. I will encourage the students to organize and consolidate their mathematical thinking through communication. I will do this by asking the students to work as a whole class in order to sort the given materials into categories. The students will do this by picking buttons and putting them in groups according to size, color, and different characteristics, such as how many holes the buttons have on them. Since the students will be prekindergarten it will give them experience in working with each other through communication, I will also encourage my students to challenge each other through reasoning and proof. I will have open discussions as to why students think these buttons fit given categories, which will give others the chance to disagree and share different ideas with the class. Materials: Plastic bag containing 15 buttons for each student Large pieces of construction paper (colored according to the buttons) Yarn Procedure: To start my lesson I would read a book to the students called Grandma's Button Box by Linda Williams Aber. This story is about children who find their grandma's button box and sort all the buttons inside according to size, color, and shape. After reading this story to the students I will pass out a bag containing 15 buttons to each student. Ask each student to pour their buttons out in front of them so they can see each individual button. Ask a variety of questions to the students, such as hold up the biggest button, a red button, a button with four holes in it, and so on. After this activity the teacher will hold up a button and ask the students to describe it and record what the students say on the sheet of paper according to the color of the button. Next, pick two describing words that are such exclusive, as colors. Then write these two words on the other sheets of paper
and place the yarn around the sheets making two circles. Then hold up buttons and ask the children what circle the button should be placed in, if the characteristics do not fit in either circle the button should be placed outside of the circle. Continue this using other attributes, such as big and small. After going through this series of attributes, the teacher will hand out a picture of a box to each student, like the one in the story and ask the students to put certain buttons in the box, such as a large red button. To add more of a challenge for the students, the teacher could also try to do this silently by holding up a button for the students to see and they have to match it. To close this lesson, ask the students to pick out four buttons out of their own pile and match them under the right characteristics on a worksheet provided, ask the student to draw the buttons they chose. Differentiation: In order to modify this lesson for less mature students, I may give them fewer buttons in their bag, this way they may feel less stress or anxiety because they won't have so many pieces to work with. Also, I may only ask them to sort their buttons by one characteristic instead of multiple characteristics. To modify this lesson for more mature students I would ...