Mathematics

 

The students will be given opportunities to explore patterns. Such exploration provides practice in predicting what will happen, talking about relationships, and seeing connections. Children need to extend their ability beyond simply identifying a pattern. It is important for the children to be able to explain how they know it is a pattern and to be able to extend the pattern.

 

In order to observe each child's mathematical strategy, questions should be posed that reveal the child's thinking (e.g., "How did you decided to...? " "How did you know what came next in the pattern?" "What do you think will happen? How can you show me?" "Does anyone else have an idea?").

 

 

The children will be given a variety of materials to use to make their patterns and then I plan on taking pictures of the patterns created and extended. There will not be any pictures of the children.