Chapter 10: Uncovering Children’s Thinking about Patterns: Teacher-Researchers Improving Classroom Practices

Children in a Kindergarten class are sorting items by number. They focus on the numbers 2, 3, and 4 based on the book their teacher has read: What Comes in 2’s, 3’s & 4’s (Aker, 1990). The teacher asks, “What else comes in groups of 2?” Children readily offer the items they recall from the book. The teacher then asks, “Can you think of any other things that would belong in a group of 2?” The students suggest mittens, boots, earmuffs, earrings, and even thumbs! The teacher moves on to a group of 3. After exhausting the ideas represented in the book, the teacher again asks students to think of other items that would belong in a group of 3. This set seems a little harder. The students think silently for a few seconds. Finally a little girl raises her hand and offers, “The letter Y.” The teacher is puzzled yet intrigued by her response. She asks, “Why do you think the letter Y would belong in a group of 3?” The student answers, “Well, it has 3 sticks.” Satisfied with the student’s thinking, the teacher adds the letter Y to the group of 3.