groovy, groovy buttons

Buttons offer a variety of sorting, counting, comparing, and exploring opportunities! In the recent weeks we have been working with buttons in different ways and across contexts.

Our calendar for the month of January encouraged children to think about number combinations using buttons and then representing combinations using a number tree. The children have used their knowledge of number combinations to solve button story problems using different methods- from pictures and words to number sentences.

These story problems have been differentiated to meet the different needs of the students. Following a recent story problem, all of the children requested the challenge for next time- a shared growth mindset!

In our learning community it is about exploration and discovery, mistakes and growth.

 

 

Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons offered a playful read aloud and invitation to represent number sentences using a guided drawing experience and buttons from our classroom collection.

You can draw Pete the Cat using flat shapes and specific lines- all of our language connected to our ongoing conversations about shapes and lines. The first direction was to draw an oval for his head, two triangles for his ears, two ovals for his eyes, and so on. All of the artists practiced careful line work and followed the specific directions.

The children loved running their fingers through piles of buttons at their tables, searching for the exact buttons they wanted to use on their illustration. They chose the combination to 5 they wanted to represent and their number sentence had to match their illustration.

Pick five buttons.
Choose how many buttons popped off and how many stayed on.
Use a number sentence to represent your math artwork.

We went on a museum walk following their work, noticing the drawing, number printing, and buttons on each canvas. One child celebrated that he could read all of the number sentences, because everyone practiced powerful printing.

 

 

 

 

 

In the midst of all this important work, I offered our button collection as a new choice during Academic Choice.

What would the button explorers and enthusiasts suggest? Where would their questions take our learning? How would they engage with this material?

They sorted by color and labeled their piles. They sorted by favorite and "most pretty". They pretended they were pirates and the buttons were treasure. They counted their treasure and recorded how many. They were all interested in describing the buttons, so on Friday I offered little button books for the children to draw and write.

Does your family have a button box? What can you do with those groovy buttons?