Foundational Math Topics
Age/Grade Levels
Content Formats
Series
Foundational Math Topic: Pattern
Pattern is less a topic of mathematics than a defining quality of mathematics itself. Mathematics “makes sense” because its patterns allow us to generalize our understanding from one situation to another. Children who expect mathematics to “make sense” look for patterns. Children need many opportunities to discover and talk about patterns in mathematics. These experiences help them form the attitude and confidence that mathematics should make sense, the crucial foundation all children need to become persistent and flexible problem solvers. © Erikson Institute’s Early Math Collaborative. Reprinted from Big Ideas of Early Mathematics: What Teachers of Young Children Need to Know (2014), Pearson Education.
Series: Book Ideas
Beloved Eric Carle Books Illustrate the Math in Story Time
August 18, 2021
For over 50 years, millions of children have returned again and again to the books illustrated and written by Eric Carle. Kids can’t get enough of his colorful collages, animal characters, and rhythmic texts.
- Topic: Counting, Number Sense, Pattern
- Age/Grade Level: 1st Grade, Kindergarten, Pre-K
- Tags 1-2-3 to the Zoo: A Counting Book, Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See?, Eric Carle, Rooster's Off to See the World
Series: Ideas at Work January 26, 2021
3 Ways to See Mathematical Structure in Everyday Kitchen Math
Cooking with kids is a natural way to do math together. But we're not talking about turning meal preparation into a formal math lesson. Cooking together presents an opportunity that is more about noticing and wondering rather than teaching.
- Topic: Measurement, Pattern
- Age/Grade Level: 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, Kindergarten, Pre-K
- Tags Family Math
Series: Book Ideas August 28, 2019
5 Books and Songs for Exploring Growing Patterns
Cumulative tales and rhymes illustrate growing patterns, typically an increase or decrease by one on each page. As the growing pattern is revealed through the story, children get excited because they can figure out "what comes next."
- Topic: Pattern
- Age/Grade Level: 1st Grade, Kindergarten, Pre-K
- Tags Animals, Culture, Demi, Graeme Base, Jacqueline Woodson, Lily Toy Hong, One Grain of Rice, The Waterhole, Two of Everything, We Had a Picnic This Sunday Past
Series: Book Ideas January 11, 2019
4 Fun Books that Explore Math, Patterns, and Sequences
From an early age, children notice and appreciate patterns in the world around them. Patterns and sequences of different kinds begin to pop up all over the place, especially in the books that children love.
- Topic: Pattern
- Age/Grade Level: 1st Grade, Kindergarten, Pre-K
- Tags Animals, Audrey Wood, Bill Martin Jr., Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See?, Eric Carle, I Went Walking, Pattern Bugs, Sue Williams, The Napping House, Trudy Harris
Series: Focus on the Child October 11, 2016
Repeating Patterns with Child 14
A child is pushed to decipher the repeating pattern in an array of blocks. Then he attempts to continue the pattern.
- Topic: Pattern
- Age/Grade Level: Kindergarten, Pre-K
Series: Focus on the Child March 15, 2016
Second Grade Problem Solving with Child 5
This second grader demonstrates an interesting choice for a mathematical model by graphing.
- Topic: Number Operations, Pattern
- Age/Grade Level: 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade
- Tags Child 5, Correction, Problem Solving
Series: Hear from the Experts September 16, 2015
Talking with Children Sets the Groundwork for Mathematical Learning
A new book, Thirty Million Words: Building a Child's Brain, explains the importance of regularly talking with children ages 0-3—the time during which the brain develops most rapidly. Ensuring that these conversations take place will help children progress with their language, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills.
Series: About the Collaborative May 27, 2015
Collaboration with the Ounce Highlights Math Development in Children Ages 0-3
Reading a "touch-and-feel" book or singing an action song with a baby or toddler is setting the groundwork for mathematical thinking and future school success. That's the point of Math All Around Me (MAAM), a joint program between Erikson Institute Early Math Collaborative and The Ounce of Prevention Fund, established to study the math capabilities of children ages 0-3.
Series: Ideas at Work March 30, 2015
Intentional Teaching Comes to Life with Big Shoulders Project
A Chicago-area teacher's intentional teaching and efforts to differentiate for students of varying ability and confidence resulted in a rich math lesson. Based on Audrey Wood's classic book The Napping House, students created their own books with the details and content unique to themselves.
- Topic: Pattern
- Age/Grade Level: 1st Grade, Kindergarten, Pre-K
- Tags Audrey Wood, Books, Food, The Napping House
Series: Focus on the Child April 11, 2014
Pattern with Child 14
This second grader extends a shape pattern to ordinal numbers.
- Topic: Pattern
- Age/Grade Level: 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade
- Tags Child 14, Correction, Problem Solving