Early Childhood - Connecticut State Department of Education

Mathematics Chapter 6
Teacher Strategies:
Patterns
Provide various materials that encourage patterning
discoveries.
Bridge children’s informal knowledge with language
and symbols.
Provide examples of patterns in nature, art, music
and counting.
(Copley, 2000; NCTM, 2000; Bredekamp and Rosengrant, 1995.)
Estimation And Approximation
Performance Standard
• Estimate and verify the number of objects.
Children who have multiple opportunities for counting
and collecting begin to develop a mental image of two or
three. As numbers and sizes gain meaning for children,
so do concepts such as more, less, bigger and smaller.
Children then can start to problem-solve by making
predictions and hypotheses. This is the beginning of
estimating and approximating. Often these experiences
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Suggested Experiences
Provide beads, colorful shapes, etc., and encourage
children to label and represent their patterns with a
descriptive vocabulary.
(Communicating)
Use songs, literature and games that illustrate patterns.
(Communicating)
Locate patterns and ways to create patterns in the
classroom, in nature and music, e.g., butterflies,
flowers, computer designs, music and movement.
(Connecting)
Make patterns with the children as they stand in line
or during transition activities. Children wearing
sneakers and those in sandals. Two children with red,
one with a white shirt, two with red, etc.
(Connecting, representing)
begin with nonstandard units, e.g., “That building is as
wide as four of my feet put together.” After numerous
experiences, children begin to recognize standard
units of measurement, but the most important goals
are encouraging thinking about mathematical ideas
and working with others to try out ideas and test
predictions.
Comparing numbers and quantities involves
more than just using the correct words. Gradually,
multiple experiences with various manipulatives
help children come to understand the relationships
underlying these comparative words and estimates.