With my firsties working so hard on patterns in math recently, I thought it was important for them to recognize that patterns aren’t just about stripes on a sweater or dots on a bulletin board trimmer. There are patterns everywhere; we just have to be open to seeing them. I wanted to introduce them to and make connections to patterns in literature. Patterns in literature is a less obvious and more complex way of thinking about patterns, but a topic I think that has significant importance in the way we view the topic. I read them the story The Three Little Pigs by Barry Moser, and because we are also covering ‘The Senses’ in Science, I asked them to use their ears to listen for patterns found in the story. The pictures in this version of the story are amazing and had my kiddies captivated and laughing throughout the read aloud. Afterwards we talked about some of the literary patterns found in the story, and I was so impressed with their answers! They definitely had their thinking caps on and were able to tell me several patterns that they heard in the story. I was a bit worried that they wouldn’t ‘get’ it, but of course, they proved me wrong! It just goes to show that sometimes we (I) underestimate the learning capabilities of our students. A good lesson for me as a teacher!
Here is a copy of the book as well as the response sheet we worked on afterwards.
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