The National Center for Quality Afterschool

Helping local practitioners and state education agencies develop high-quality and balanced programs

About the Center

Afterschool Lesson Plan Database

Lesson Plan

Algebra: Sorting, Representing, and Patterns
Subject: Math
Grade span: K to 2
Duration: 20 to 30 minutes
This lesson was excerpted from the Afterschool Training Toolkit under the promising practice: Math Centers
view video Click here to view a Video Example of this type of lesson.

Description:

This sample lesson is one example of how you can implement Math Centers. In this activity, students use algebra skills and thinking to sort objects and recognize patterns, relationships, and functions.

Learning Goals:

Materials:

Preparation:

What to Do:

Teaching Tips:

Some students will recognize similarities and differences among objects better than others. As students work to sort their objects, ask questions that will encourage students to discuss their thoughts. For example, if a student is putting different objects together, ask if these objects are the same and why objects are the same or not, to help them understand sorting based on similarities and differences. You may want to model sorting and patterns for students to help them learn.

Evaluate (Outcomes to look for):

Standards:
Click this link to see additional learning goals, grade-level benchmarks, and standards covered in this lesson.

Online Training for Afterschool Staff
The Afterschool Training Toolkit is available online free of charge.

The following resources can be used with the online Afterschool Training Toolkit to give you the resources you need to build fun, innovative, and academically enriching afterschool activities.