Patterns and Connections in Mathematics

Patterns and Connections in Mathematics was written over a period of nine years by Bob Baratta-Lorton, as he participated in the education of his twin godsons and their fellow classmates from kindergarten through eighth grade. This “participation” included teaching lessons in their classrooms, tutoring individual children as a parent volunteer, and teaching in the Center’s summer school for the children of its employees every year as his godsons and children of other employees passed from kindergarten through sixth grade. Some of these children are pictured on the front and back cover of the book.

Patterns and Connections, which is a K–6 book, assumes teacher familiarity with either Math Their Way or Math a Way of Thinking. It is a book of why and how--the pedagogical and philosophical next step for both of the earlier books.

The book itself was begun before the Bush administration adopted the phrase “Leave no child behind” for its educational program. The use of the same phrase in Patterns and Connections predates the Bush usage and its meaning in the context of the book is quite different.

The as yet unpublished manuscript is available for free to teachers in the downloadable chapters below. Since the book is still in manuscript form, the illustrations are not yet in place. There are, however, descriptions of what the eventual illustrations will contain. In addition, the Power Block material described in the manuscript will not be commercially available until the book is actually published.

PandC
Patterns & Connections
manuscript

Bob Baratta-Lorton