Vivian Gayles teaches a combination kindergarten/first-grade class in Bakersfield, California. Her students have just heard the story The Button Box by Margarette S. Reid, and Ms. Gayles has given her students buttons to explore. Working with partners, students decide how to sort their buttons. As the children sort the buttons, Ms. Gayles asks them to explain the reasoning they're using to sort the buttons into groups. The students then record their results on graph paper.

Please watch the video excerpt at left (duration 3:50) of Ms. Gayles's classroom. As you watch, focus on how Ms. Gayles's questions help students develop their reasoning and classification skills.

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