Title of Book:
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Button Box
Margarette S. Reid
Puffin Book /1990
0-14-055495-5
Grade Levels for Recommended Use: Kindergarten-2nd
K(8) Geometry and spatial reasoning. The student uses attributes to determine how objects are
alike and different. The student is expected to: (C) sort a variety of objects including twoand three-dimensional geometric figures according to their attributes and describe how
the objects are sorted.
Brief Summary: A little boy shows his favorite toy to play with at his grandmother’s house, her
box of buttons. He goes through the box and shows all the different kinds and while this is
happening it shows the little boy sorting the buttons out. This is a great book to introduce sorting
to students.
Materials Needed: 1 box of a variety of buttons (sometimes this box comes with the book
ordered, paper & colored pencils/crayons.
Suggested Activity: Sorting Buttons
Before the lesson have some bags of buttons for each group of students. Read the story to the
class, and then tell them that you have a special treat from your own grandmother’s house; it’s
her box of buttons! Instruct students that we are going to get to sort the buttons from this box of
buttons. Tell them that they need to figure out at least four ways to sort the buttons (hopefully
they have picked up on many different ways to sort them from the story). Give students the bags
of buttons and have them sort the buttons in groups. Once they have sorted them multiple ways,
hand out a piece of paper to each student and tell them to draw one of the sorts that they have
created.
Ordered from Lakeshore Learning (Buttons come with the book)
Adapted by: Megan Norris, 2010