32 / 216
28
Copyright © 3P Learning – These resources have been created in partnership with Dr. Marian Small.
For more information visit
www.mathletics.comQuestions to facilitate the learning
•
What are some of the things about shapes that you can use to sort them?
•
Is it possible for a sphere to go with a cube? How?
•
Is it possible for a triangular prism to go with a cylinder? How?
•
How did you decide that a shape didn’t belong? How many things about the shape did you have to
think about?
Scaffolding the learning
•
Choose a shape and make it a size and colour you want. What other shape would go with it? What other
shape wouldn’t? Why?
•
Suppose there was a small yellow sphere and a large yellow cube. What would make them go together?
What wouldn’t go with them?
•
How could a small yellow sphere and large yellow cube not go together?
What’s the point of this task?
Sorting shapes is the basis for work in pattern, geometry and measurement. It is by classifying shapes that
students can distinguish items to make patterns (e.g. red vs. blue or circle vs. square), can name shapes
and can distinguish between shapes with big and small areas. Sorting is also part of the curriculum in its
own right.
This particular task provides students with the opportunity to create their own sorting rules; this gives them
more ‘responsibility’ than guessing someone else’s sorting rule. By asking students why one shape doesn’t
belong, we encourage them to be flexible thinkers. By asking them to repeat the task with different shapes,
we further encourage flexible thinking.
Extending the learning
Students could be asked to use criteria other than the name of the shape or colour to make their categories.
Who Belongs Together?
Data