Classifying Classroom Instruction that Works Identifying Similarities and Differences

Classifying Involves grouping things into definable categories based on like characteristics

Classifying How things are classified influences our perception and behavior… How are items in a grocery store classified? What if they were classified by color, size, or price?

Classifying Purposefully grouping items into different categories can give us a different perspective on those items Thinking about what defines a particular group and why an item fits into the group helps students to learn more about the content they are studying

Classifying… how are these items classified?

Classifying… What about now?

The STEPS to Classifying Reasoning 1. Identify the items you want to classify. 2. Select what seems to be an important item, describe key attributes and identify other items like it based on their attributes. 3. State the rule that describes membership in this category. 4. Select another item and identify others that are like it. 5. Create the second category by stating the rule that describes membership in this category. 6.Repeat the previous two steps until all items are classified and each category has a rule that describes it. 7. If necessary, combine categories or split them into smaller categories and state the rules for those categories. Grouping items into definable categories on the basis of their attributes

Classifying In the following example, students are given a list of science terms and have to sort them into 3 categories and then name the categories and how that category is defined.

1.Amoeba 2.Fungi 3.Human 4.Fern 5.Sodium 6.Paramecium 7.Oxygen 8.Starfish 9.Iron 10.Earthworm Exercise: Powers of Government Classify the following into 3 groups. Explain your thinking. Group 1 Group2 Group 3

Classifying Another way to classify with increased rigor, would be to give students a list of items and have them create and define their own groups and explain why  See example on next slide…students would need to create their own groups

Weather Terms Absorption adiabatic cooling/heating air mass Anemometer anti-cyclone Barometer Climate Clouds cold front Conduction continental air mass Convection Coriolis effect Cyclone dew point duration of insolation El Nino Evaporation Front Fusion global wind and pressure belts Gradient greenhouse effect Groundwater Hurricane Insolation Isobars Isotherms jet stream La Nina Latent Leeward maritime air mass Monsoon occluded front Orographic polar air mass Precipitation Pressure Psychrometer Radiation rain gauge Reflection Refraction relative humidity

Identifying Similarities and Differences Graphic Organizer for Classifying

Classifying Discuss with group members where a classifying activity might be useful in your curriculum