Design for Learning

Instructor: Shelby Buscher

Lesson Title: Classifying Collections
Curriculum Area: Math

Grade Level/Cooperating Teacher: 1st Ashley Myrex

Date: 11/18/14
Estimated Time: 35-40 minutes

Standards Connection:
18.) Organize, represent, and interpret data with up to three categories; ask and answer questions about the
total number of data points, how many in each category, and how many more or less are in one category
than in another. [1-MD4]
Learning Objective(s): When given 12 buttons, a piece of paper, and markers, students will categorize and
sort buttons into groups, writing and illustrating their groups on their piece of paper. To be considered
proficient, students will have to have at least two groups with some kind of similarity in each.
Learning Objective(s) stated in kid-friendly language: Today class, we will be sorting all kinds of
cool buttons into groups according to what they have in common.

Evaluations of Learning Objective(s): Students will be given a blank sheet of white paper, crayons, and a
group of 12 buttons. They will take the buttons and create groups with them by sorting them according to
an attribute similarity. They will then write or draw, or do both, their buttons on their piece of paper. They
can color the buttons if they think it would help me see why it fits in the group. To be considered proficient,
students will have to have at least two groups created in which the buttons have some kind of explainable
similarity.
Engagement:
Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap Students echo Can everyone quietly move to their discussion on the carpet
quietly? Thank you for moving to your seats quietly and keeping your hands to yourself. I have a video for
us to all watch. Teacher will have video ready on the computer already pulled up, full screen and paused.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6Q6dRr3Pms It is a video where a man is gobbling and a large
group of turkeys gobble back. Did you all notice that those gobbling turkeys had feathers? Well I have a
turkey with some feathers that we are going to sort into groups. And at the end of the lesson we will all be
sorting all kinds of cool buttons into groups.

Learning Design:
I.
Teaching:
Today, we are going to be sorting things into groups. Sorting is when you put things together that have
something that is the same or in common. Here I have this Turkey here on the board, and he is missing
feathers. But Mr. Turkey likes for his feathers to be organized, so can you all help him put his feathers in
groups? What do these two feathers have in common? What about these two? Are there any other feathers
like these? Teacher will place feathers around the turkey on each side according to the commonalities.
Groups will be color and size. The teacher, once they have sorting according to one attribute will ask Is
there another way to sort Mr. Turkeys feathers? Teacher will call on 2-3 students until the other attribute
is recognized. Great Job Everybody! Now Im going to pass out buttons and we are going to write words to
describe them on the board. Im going to call on you one at a time and you can give up to 4 different things
you notice about your button. As the students describe their button, the teacher will write their answers on
the board, with categories such as color, material, holes, etc. in mind. She will writes things in similar
areas. What do all of these things have in common? Are these all about color? What about these? Do these
describe the number of holes in your buttons? Good Job. Now Im going to leave this list up here on the
board and we are going to use it later. Teacher will leave list up on the board for use in the assessment
later.
II.
Opportunity for Practice:
Im going to have you sort your friends. Everyone will get a turn. While your friends are standing up, I
want those of you sitting down to sit quietly with your hands to yourself. Now I want Student A, Student B,
Student C, and Student D to stand up. Teacher will cold call a student. Can you tell me what is the same
about some of your friends standing up? Whats something that is the opposite of that? Students will most
likely sort according to what is worn. What are two groups that you could sort your friends into? Teacher
will repeat until all students have had a turn standing up. Thats great. Can everyone sit back down on the
carpet? Now Im going to have you get up in groups and go to your table. Each group will have a big piece

of butcher paper, divided into fours, markers, and a giant pile of buttons. I want you to talk to your group
about different ways you could sort the buttons. Then I want you to sort the buttons one way in one square
and write your categories. I will be coming around to see your groups. Teacher will dismiss groups.
Buttons will be in bowls that the teacher will have put at the tables while everyone was getting to their spot
on the carpet. The teacher will have also passed out markers and butcher paper. Teacher will circulate
around, asking questions. How do you know that? What do these have in common? Is there another way to
sort the buttons? Talk about another way with your group, and then write the new groups in the next
square on your giant paper. Teacher will do this for some time.
III.
Assessment
As students finish, the teacher will go around and bring them paper for their assessment. She will clear all
buttons but the ones needed (groups of 12 for each student). With these buttons, I want you to sort them into
groups. Then you can write what the groups are or draw them. You can even do both if you want. If you
have trouble thinking of categories, you can look at some of the things we said about our buttons earlier
that I wrote on the board. When you are finished, I want you to come up and turn your paper in. Then put
your buttons away. Then go sit on your spot on the carpet.
IV.
Closure:
Once students are finished, they will go to their spots on the carpet. There will be blocks available for them
to continue their practice with sorting. Who can show me a group that you made with the blocks? How did
you know that those went together? What are we doing when we are sorting? Great!

Materials and Resources:

Paper Turkey
Paper Feathers
Blocks
Buttons
Butcher Paper
Markers
Paper
Bowls
Whiteboard
Magnets
Expo Marker
Differentiation Strategies (including plans for individual learners):
For lower level students, pictures will be considered ok for the assessment. The teacher will also spend
more time helping them. When circulating, the teacher will ask them to explain their thinking and use their
own words to help them understand. They will also be given papers with categories written on them or be
allowed to have help writing the names of categories in groups. For the higher-level students, I will ask
them to create more than one sort. That way they can think critically by comparing and contrasting buttons
in a new category.

Data Analysis: Since I did not get to the assessment, I have no concrete data, but through observation,
students of all levels were able to sort.

Reflection:
I was able to teach from the Engagement through Opportunity for practice, so I dont know how the
assessment would have gone or what I could have improved there. The lesson went pretty well. The kids
loved the video in the beginning. It caught their interest, made them laugh, and turned the focus toward
turkeys. This would be a lesson that would only be appropriate after a focus on Thanksgiving because if not
the turkeys would not connect to the children. Their previous knowledge needs to be activated in order for
the lesson to have worked well. I could change the animal/object though if I needed to teach it in a different
season. I would plan ahead next time when I wanted the students to answer with a raised hand and when I
wanted them to answer as a group.

Samford University
Design for Learning