Activity 1
CLASSIFICATION
Illustrated by Pushes and pulls lesson
A sorting activity can be transformed into a way of developing talking and thinking by
asking the children to work in groups to put objects, words or pictures into categories.
In asking them to think together about the different properties or attributes of the
things they are classifying they not only learn the skills of classification they also
develop their talk and reasoning skills. It is vital that they are asked to give reasons
for why they choose a particular category for a particular object. It is also a good idea
to explain to them before they start that there is not necessarily a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’
answer - it is the discussion of reasons that is important.
Children can be asked to sort the same objects in different ways, or to see how many
criteria they themselves can find for sorting and to name their different categories.
They will find it more interesting and challenging if there are several possible
categories for at least some of the objects – though of course you may need to
suggest some categories the first couple of times they attempt the activity.
In the whole-class session following the group work, ask the children to share the
questions they asked, the reasons they gave and what conclusions they reached. As
the children report back, help them to group together similar reasons, ideas and
strategies (for example by writing them up on the board). The results can be
transferred to paper and used as a starter activity in a subsequent lesson.
Method: introductory classwork
1. Collect objects, words, pictures that can be sorted in different ways.
2. When you ask children about possible groups, ask them to talk with a partner
before sharing their ideas for sorting with the whole class.
Teacher tip for whole class introductions: The children could be asked to work
in pairs, either sitting in a circle with the objects in the centre or facing the front
with either an interactive white-board or another surface on which the objects can
be displayed.
Asking the children to share ideas with the person sitting next to them at the start
of the lesson builds up confidence for sharing them with the whole class.
Practise giving reasons for allocating objects to a particular group before asking
children to move into their groups of three.
3. Ask children to give each other reasons why they chose to allocate objects to
a particular category.
Thinking Together: Teaching Activities to promote talking and thinking
1
4. Ask the children to sort in more than one way.
5. Ask them to say what criteria they used.
6. Ask them to agree on which objects should go in which groups.
7. closing plenary: Ask them to share their strategies and criteria in a closing
plenary session. Can they find criteria that are the same and criteria that are
different?
Thinking Together Skills

Sharing ideas

Giving reasons

Listening
Curriculum Context
Science (e.g. if objects
with different properties
are used)
English (if words are to be

Speaking
classified)
Maths (if different shapes
are used)
Children learn:

that there are no ‘right’ answers, but that ideas need to be
supported by reasons

to develop different criteria for sorting and to make
connections

to identify and consider similarities and differences
Thinking Together: Teaching Activities to promote talking and thinking
2
Resources
Whole class activity:
Objects, pencils and paper or other recording materials
as appropriate.
Group activity:
Each group will need an appropriate recording sheet.
Remember to make sure that there is a labelled space on the sheet for children to
record the reason for their choices.
Teacher tip.
Give each group of children only one sheet of paper and pencil to record their
decisions. This will encourage them to work together to reach an agreement
Variations.
Whole class work: Give one child an object and ask them move with it into a part of
the classroom. Second and subsequent children holding an object should give a
reason as to whether their object would fit into an existing group. If they think it
wouldn’t, they should start another group. Continue in this way until all the objects
are grouped. . Instead of decisions being taken by individual children, they could be
taken by the whole class or pairs of children.
Remind the children that giving reasons is important.
Group work Another variation on this is to give groups of children 3 - 7 and ask
them to pick ‘the odd one out’. Can they
1. find more than one way of grouping them so that they have a different ‘odd
one out’?
2. agree with each other?
3. give their reasons for each of the ways they have grouped them?
4. persuade each other?
(You will need to devise a simple recording sheet).
Key points
Choose objects that can be sorted in more than one way.
Remind the children to give reasons for their choices.
Ask groups to come to a decision together.
Model exploratory talk throughout the lesson and ask the children to evaluate the
rules in the closing session.
Thinking Together: Teaching Activities to promote talking and thinking
3
Lesson Plan 1
Pushes and Pulls
Illustrates Ordering and Prioritising activity
Curriculum links: Sc.4 Physical processes: Forces and Motion 2a - Pupils should be taught
to find out about and describe the movement of familiar things.
Sc.3 Changing materials: 2a - Pupils should be taught to find out how the shapes of objects
made from some materials can be changed by some processes including squashing,
bending, twisting and stretching.
This lesson links to QCA Unit 2E Forces and Movement
Thinking Together Objectives
Curriculum Learning Objectives
We are agreeing on the best group for
We are learning to say whether we used a
our words.
push or a pull to make a new shape.
We are learning to listen to each other
We are learning to use words that describe
and to share our ideas.
pushes and pulls.
We are learning to give reasons for our
ideas.
Success Criteria.

We agreed on which box to put our words into.

We have chosen some words to write in a way that shows whether they describe a
push or a pull.

We gave reasons for our ideas.
Resources
A brightly covered box (referred to as a Talk Box) to put objects into.
In the Talk Box
Soft material that the children can make into different shapes (e.g. plasticene, plastic bag,
playdough, paper towel etc).
Whole class work
The push and pull word boxes, vocabulary cut up (see resource sheet), blutak. Display space
for shared activity.
Group work
1 set of word boxes, vocabulary, drawing materials.
The lesson
Thinking Together: Teaching Activities to promote talking and thinking
4
Model the TT rules by asking for reasons and explanations and reaching agreement.
1
Introductory Classwork
Introductory activity

Ask a child to take some of the material out of the Talk Box. What shape is it?

Ask them to use their hands to change the shape. What kind of movement have
they used? What have they done to the shape? Can they explain why they think
their action was a push or a pull? Repeat, asking other children to change the
shape, describe and explain what they have done.

As the children share this activity, ensure that the class uses and can explain the
meaning of key vocabulary (force, pull, twist, push).
Introducing the group activity.

Introduce the words on the cards.
Select one word and ask the children to work with a partner to decide whether it
describes a pulling or pushing action. When they have shared their ideas, put the
word into its word box. Explain that this is part of their group work

Rehearse with the children the phrases they will use when giving and asking for
reasons, including each other and sharing their ideas.
Share the learning objectives for Talk and Science and the success criteria.
2
Group Work

Ask the children to agree on which word box to put their words in.

Ask the children to agree on three words to draw. Can they write them in a way that
describes the action?
Variations:
Can they put some of these words into sentences?
Can they think of some push and pull words of their own?
Plenary

Whole Class Work 2
Share the outcomes of the group work.
Thinking Together Rules
Success Criteria
Did our Rules help us in our group
Have we achieved the success criteria?
work?
Have the Learning Objectives been met?
Thinking Together: Teaching Activities to promote talking and thinking
5
Should they be altered?
Extension activities
This work in this activity would be extended by other Science activities within the Y2 Forces
study unit.
Individual work
Ask the children to make up their own sentences and show the meaning of the words in the
way they have written them as part of a display of work on Talk or Forces.
Key points
Model the Thinking Together Rules by asking for reasons, and explanations:
‘can you explain why….’?
‘can you think of a reason why…..’?
Rehearse key phrases the children should say in order to use the TT Rules in their groups:
‘what do you think’?
‘why do you think that’?
Thinking Together: Teaching Activities to promote talking and thinking
6
Classification lesson
Pushes and Pulls
crumple
Vocabulary Resources sheet
hammer
twist
squash
squeeze
bend
stretch
turn
pat
roll
bang
fold
press
flatten
slam
Thinking Together: Teaching Activities to promote talking and thinking
7
Classification lesson
Pushes and Pulls
Word Box Resources sheet
pull
word box
Thinking Together: Teaching Activities to promote talking and thinking
8
Classification lesson
Pushes and Pulls
Word Box Resources sheet
push
word box
Thinking Together: Teaching Activities to promote talking and thinking
9
Classification lesson
Pushes and Pulls
Word Box Resources sheet
push and pull
word box
Thinking Together: Teaching Activities to promote talking and thinking
10