Sorting Same and Different
SUBJECT:
Measurement and Data
TEACHERS:
Houston
STANDARD:
 K.MD.3. Classify objects into given categories; count the numbers of objects in each
category and sort the categories by count. (Limit category counts to be less than or equal
to 10).
OBJECTIVE (EXPLICIT):

EVIDENCE OF MASTERY (MEASURABLE):
SUB-OBJECTIVES, SWBAT (SEQUENCED FROM BASIC TO COMPLEX):

KEY VOCABULARY:
MATERIALS: small collections of sortable
objects (Examples: buttons, rocks, patterns
blocks, plastic animals or insects)
unifix cubes (used by the teacher to provide
as a team point)
ENGAGE (MAKE CONTENT AND LEARNING RELEVANT TO REAL LIFE AND CONNECT TO
STUDENT INTEREST)
TEACHER WILL
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BEFORE
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TTW begin the lesson by discussing
clean-up routines.
TTW say, “When we clean up our
classroom I’m so proud to see all
my students work together to put
things away! How do you know
where things can and can’t go?”
Take time to discuss how different
items are stored in the classroom.
Examples may include: All of the
blocks are together, food and dishes
are in the play kitchen, books are on
the shelf, glue is in the tub,
backpacks are all hung together
TTW ask, “Why do you think we
never have blocks by the backpacks
or books in the kitchen area?”
TTW focus student attention on a
specific area or center in the
classroom. Discuss how all items in
the area are similar in some way.
Example: The teacher will say,
“Look at our block center. How are
STUDENT WILL

TSW make connections to prior
knowledge by thinking about clean
up time.

Have students’ think-pair-share to
answer the questions. TTW have
several students share their thinking
with the class.

Possible examples: “Backpacks
aren’t books. You can’t read them.”

“Blocks can’t hang! They could never
go with our backpacks.”

“All the backpacks go here because
they can hang.”
all of the items on this shelf similar?
How are they different?”
 TTW repeat this process focusing
on another area of the classroom.
Example: TTW say, “Now look at
the reading center. How are the
items on the bookshelf similar? How
are they different?” TTW use
student observations to guide
students into recognizing that we
group things together that are alike
in some way. TTW say, “Can we
group other things in the
classroom?”
 TTW have students sort themselves
by attribute. Example: long/short
hair, pants/shorts/dresses, tennis
shoes/sandals, long/short sleeves,
boy/girl.
 TTW say, “Today you will work with
a partner to put different objects into
groups. I wonder how many different
ways you will be able to group your
objects.”
 TTW select two students to model.
The two students will receive a small
tub of manipulatives to work with.
Once the partners have sorted all of
their manipulatives, they raise their
hand to signal the teacher. TTW ask
the students to describe how they
grouped the objects. If they can
explain their thinking, the team
receives one unifix cube to serve as
a point. The students begin again
and sort the manipulatives an
additional way. The team raises their
hand, describes their thinking, and
receives a point. Repeat until each
team has sorted their objects 2-3
unique ways.
CO-TEACHING STRATEGY IF APPLICABLE

TSW form groups according to the
attribute given by the teacher.

Two students will model how to work
together to group manipulatives as
the rest of the class watches.
DURING

TTW move from group to group to
monitor student understanding. As
the students raise their hand, the
teacher will reward successful teams
with a point or unifix cube.

The teacher may ask, “Tell me how
your team decided to group the
objects?”

Students will work with partners to
sort manipulatives. Team members
must be able explain how the groups
are similar or different to receive a
point.

If the students become puzzled, the
teacher may offer a prompt. “I see
___. Can you create a group with
similar attributes?”
CO-TEACHING STRATEGY IF APPLICABLE
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AFTER
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To conclude the lesson, TTW have
each team count their unifix cubes to
see how many points they earned.
TTW congratulate the class for
thinking of so many different ways to
sort their objects.
TTW ask the class, “What did you
discover during our activity today?
We made many different groups with
our objects today. How did you know
which objects could/could not go into
the group you made?
TTW introduce the word sorting.
Define sorting as putting things into
different groups. TTW tell the class,
“Today we sorted or grouped objects
together”.
Ending Question:
The teacher will have several
children line up according to a
specific attribute. Example: Call up
five students with short sleeves and
one student with long sleeves.
TTW ask the class, “Who does not
belong in the group?” Can we add
anyone else in our class to this
group? Why or why not?”
TSW summarize their results by discussing
how they formed each group.
Talk about similarities and differences
among the manipulatives sorted.
TSW will define the new math term, sorting.
CO-TEACHING STRATEGY IF APPLICABLE