Hey Kinder Friends,
We have been working hard and having a little fun just sorting it all out! And when I say sorting it all out, I literally mean it. Apparently there was a little bit of disarray in a few of our centers and we needed to sort it out just to make sense of it all.
We got right to work and hands-on figured out what sorting actually was. We clearly defined what it meant and took some pictures to help us remember this experience. It took a while to decide our categories and decide how we would organize such a mixture of materials.
Once we decided on our categories we got right to work. I think you can tell in the picture that we were moving right along and getting the job done. In our world this IS real world problem solving at its best. And the kids will tell you that they sure remember the experience. The pictures we took that day were used for our math vocabulary posters and everyone has a clear understanding of what sorting is and what it is not!
A few weeks ago we had five new students enter our class on the same day. It didn't take long before we realized that we had to teach the new students about sorting. I let the kids guide that lesson and they did a great job. I thought they did a wonderful job of being leaders in this endeavor and explaining the reasons for our sorts.
We have also spent a lot of time sorting different things in different ways. We have sorted letters, shapes, names and had time for some conceptual sorts too. All of these experiences have enabled us to be able to sort independently and describe our sorts.
And after all of this the kids are now coming to me with ideas of things to sort. So, I guess we sorted it all out and can't wait for more!
