Minds On
Sorting
Examine the following pieces of sporting equipment.
How can you sort these pieces of equipment?
Can you think of two different ways?
Throughout this learning activity, you can record your thoughts digitally, orally, or in print.
There are twenty pieces of sporting equipment. There is a soccer ball, a basketball, a baseball bat, a baseball, a tennis racket, a tennis ball, a softball, and a volleyball. There is also a puck, a hockey stick, a football, a badminton racquet, a birdie, bowling pins, a bowling ball, a ping pong paddle, a skipping rope, a golf club, and a golf ball.
Press ‘Hint’ to reveal ways you can sort the sporting equipment.
Examples of ways to sort the sporting equipment could be by:
- shape (round/not round)
- size (big/small)
- handle/no handle
- equipment you throw/don’t throw
Action
What are attributes?
Attributes are features of a shape or object.
For example, the attributes of a square can include:
- It has four sides.
- The four sides are the same length.
The following shapes have been sorted using two different attributes: size and number of sides.
The shapes are a big circle, a small rectangle, a small equilateral triangle, a small isosceles triangle, a big right scalene triangle, a big pentagon, a big oval, a big heart and a big square.
The following table is a two-way tally table. The shapes are sorted by size (big or small) and number of sides (less than 4 or 4 or more).
| Number of Sides | Size | |
|---|---|---|
| Big | Small | |
| Less than 4 | ||
| 4 or more | ||
A two-way tally table is a table that sorts information by two attributes and has four possible options. The following two-way tally table sorts the previous shapes by size and the number of sides. The first option is a big shape with less than four sides and has four tally marks. The second option is a small shape with less than four sides and has two tally marks. The third option is a big shape with four or more sides and has two tally marks. The fourth option is a small shape with four or more sides and has one tally mark.
How can we organize our data?
One way to organize data is to create a tally table.
To create a tally table.
- Use marks (lines) to represent numbers.
- Each mark represents one unit.
- Group tally marks in groups of five
- The fifth mark is a line horizontally through four marks.
Tally marks in a table. The tally marks record the quantity of things. 5 is represented by a horizontal line through a set of four marks. In the example, four vertical lines are crossed with one horizontal line, followed by four more vertical lines for a total of nine tally mark lines.
Independent task:
Can you organize the shapes in a two-way table according to number of sides and type of sides?
Remember that you should have the same number of tallies as there are shapes. Each shape is counted only once in the table.
Record your work in the following Two-Way Table or using a method of your choice.
An image of ten shapes that include a circle, a rectangle, an equilateral triangle, and isosceles triangle, a right scalene triangle, a pentagon, an oval, a heart, a star and a square.
Complete the Two-Way Tally Table in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document.
| Type of Side | Number of Sides | |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 4 | 4 or more | |
| Straight | ||
| Curved | ||
Press the ‘Activity’ button to access the Two-Way Tally Table.
Consolidation
Sorting by attribute
Sort the following sporting equipment according to two diverse attributes.
There are twenty pieces of sporting equipment. There is a soccer ball, a basketball, a baseball bat, a baseball, a tennis racket, a tennis ball, a softball, and a volleyball. There is also a puck, a hockey stick, a football, a badminton racquet, a birdie, bowling pins, a bowling ball, a ping pong paddle, a skipping rope, a golf club, and a golf ball.
Use a two-way table to record your sorting, or record a description of the attributes you would use to sort.
Examples of ways to sort the sporting equipment could be by:
- shape (round/not round)
- size (big/small)
- colour (one colour/two or more colours)
- handle/no handle
- equipment you throw/don’t throw
Label the two-way table with the different categories.
Complete the Two-Way Table in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document.
| Attribute 1 | Attribute 2 | |
|---|---|---|
Press the ‘Activity’ button to access Two-Way Table.
Think about your learning
Record your thoughts about the following questions:
- What is important to remember when creating and using a two-way table?
- Is it easier to sort by certain attributes?
- What is important to remember when sorting by more than one attribute?
- What are some reasons you might sort objects by more than one attribute?
Reflection
How do you feel about what you have learned in this activity? Which of the next four sentences best matches how you are feeling about your learning? Press the button that is beside this sentence.
I feel…
Now, record your ideas about your feelings using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.