Real Things Tell Us Something

We are learning to sort our things into groups and line them up, so the real things show us which group has more.

Before you startAbout 35 minutes · what success looks like · notes for the helper

About 35 minutes. It's fine to stop after the Quick Check and come back another day: the lesson opens where you left it, at the Quick Check.

You'll know you've got it when

I can sort things into groups using one rule, like colour
I can line up each group from the same start line, with no gaps
I can point to the group with more, and say how the lines show it

For the helperhow to sit beside this lesson, and what this step is for

This step: Spark

Start with the question at the top and chat about it. There is no wrong answer here: it gets your learner thinking about what they already know.

Getting ready: A small pile of 10 to 15 familiar things that differ in one easy way, like odd socks, blocks or toy animals, and something straight for a start line, like a wooden spoon. If a baby or toddler is nearby, you might keep very small pieces up high, because they are a choking risk. For the choices: the sock basket, toy animals, a little pile of leaves or stones from outside, or your blocks for the fibbing line. All of it takes about 35 minutes, which is long for one Prep sitting; stopping after the check and doing the sorting choice later works well.
What understanding sounds like: Listen for your child naming the rule they sorted by ('these are all red') and using the lines to decide: 'red has more, look, these ones have no partner'. A reason that points at the lines matters more than a quick answer.
A likely mix-up, and something that helps: A common belief is that the longer line always has more, even when one line has big gaps or starts further along. You might spread one line out on purpose and ask, 'Is it really more, or does it just look long? How could we check?'
If it comes easily: For a child who sorts with ease, one idea is to sort the same pile a second way, by colour and then by size, and see whether a different group has the most.
If it's a struggle: If it's a struggle, one way is to start with just two groups of three or four things, and to match them partner to partner before talking about which line is longer. If your child would rather build than sort, a sock pile still counts as data once it is in lines, and it is fine to stop and set the lines out again tomorrow. Data, sort and rule are new words; showing them with your hands as you say them helps a child who is learning English.

Step 1 of 6 · Spark

Lesson 1 of 5 · Sorting and Showing Our Things

The muddle pile

For the helper

Start with the question at the top and chat about it. There is no wrong answer here: it gets your learner thinking about what they already know.

Helper, read aloud: Look at this pile! (Tip the socks or blocks out in a heap.) I have a question. Which colour do we have the MOST of? Can you tell just by looking? It's hard in a muddle, isn't it?

Helper, read aloud: Here is a big word. Things we count or notice are called DATA. Our socks are data! Today the real socks will tell us the answer. We just have to put them in order.

A muddle of socks. Which colour is there most of?