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Brick Playbook: Parent Edition

Classroom Resources > Brick Playbook: Parent Edition > 9. Sort It Out

STEM/STEAM

K-2, 3-5, 6-8

Sort It Out

Develop and use pattern recognition for sorting and categorizing bricks.

Objective:
Child will be able to notice different ways of grouping items.

Essential Question(s):
How can we sort similar things?
What aspects of objects are important?

Special Materials:
Bins for sorting bricks

Bricks Required:
All (or as many as need sorting)

Project Structure

Engage/Explain:

  1. Begin by asking about patterns in the bricks. How can they be grouped? By size, by color, by general type (1xn bricks, 2xn bricks, plates, tiles)?
  2. Start out with a small amount of bricks based on one feature only (color, size etc). Then work up to more bricks and features to be sorted.
  3. Ask what is the best way to sort the bricks.
    1. Discussion may include:
      1. Sorting by color makes it easy to find all the parts of one color.
      2. Sorting by size makes it easy to find the right shape for your creation.
      3. Sorting by general type requires fewer containers but will involve more digging.
      4. What should be done about parts where there aren’t a lot of them, e.g., tiles?

Explore:

  1. Agree upon categories and sort the bricks.

Series Directory

Brick Playbook: Parent Edition

Credits

Powered by Two Bit Circus Foundation, 2020

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