Sorting Shapes by What Truly Makes Them That Shape

You will meet this idea in ordinary days. Sorting by what matters is how tools, parts, and files are organized so anyone can find them. This is worth learning because a rule others can repeat is what separates sorting from stacking.

Watch for it today, and when you spot it, tell someone what you noticed and how you knew. Ask yourself where else the same idea might be hiding, then go and look.

Here is today’s math treasure. Now sort a pile of shapes using defining attributes. Make a group for three sided shapes and a group for four sided shapes. Do not put all the red ones together, because red is not a shape attribute.

When you finish, explain your rule out loud: I sorted by number of sides. A sort someone else can follow and repeat is a good sort. A sort nobody can explain is just a pile.

Watch out for sorting by look alike instead of by rule. Two shapes can both be blue and pointy and still belong in different groups. State your rule out loud before you start, then follow it exactly. Take your time. Careful is better than fast.