Sequencing – A

Overview

Ordering and order processes are an important foundation to algorithmic thinking.

Rationale (Why we are doing this?)

When students explore with design and prototyping, powerful learning occurs. This project has numerous applications with propulsion, extreme frontiers, exploration, and forces and energy.

Materials/Resources

  • 10 pencils or pencil crayons (different sizes)

Context and Background Knowledge

  • Students should be introduced to the terms, “Short”/”Long” & “Shorter”/”Longer”
  • Students should have previous practice comparing objects based on an attribute

Curricular Connections (Competencies and Content)

Describe, create, and interpret relationships through concrete, pictorial, and symbolic representations (Math – Kindergarten/Grade 1)

Explore + Understand + Create (Key elements/Lesson Design/Format)

  1. Students sit in a circle, teacher brings a handful of pencils or pencil crayons to the carpet
  2. With support from the students, the teacher orders the pencils/pencil crayons from shortest to longest
  3. Students repeat the activity in pairs

Questions for discussion:
“How did you know how which one was shorter or longer?”

Applications/Adaptations/Extensions

  • Teachers can choose to use more or less objects (i.e. pencils) depending on student ability
  • Activity can be repeated with ordering different objects with different attributes (e.g. toys: biggest to smallest)

Assessment

Assessment for Learning – Teacher observes students carrying out activity, noting their ability to compare the lengths of the pencils and place in the appropriate order (shortest to longest)