Sort, then explain
Give each group a stack of animal picture cards and let them sort however they like. Then share the rules they used. Most groups land close to the real classes, and you introduce mammals, birds and reptiles as the scientist's version of their sort.
Why it works: kids understand an idea best when they touch it, then draw it, then write it, the order the U.S. Department of Education recommends for elementary math.
Try it withMammal Classification WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →























