Categorising grid

The categorising grid activity involves:

  • Getting students in groups of five or six.
  • Giving them three or four related categories they have been studying and a list of randomised terms, images, equations or other items belonging to the categories.

Give students a limited amount of time to sort these items into their correct categories. Note: the list of items needs to be related to what students are currently learning or have learnt and is supplied in a random order.

Categorising grid is

effective for:

best to pair with:

  • categorising and ordering knowledge
  • collaboration and cooperation
  • critical thinking
  • identifying misconceptions
  • peer learning
  • immediate feedback.
  • cards
  • large groups discussion
  • jigsaw
  • minute papers
  • limited resource problem solving
  • rotation review
  • think-pair-share
  • top twenty.

Example 1

Using Google photos or Google docs and screen projection, the educator sets up shared groups with three or four folders (categories) in each group with terms or images in a central folder for the group to sort into their correct folder categories. The answers can then be shared with the whole class by the educator. The educator can then look for patterns identifying misconceptions to be addressed.

Example 2

For each group, the educator marks up a large sheet of paper (A3 or A2) into 3 or 4 grid sections for each category. They supply students with the hardcopy images or printed terms and get them to physically sort the items into their correct categories onto the sheet of paper. In groups, students then move and review solutions devised by other groups.