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Sorting Dichotomously: Punch Card Ctassification
National science r.u.#Sonrr"ciation convention Anaheim, California
Dr. John B. Beaver Dr. Don Powers Science Education Center
Department of Elementary Education & Reading Western Illinois University Macomb, Illinois 61455 email:
[email protected]
or
[email protected]
CLASSIFYING Children arc natural classifiers. Infants express like or dislike for the babyfoods or toys offered lhgp jusl qs young children organize blocks and toys according to color, Iexrure, etc. in their play acrivities. It is.important to help children recognize their natunil lendency to organize materials pd qojnt out ways in which the wodd around thenis ordered. Examples inciude thE organization fputld in grocery stores wherc the set of fresh vegetables is found alonf one wall with seti of frozen foods, canned vegetables, cerEals, etc. all set up ih Oreir distinct groupings in other parts of the store. Hence, fresh milk is not found with the frcsh ftuit, but is found in nb sdt of dairy products. Children might be asked to look for the pattenn of organization in other storcs such as ttr6 iardware, stationary, or clothing stores.
Clas-sifing is grouping; ordering; arranging; or distributing objects, events, or information . into categories based-on propenles or criteria, according to some method or system. firis is done to fit some purpose, which is-usually defined by the penonlql doing the classifying. For example, a pqryon may have-a pile of buuons on the table and may classify itrem according to size sincd he/she wishes to select from those which will best fit the buttdnhole iri a shirt. A diffelent person may cfas-sify those qane buttons by color since s/tre may wish to coordinate them with thi colon of ql-qltting to which they will be sewn. Both are legiiimate classification schemes, but each is done for a dif,fere.ry purpose. -Each classifier had a differeni intent when secing out to group the buttons. In the scientific community, scientists have come-to agrce on certain stratelies and-schdnes for classiSing objeas (such as animals, minerals, etc.) and events (zuch as geologiclme units). This allows sciend'sa to have a common base for investigating and communicating aUout Ootn oK and new discoveries. This also allows scientists to build upon the knowledge of prEvious scientists who uses similar systems. Classifying can give qleqgngs to thin-gs and situatioris which are othenrise meaningless or simpty too cgmptel to understand. In the natural world, there is an ovenrhelming number of-oUiects and events of which we need to (or yant to) keep uack. Classification systems aid us in imposin-g some sort of -anC order onto Nature and helps us more easily understand similirities, differences, iiterretationships betrveen objects and events.
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F.ot.yo.ung9r students, we usually begin by leaming about attributes (or properties, or characteristics) 3{tq a$ribute values. firis is important foundational knowledge iince later classification will be pr-epis_ed upon atuibutes ol objects of events. In the exlmfle from the previous p$€graph,- attributes of the buttons may be size and color (there may be others ioo, such as riumber of holes, shape, texture, etc.). Each attribute has a value. fire anribrite values of size may be large, medium, and small. Those for color may be blue, yellow, and red. Each attribute may have a number of attribute values. For younger students, bareful observations can help thenr,identify likenesses and differences, which they can then compare and contrast
Many familiar materials may be used to introduce classification at an early age. -ThE Experiences might include footwear, buttons, beads, blocks, sea shells, rocks, etc. first experie-nces should naturally_include q focus on one anribute or property at a time. Students 4-7 years old 1Ie tfnicatty classified as being in the "intuitive stage" of nagitian development. These students take each step as a sepiuate entity, and can son objects well but only by on6 attribute at a time. In these first activities, childrcn might be asked to put together sets ofobjects sharing a particular color and then reorganize the same set of marchals according to shaire or some -other ProPerty.- Such _sorting ts tp! a true classification since the snrdents cannot relate the softed groups b-ack.tg thg whole (original) large groupi{rg. As children matur€ and gain confidence, true dultiile-
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Sta$igcttiol_can be intnoduceti. Activities including venn diagrams,-and the accompanyinEintersection of sets, may be used to help children see-that objects may be rclated in a-nurirUel of ways and that each-object migh! have several values. For example, a block might be large, rcd and squarl le^Pgsenting the subses of size, color, and shape. Using a set of commercial attribute blocks (a set of 32 llocks haviqg the attributes of color, shape-and size *ittr four colors, four shapes and two sizes) we could ask the children to complete the following activities: Sort out the set of blocks into sets according to ttre attribute Repeat, using the attribute of shape. (4 ses) Repeat, using the attribute of (2 sets)
color. (4 sets)
size.
Soning Dichotomously: Punch Card Classification . J. Beaver & D. PowerVlgg4
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Note that every block is used in alltfuee arrangements, hence each block may be classified in
a number (multiple)
of ways.
Other tasks: Take one piece and describe as many attributes as possible. Use rwo intenecting loops to show the shared anributes in the intersection. Use three intersecting loops to show the shared attributes in the intersections. (see attribute activities asached)
In early stages of classifying, we may wish only to focus on attributes and attribute values that ary present-in the objeca or events with which we :uE dealing. ln later classifying, we can leam to use absent anributes and anribute values as well. For example, with the buttons we could glassify them according tortrose that are blue, yellow, red, and NOi blue, NOT yellow, and NOT red. Tfi.*. ap many_lnstances in science when we leam a gryat deal about somethin! by undentanding -This, what it is not. by the way, can lead to good dedJctive reasoning skill deveiopinent. Pichglomoulctassificatipn may be introduced at about third grade as another way to olganize objects. This may make use of attributes that arc prcsent as well as absent. Ai the name implies, dichoQmous classification works in a two-way (or bihary) fashion, just as computers handle information. Ctrildren are asked to come up with seveial properdds ttrat worild allow ttiem to divide $e gbjgcts into rwo sets each time. For example, students may be encouraged to classify the attribute blocks into two grcups each time. That is, classify them dichotomously. For instance: the attribute of size we get two gtoups, large and small. We could also use rcd and not-red, square-and not-square, etc. Challenge the children to come up wiih other ways to classify the.set of blocks dichotomously.
!$og
a nery topic or set
of materials. For instance classify a set of buttons dichotomously. We have the children come up with the categories (attributes). They might comd up 4q! Volt wittt the following categories: color, shape-, size, material, number of holed, thickness, etc. sug€est
Trl
A gpical set of groups then might include: white vs. not-white plastic vs. not-plastic
round vs. not-round 4 holes vs. not.4 holes
large vs. small thick vs. thin
If we werc to classify a set of school children in one classroom, we might use the following set of questions to sort them: Are you a girl? Were you born in the first half of the year? Were you bom in the first half of the month?
Do you have blue eyes? Do you have brown haifl Do you have brothers?
Each time a question is asked, the group of ctrildren is divided into two grcups. Any one child might hgve q ry_uque set of yeses and hos.- Dichotomous schemes are used to classify tiees, rocks, minerals, wildflowers, etc.
Another system of classification with which childrcn will deal is the hierarchical $A,ssiflcatioLg! objects. A simple example would be your address, which might include ne {9_U9u41tS: - 47 Horrabin Hall, Westem Illinois Universifu, Macomb, McDonough County, Illinois, USA, North America, Westem Hemisphere, Earth, SolarSystem, Milky Way G-alaxy, Uriiverse. The one most familiar in science is the Linnean system for classifying organisms. Linnaeus suggested a binomial system (hierarchical system) for ttre names of organiims which includes the GEnus and species. Hence: Felis carars. As an example:
Sorting Dichotomously: Punch Card Classification. J. Beaver & D. powerV1994
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Hierarehieal Steps Kingdom Phylum Class
Order Family Genus Species
For tlomestic Cats Animat Chordata (Subphylum = Vertebrata) Mamrnalia Carnivora Felidae (cats) Felis cattus (donnestic cat)
Activities: Given a set of anirnal picnres, have the children find all of the picttre(s) of robin(s) and put them Ogether. Given a set o.f animal pictures, have the children find all of the pictures of birds and put them together. Given a set of animal pictures, have the children find all of the pictures of animals and put them together. Note the size of each set and how the final set includes all of the pictures in ttre set. have the children explore the concept of hierarchy with other animati or other sets of pictures or objects. The fint tme classification skills tend to appear during the concrete operational stage of Piagetiag development: 7-12 yean old_.- These students arc generally able to-relate a subgioup back lo the whole Tgup from which it was divided a procedurc called ciass inclusion. This Is a'inique feature of the hierarchical system. As one ascends or descends through such a system, there exist certain exclusive rclationships. For example, these students could understand a s-tatement such as, "If all robins died, some birds would be left. If all birds died, no robins would be left." The students could recognize, that_robins arc a subgroup of all birds, and ttrat birds are not a subgroup of robins. More abstract classifications arc still beyond the capabilities of most of these students. Ii these students_ organize objects into four groups by using four different properties, they may not be able to reclassify the four groups into three groups and logically justify tfie new groupirig scheme.
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Twelve year oFs are eateringLtre formal operational stage of Piagetian development and can do much more with classifying. These students can usually-reclassif groups, rec6mbine groups into fewer and broader categories, use more abstract labels, and form sub$upf down to indiv'idual members in a hierarchical way (and understand the intenelations between ttre-hierarchical steps). Uslng the hierarchical_ example used above, formal operational students would be able to rec6gnize and understand that Homo sapien is a chordate, and chordates are animals.
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Classification can be done both qualitatively and quantitatively. An exaurple of qualitative -An classifring isthat for button colors used above. Color is a quality of ihe buttons. eximple of a quantitalivg classification may be the ranges of magnets' powers from weakest to strongest, or ttre range of children's ages from youngest to oldest. Some additional classification activities you may do with students are:
. Let your students create and use their own classification systems, and explain them to you. . G-ive your students some linitations on what ttrey can use as attributes classification, such as leaf lobes, veins, or shape.
. __for your snrdents use a classification key to identify tr€es or minerals . Faq Provide y-our snrdents a set of u least 12 rirythical criatures possessing a mix of attributes '- some with one mix and others with another mii (for example, one with scales, $ngs, and four clawed feet and another with scales, teeth, and two legs). Design the creaturcs so thgy can be_placed into any one of several groups. Tell your students &ey must end up with a minimum of 4 groups, each having a minimum of 2 crcatures. Have the itudens then classify ttre creatures and justify their classifications.
Soning Dichoomously: Punch Card Classification. J. Beaver & D. PowerV1994
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Classifyingr Dichotomously with Punch-Cards
ORTF'CTIVT'S: Classify a set of objects dichotomously. Identify characteristics of a set of objects that could be used to identify individuals in the sel Create a set of data cards (punch cards). Demonstrate the use of a punch-card classification system.
M
TRRI r t
S:
Sample list of Questions for Activity l:
Punch cards, scissors, rods.
BACI(GROIIND:
Punch-Cards provide an orderly and
easy system for recording and recovering infor rnation. Punch-cards of various t'?es are used widely in social research, business, govemmenq education, antl all branches
Figure
1
of science. The original 80 column "IBM" data cards and scan forms represent types of "punch card classification." The process of creating the cards is useful in teaching children how dichotomous classification systems are developed and how computers handle information. Qualities such as color, shape, size, material, etc. are used to classify objects. Initial experiences might include teacher made sets of cards and models. As children grasp the concept of wing dichotomous classification they should be encouraged to select a topic and develop their own set of cards with a limited number of objects.
Activity 1: Classifying the children in the class. Procedure:
. Prepare a set of blank index cards wittr a set of holes punched along the margin. The cards should be notched along ttre upper left corner. This helps you orient ttre cards correctly. Hin[ Create a template and punch and notch all the cards identical to this template. (figure l)
. Prepare a list of six to eight yeVno questions to be used to classify the children. (figure 2)
. Pass out one card !o each child and have thern place their name at the top of their card and label the holes along the (IO. This becomes the student data
edge of the card A-F
cad Have the children write an abbreviated version of each question on the card. Example: AO
Girl?
Have fte students respond to each of the questions, A-F (tD by placing a Y for Yes and leaving ttre No responses blank! The Y should be placed between the margin of the card and the hole.
If the answer to the question is yes, the children cut a notch between ttre hole and the edge of the punch card (See Figrne 1, the B is notched). Note ttrat the "Y's" get cut ofMhildren learn ttrat for every negative answer there is a positive compliment (e.9. fue you a girl? vs. Are you a boy?). They will also learn ttrat some children have .qsyeral characteristics in common.
Are you a girl? Were you born on or between January I and June 30? Were you born on or betrreen the lst and the l5rh of rhe month? Do you have brown eyes? Do you have brown hair? Do you have a pet dog? Do you have a brottrer (s)? Do you like chocolate ice cream?
Figure 2 Using the cards Once each child has completed his/her data carrd we can use the class set of cards to analyze the data. Align the corner notch on the set of cards and slide a probe through the fint hole to sort the cards into two groups (maleVfemales). Children san count and graph ttre data. You can also have them use two or more categories, such as, number of girls born in the first half vs. the second half of the year. Another use would be to have children use the questions with the cards in an interview wittr one person to find that persons data card-
TREE CARD: Name: My tree:
TALLER THAN SCHOOL? HAS FLOWERS? HAS NBEDLBS? HAS SEEDS? HAS SMOOTH BARK? HAS THORNS?
A B C D
E
F
o o o o o o
SAMPLE CARD: Name3
My Classmates: Are you a girl? A O Born in the first half of the year? B O Born in the first half of the month? C O Do you have brown eyes? D O E O Do you have brown hair? F O Do you have a pet dog?
Sorting Dichotomously: Punch Card Classification ' J. Beaver & D. Powen/1994
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Activity 2 - Constructing a set of punch collection of leaves.
leaves: Sugar Maple, Silver Maple, American Elm, Redbud, Cottonwood, Pin Oak, Northern Red Oak, White Oak, Sweet Gum, and Tulip Tree. Figure 3 shows a list of questions $rat rnay be used to classify the trees represented by ttre leaves.
l.
I
2
Sugar Maple
Y
Y
Silver Maple
Y
Y
Tr€e
The following activity involves students collecting a set of leaves and developing a dichotomous key to classify tlre leaves. The process of developing a tru(onomic key should also help them become familiar with the descriptive terrns for leaf strucnre that are used to classify Eees. The general structures that may be used include: arrangement" margin, base, veination, petiole shape and size, color, and the number and arangement of leaftets (compound leaf). Select ten leaves. Set up a table with each of the ten leaves representing one row. The columns will represent Gl0 dichoomous ctraracteristics. Once ttre leaves lrave been selected and the categories establishe4 a set of punch cards can be consructed. Each cad will represent a particular leaf witlt the GlO dichotomous characteristics being represented by the punched holes along the edge of the card. Notched holes indicate that the leaf on that card is positive or yes for a particular quality. Holes left intact indicate that a particular leaf does not possess the quality described. Seuing up a table enables students to select categories that are descriptive and dichotomous for the set of leaves with which they are working. Developing a set of punch cards enables students to quickly sort a set of leaves according to a specific characteristic or combination of chanacteristics. In ttre example ttrat follows we will use the following
Characteristics
Question Responses
carcls for a
or Qualities:
fue the leaves aranged Opposite each otlrer on the twig?
2. Are
the leaf margins Lobed? 3" Do the leaves have Rounded lobes or a Wavy Leaf Margin if not lobed? 4. Is the underside of ttre leaf White-Downy with Deep Notches betrreen Lobes? 5. Does the Leaf have 3-7 Main Veins radiating from one central point. (Palmate Veination) 6. Does the leaf have a Toothed or Doubly Toottred
)
4
3
5
6
" 8"
Y
Y
Y
Amer. Elm
Redhd Cosonwmd
Y
Pin Oak
Y
N. Red Oak
Y
White Oak
Y
Sweet Gum
Y
Tulip Tree
Y
Y Y
Y Y
Y
Y
Figure
4
O 1-Opposite? O 2 -Margin l-obed? () v
O O O O O
3 -Rounded l-obes or
V/aly
Margins? 4 -White Undersurface? 5 -(3-7) Palmare veins? 6 -Toothed or doubly toothed margin? 7 -Bristle tipped & deeply lobed? 8 -(24) Lobes dcut-off tips?
Figure
5
Is the leaf Bristle-Tipped and Deeply lobed? Does the leaf have only 24lobes and do the tips
lmk cut-off?
Figure
8
Y
hdargin? 7
7
3
Sorting Dichotomously: Punch Card Classification. J. Beaver & D. Powersllgg4
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