Study guide: Compare Attributes and Sort Groups
Compare length, height, weight models, and counts in categories.
Ideas to explain in your own words
- To compare two lengths fairly, put their starts together.
- Height describes how far something reaches upward from its base.
- In the supplied balance model, the heavier side moves down.
- Sorting uses a rule such as color or shape.
Useful vocabulary
- attribute
- A feature such as length, color, or weight.
- category
- A group formed using a stated sorting rule.
Watch your reasoning
- Do not compare endpoints when the starting places differ.
- A higher position on the page is not the same as a taller object.
- Weight cannot be concluded from drawn size alone.
- A sorting rule must stay the same while you make the groups.
A worked review example
A blue strip spans 5 equal boxes and a green strip spans 8. Align their left ends. Green reaches three boxes farther, so green is longer. Starting the blue strip three boxes ahead would hide the comparison, so use one common start. Line up one end of both strips. Do not compare endpoints when the starting places differ. Draw equal-sized boxes in two rows with their left edges aligned.
Make a practice plan
- Compare Lengths from the Same Starting Place: Compare 6-box and 4-box strips from the same start. Expected: the 6-box strip is longer.
- Compare Height from One Ground Line: Draw towers 4 and 7 blocks high on one ground line. Expected: the 7-block tower is taller.
- Use a Balance Model to Compare Weight: Describe a level balance holding two different objects. Expected: equal weights in the model, not necessarily equal sizes.
- Sort by One Rule and Count Each Group: Sort red, blue, red, red, blue, red. Expected: red 4, blue 2, total 6.