Students will understand that information can be organized in different ways.

Using a set of cards, students will be prompted to organize the cards in different ways.

This activity is used as an introduction to the Dewey Decimal System and the way libraries are organized.

Create laminated cards of themed lists of information.

• Things that you find in the ocean
• Fruit
• Trees
• Wild animals
• Pets
• Vehicles
• Clothing
• Classroom items
• Things that you can write with

Pairs of students are directed to work together to figure out a way to organize the items on their cards. 

First, the students have to decide on what the items on the cards have in common.  What category are they?

Once they decide the category, students have to agree on a way to organize the cards.

Some examples:

• Ocean, from the bottom to the top
• Fruit, by color
• Fruit, do we like it?
• Fruit, what kind of seeds, skin, etc.
• Trees, biggest to smallest
• Trees, location in the world
• Wild animals, by classification
• Wild animals, by place on the food chain (who eats whom)
• Wild animals, fur, skin, feathers
• Classroom items, location in the actual room
• Vehicles, speed
• Vehicles, wheels vs. no wheels
• Clothing, head to toe

After the initial exercise, the students are prompted to try again.

Each group of students presents their strategy to the class, first telling what kind of 'stuff' they had to organize, and them explaining their organizational method.