How to explain the idea of "Sifting and Sorting Information"

To demonstrate this concept, try one of these ideas:

"Looking for the Gold"

Develop a criterion, i.e., "Shiny Coins"

• Use a kitchen sieve.
• Mix soil and pennies, nickels and dimes, some Shiny and some dull, representing gathered information.
• Pour the mix into the sieve and shake.
• The soil will fall through the holes in the sieve to be discarded, representing the some not needed information.
• Discard the dull coins, representing information that doesn't meet the criterion.
• The coins remaining in the sieve represent the needed information meeting the criterion.

"Kernels of Information"

Develop the criterion, i.e., "Popped Corn"

• Use a kitchen sieve.
• Mix salt, popped corn, and popcorn kernels, representing gathered information.
• Pour mix into the sieve and shake.
• The salt will fall through the holes in the sieve to be discarded, representing some not needed information.
• The kernels and the popped corn remaining in the sieve must be evaluated according to the established criterion,.
• Discard the kernels, representing information that doesn't meet the criterion.
• The remaining popped corn represents the needed information meeting the criterion.

Assessment:

Resources:

• Baggies or envelopes- 2 per group
  • label one bag with criterion: "Things with four legs"
  • fill the other bag with all the pictures to be sifted and sorted

Establish the criterion, i.e., "Things with four legs"

• Distribute the two bags to each group of students
• Direct students to use the criterion and sift and sort through the pictures.
• Fill the labeled bag with pictures meeting the establish criterion.