Sorting Shoes Ties Into Prairieview Science Lesson

By Ian Coon, Prairieview School student

Why learn the classifications of life from a textbook when they are all around us waiting to be explored?

That was the assignment students in Staci Nichols’ biology class at Prairieview School have started working on: the assortment of organisms on Earth. Because hands-on learning has proven to be more effective on student learning and engagement, Nichols decided to make this lesson more interactive.

The students did an activity on how they could sort all their shoes using classification methods from specific differences to overall similarities. Students started with the ones that could be singled out and ended up with a bigger population at the end.

For example, the Uggs were first because they were the only boots, while the Nike shoes were last being there were lots of that brand. The activity was also an analogy showing all of the diversity found on our planet, but how they are all connected by life.