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Attribute Spinner Purpose: Students will develop language skills.

A single Attribute Block may be identified using four word groups: • Size: Large or Small • Thickness: Thick or Thin • Colour: Red, Blue,Yellow • Shape: Triangle, Square, Rectangle, Hexagon, Circle Stating four words: Large, Thin, Red, Triangle leads to a single Attribute Block.

The Attribute Block Spinner can spin up these four words.

blue

red

One student can flick all of the spinners and another student can find the specific Attribute Block. There are several variations.

A single criteria A single part of the spinner may be flicked (and the other sections covered with a sheet of paper) and the set of Attribute Blocks that meet that one particular criteria may be separated from the set. For example, • small pieces or • thick pieces or • red pieces or • hexagons.

Two Criteria Two sections of the spinner may be covered.When two sections of the spinner are flicked two criteria are used to select pieces. For example, Large thin pieces.

Three Criteria Three parts of the spinner are flicked and the appropriate set of pieces is chosen from the entire Attribute Block Set. For example:

blue

© P. Swan

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red

Attribute Blocks

Encode Decode A single Attribute Block may be identified in four words - Large Thin Blue Triangle. A group of Attribute Blocks may be identified using three, two or one word. The size of the group will alter depending on the word or words that are used.

To help students keep track of individual pieces or sets of pieces, they can use a coding system.

THICKNESS

SIZE

L

s

l

l

COLOUR R

B

Explain how to interpret the code L l B

SHAPE Y

. It would be a large, thick, blue square.

Give the students a coding sheet and hold up an Attribute Block. Ask them to encode it.

Students would place, either an opaque counter on the box below the code or a transparent counter on top of the code.

For example: Hold up a Large, Thin, Blue Triangle and the students should code: THICKNESS COLOUR SHAPE SIZE

L

s

l

l

R

B

Y

A particular set of Attribute Blocks may be encoded this way:

THICKNESS

SIZE

L

s

l

Attribute Blocks

l

COLOUR R

B

SHAPE Y

14

Š P. Swan

Carroll Diagrams may be extended further. Eight regions are formed.

Red

Not Red

Triangle

Not Triangle Thick

Not Thick

Thick

Not Thick

Note how a three circle Venn Diagram creates the same eight regions.

Thick

Red

Blocks that are not red, thick or triangles.

Triangles

Historical Note: Carroll diagrams (named after Lewis Carroll , the author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, are an alternative way of sorting. Lewis Carroll was the pen name of Rev. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, who was a professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University.

Š P. Swan

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Attribute Blocks