Year 2 Science · AC9S2I04

Sort and order data and information and represent patterns, including with provided tables and visual or physical models

Data becomes easier to understand when it is sorted into meaningful groups, placed in a useful order and represented in a table, sequence or model

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Learning goalsSay it simply

Data becomes easier to understand when it is sorted into meaningful groups, placed in a useful order and represented in a table, sequence or model.

Learning sequence: Collect → Sort → Order → Represent → Describe pattern

Success looks like

  • Sort with a rule
  • Order data
  • Use tables
  • Use visual models
  • Describe patterns
Key conceptTeach from the board

Sort first, then look for a pattern

ObjectCategoryfeatheranimal coveringleafplant partstonenon-living

Use a clear rule for each category.

Order data to reveal change

Day 12 cm
Day 34 cm
Day 56 cm

Ordering by time reveals a growth pattern.

Clean visual examplesOne-page board

Clean one-page examples

AC9S2I04 - Sort and order data and information and represent patterns, including with provided tables and visual or physical models
Example 1

living non-living plant animal

Example 2

2 cm → 4 cm → 6 cm → 8 cm

Example 3

Category sort Sort a set of observations using one clear rule and explain the categories. living non-living plant animal

Example 4

Order the evidence Arrange measurements from smallest to largest or earliest to latest. 2 cm → 4 cm → 6 cm → 8 cm

Curriculum examplesCurriculum examples

The content description and elaborations below show the curriculum ideas taught in this unit. Items marked as teaching context support lesson planning.

  • Content description: sort and order data and information and represent patterns, including with provided tables and visual or physical models
  • E1: adding labels to a drawing or digital photograph to indicate key features, such as properties of materials that stay the same when changed physically, or to indicate how sound is produced by an instrument
  • E2: ordering images of the changing appearance of the moon to show a monthly cycle
  • E3: using a graphic organiser to sort images of musical instruments and the actions used to produce their sound
  • E4: constructing simple column graphs and picture graphs with guidance to represent class investigations, such as recording objects that produce or do not produce sound
  • E5: completing a table to record the number of ways different materials can be changed physically
Questions and answersWith answers

Key idea: Data becomes easier to understand when it is sorted into meaningful groups, placed in a useful order and represented in a table, sequence or model.

Remember

  • Sort with a rule
  • Order data
  • Use tables
  • Use visual models
  • Describe patterns

Quick questions

  • Why sort data?
  • Give one useful ordering rule.
  • What must stay accurate in a table?
  • How can ordering reveal a pattern?

If an answer is uncertain, return to the model and explain what each part represents before calculating or drawing a conclusion.

Practice and reviewReady for practice
  • Categories overlap without reason — Use a clear rule so each item has a sensible place.
  • Data left unordered — Choose an order that helps answer the question.
  • Representation changes values — Keep the original observations and counts accurate.

Read the topic guide and use the teacher slide for instruction. Students can then use the worksheet for written work, open Practice for supported feedback, or take the Test when they are ready.

Curriculum alignmentStart here

Data becomes easier to understand when it is sorted into meaningful groups, placed in a useful order and represented in a table, sequence or model.

Learning sequence: Collect → Sort → Order → Represent → Describe pattern

Success looks like

  • Sort with a rule
  • Order data
  • Use tables
  • Use visual models
  • Describe patterns
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