Reinforcing numeracy through a Sorting Network

Steps

1. Ask for jobs that finish sooner with more helpers, and jobs that do not.
2. Draw the network: six start circles, lines meeting in boxes, six end circles.
3. Six children start at the circles holding mixed-up number cards.
4. Two children meet in a box, say hello and compare. The smaller number goes left, the bigger goes right.
5. Everyone follows the lines and meets in more boxes until they reach the end.
6. Check: are they in order? Run it again with new cards.

Talk about it

• Which steps could happen at the same time?
• Does it work with any six numbers?
• How would you sort twenty?