Possible Responses:
• They made me feel good/valued/loved/safe.
• They were smart/kind/interesting/honest.
• They helped solve a problem/conflict/misunderstanding.
• They helped me to understand/be a better person/learn something new/

have new perspectives.

• They were an expert in what they did.
• They were passionate about what they did.
• Even though it was hard/challenging, they still worked hard (persevered).

Facilitation Note: Sharing your own stories and experiences regarding 

contributors to your life will provide learners with a model of who contributors 

to their life are or can be and the difference that they make to individuals as 

well as the larger community.

Step C:
Assessment 
of Learning

CATEGORIZING THINKING TO BUILD NEW KNOWLEDGE

Sticky Note Pileup: Organize students into small groups (four to five students 

each) at tables or desks where they can all see each other and work together 

easily.

Teacher Talk: We have come up with many great ideas about people who 

have made a difference in our lives, and it is clear that there are common 

ideas. Working collaboratively in a group, you will have an opportunity to take 

the ideas that we have shared and place them in groups that make sense to 

you and your group members. 

You will be given yellow sticky notes to write down the ideas we have on the 

Anchor Chart and any new ideas you would like to add. Once you have them 

written down, begin to think about putting sticky notes that have similar ideas 

together into piles. Remember to consider everyone’s ideas as to how the 

sticky notes are to be grouped.

Facilitation Note: Guide students as they work by asking prompting and 

clarifying questions regarding their thinking in how they organize their sticky 

notes. They should try to place each sticky note into a category, but they can 

have as many categories as they choose.

Possible Prompting and Clarifying Questions:
• Tell me your thinking as to why you placed the ideas on these sticky notes 

together.

• When I read this idea, I think of this. What do you think of?
• You have several different piles of sticky notes. Do you see piles that are 

similar that can be put together?

• I am interested in what you see in common in these ideas. Can you share 

what your group’s thinking was?

Black Canadian Curriculum – Junior – ETFO – 2014