The learner will:

• identify attributes and sort or classify cards by shape/suit.
• count the number of cards representing each shape/ suit.
• learn the new vocabulary words - “attribute” and “classify.”
• play a card game using the rules.

Anticipatory Set:

Tell the learners that you have a few “suits” that you are going to put on and they are going to have to guess who usually wears these suits. (Note: You could have students wear the different suits and parade them in a fashion-show style.) Have the learners identify the suits in the "fashion parade’" and under what circumstances one might wear them. (Or hold up the pictures of people in different identifiable attire.) Introduce the word “attribute” and explain that they could guess what each suit represented because of its “attributes” – something about the suit that they observed.  Challenge the learners to think of other “suits” that someone might wear and what attributes they have that would help identify the person.

• On the display board, draw or display the shapes of a Heart, a Diamond, a Club, and a Spade representing the four shapes found in a deck of playing cards.
  
  
• Tell the learners that like the suits that represented the different things that people do, the playing cards in the deck also "wear" different "suits".  Suits are one attribute of playing cards. Every card has one of the suits on it.
  
  
• Point to the shapes on the display board and ask the learners to guess what these shapes are called. (More than likely they will call the Club a three leaf clover or flower, and the Spade a leaf or an upside down berry or shovel, etc.)  Acknowledged their guesses and tell them that these shapes are called Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs and Spades.  Have the learners call out the name of the suit as you point to them. Practice by having the learners call out the names of the suits as you randomly show cards from the deck.
  
  
• Give one card to each learner and ask them to stand, holding up their cards, when you call out the suit that matches the suit of their card. Variations of this could also include getting the learners moving by having “all those of you with Clubs jump up and down,” or “all those of you with Diamonds come to the front of the room,” etc.  After a few rounds of this, the students should trade their cards for one of another suit, and continue the activity.
  
  
• When the students are confident about the names of the suits, introduce the concept that all Diamonds and Hearts are red, and all the Clubs and Spades are black. Tell them that those now holding Diamonds and Hearts should move to the front of the class, and all those holding Clubs and Spades should move to the back of the classroom. Students should hold their cards in front of themselves with the front of the card, the suit, facing the students across the room. Ask them what they observe about the group on the other side of the room. (The Hearts and Diamonds are the red cards and the Clubs and Spades are the black cards.)
  
  
• Arrange the learners into groups of four. Give each group one deck of playing cards, telling the “Deck Holder” to remove the Jokers from the deck and to wait for further instructions.
  
  
• Ask the learners to tell you how they plan to shuffle the cards as a way of reviewing yesterday’s lesson and preparing for a new game.
  
  
• Tell the groups that they are to shuffle their deck of cards and leave them face down until the rules for the game are read.  Again, remind them how important rules are for a game and how important it is that everyone cooperates by following the rules.
  
  
• Tell the students that they will be sorting or classify the deck of cards by attributes – something observable about the face of the card.  In this game they will be sorting or categorizing by suits.
  
  
• Distribute one copy of Suit Space (Attachment One) to each group and ask them to put it in the center of the group.
  
  
• State the rules:
  1. The object of the game is for each group to cooperate in classifying the cards by suit as quickly as possible. The teacher will time the class each time the game is played to determine if the groups are becoming more skilled at classifying the cards.
     
     
  2. Initially all the shuffled cards need to be face down, meaning that the colors and shapes on the fronts of the card cannot be seen; only the backs of the cards should be visible.
     
     
  3. Each player in the group will have a turn to select a card, turn it face up, and then place the card in the appropriate space (that corresponds with the suit) on the Suit Space (Attachment One).
     
     
  4. Turns will be taken in a clockwise manner beginning with the “Deck Holder.”
     
     
  5. Do this activity as quickly as you can, because it is being timed to see how long it takes the total class to finish.
     
     
• Note and announce the amount of time it takes for everyone to successfully complete the correct placing of all the cards in the deck.
  
  
• If appropriate, shuffle the cards again and continue to play additional games encouraging the learners to better their time.
  
  
• Allow time at the end of this lesson to have each group count the number of cards in each of the suits (each member of the group counts one suit), and write the number of Heart cards, Diamond cards, Club cards, and Spade cards on the Card Count (Attachment Two).  When all have completed their counts, help the students discover that there are 13 Heart cards, 13 Diamond cards, 13 Club cards, and 13 Spade cards.
  
  
• Review all the terms introduced so far - rules, cooperate, deck of cards, clockwise, classify, sort, attribute, the back and face of a card, shuffle, Jokers, and suits (Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, and Spades).
  
  
• Have the learners reflect and share what they have learned about rules and why they are important in games, as well as at their home, at school, and in the community and World.