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  • 9.8

    Using category names and explaining the differences between things in the same

    category/finding the odd one out

    Why is this important?
    As language skills develop, children learn to be able to identify and explain increasingly more subtle differences between things.

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    What to do
    • Gather together some pictures/objects from a variety of categories (e.g. clothes, food, toys, furniture, transport, animals).
    • Choose three pictures/objects from the same category (e.g. three animals). Two of the animals must have something in common and one must be different (e.g. horse, cow, fish).
    • Put out these three pictures. Ask which group all the pictures belong to. If this is difficult, offer a choice ‘Are these clothes or animals?’
    • Ask which two pictures go together best (e.g. horse and cow).
    • Ask why: there could be several reasons (e.g. four legs, farm animals, live in fields).
    • Ask what’s different about the other animal (e.g. fish).