Organizing the Data

The data are in raw form. They show approximately the sequence in which the various animals and plants were discovered. For any other purpose , they need to be organized. A child in the primary grades might arrange these organisms according to what he knew of their size, color, or eating habits. Or he might succeed in listing them alphabetically; for him that might be a distinct accomplishment. An alphabetically list might increase his speed in finding whether a particular kind of animal was listed or not. If so, that would be its only value.

Perhaps, with a few hints, the child could divide the animals into groups of plant-eaters and meat-eaters or land animals and water animals. But he might need help in deciding whether frogs and toads belonged to the water group or to the land group. Also, since some birds spend more than half their lives in the air, to which habitat would the child assign them? And if the child didn’t know that a vole is a meadow mouse, he would have to leave it out, or ask for help. But the child would accomplish a great deal if he divided the animals as plant-eaters, meat eaters, and so forth. He probably wouldn’t know it, but such groupings are the basis of ecology.