Category Hierarchy Screener Revised
Use With Common Core - Vocabulary
The ability to categorize and subcategorize words and concepts is a skill necessary to build and organize words in the child’s “filing cabinet”, resulting in
improved comprehension and expressive language skills. The age levels are only guidelines. Since iPads and Android apps have become very popular in
households, many children have been exposed to these skills at a younger age. However, increase in word knowledge also requires hands-on and
repeated experiences to remember the words and retrieve the information upon request.
This hierarchy includes a list of skills which develop before and as a child learns to categorize.
Skills Developed Before Learning to Categorize By Age Notes
Matches object to object (By 18 mos) 1-2
Points to familiar objects & pictures years
Labels familiar objects & pictures (nouns, actions)
Matches object to picture (By 24 mos)
Matches picture to picture (By 24 mos)
Sorts objects by one characteristic, e.g. by color, shape (By 24 mos)
Category Hierarchy Screener
1. Function of Objects - What do you sit on , what do you wear on feet, what flies 2-3
2. Understands the concept NOT - Which one is not a chair, not a bird years
3. Understands concept SAME
4. Understands concept NOT THE SAME
5. Point to categories – clothes, food, body, transportation
6. Associations, e.g. What goes together and how - foot-boot keys-door 4 years
7. Understands Object Description, e.g. What is wet, round, soft
8. Labels categories - cow,horse, pig - (farm) animals apple, banana – food (fruit)
9. What is NOT part of the category with visual – not animal - ball
10. Understands concept DIFFERENT
[Link] 3 items in categories without visual cue
[Link] Game - animal is green and hops, item at school & cut with, food is red and
grows on trees
[Link] doesn’t belong in a category and why it doesn’t belong 5 years
[Link] how things are the SAME and DIFFERENT pertaining to specific categories
with visual cues
Preschool Category Hierarchy Screener
V=With Visual NV=No Visual
1.
Function
Objects
2-3 yrs
2.
Not
What do you wear on feet, what flies , what do you sit on
Which is not a chair, which is not a bird
3.
Same
4.
Not Same
2-3 yrs
What two pics are the same, what is not same
5.
Categories
3 yrs
Point to clothes food body transportation animal
6.
Go
Togethers
4 yrs
What do you put on feet-boots
open door - key
7.
Description
Objects
4 yrs
Point to wet round soft
8.
Label
Category
4 yrs
Pig and cow are both animals (farm) Apple and banana are both food (fruit)
9.
Name
item NOT
in
category
4 yrs
Which one is not animal
10.
Different
How?
4 yrs
Which cookie is different? How?
11. Name 3 animals Name 3 foods Name 3 toys
Retrieval
4 yrs
NV
12. What animal is green What item at school What food is red and grows on trees? apple
Guessing and hops? frog do you cut with?
Game
scissors
4 yrs
NV
13.
What
Doesn’t
Belong-
why?
5 yrs
Which one is not red (if student doesn’t know colors – ask what is not animal)
14.
How
alike -
different
5 yrs
apple-cherry car-tricycle
How are an apple & cherry alike, different How are a car and tricycle alike, different
e.g. Alike -red, has green leaf, eat, fruit e.g. Alike-transportations, blue, wheels, ride
grow on trees, sweet Different-car has motor, engine, lights,doors, 4 wheels
Different-apple bigger, seeds cherry small, pit tricycle has 3 wheels, handle, pedal, no engine
References:
1. Bloom’s Taxonomy – classification for critical thinking skills: Explained in simple terms by Yolanda Bogan, PhD and Phonda C Porter, PhD.
Knowledge – recall vocabulary – can categorize, associate, classify
Comprehension – can state that a ball is round – looks for other items that are round – comparison book – round vs square, letter O, circles
(Other Classifications - Application – can use a concept in a new situation –e.g. buy fruits and veggies to discover balls and circles in food or art and craft activity with a variety of balls with
different textures, Analysis – distinguish between fact and inference , e.g. which ball is the, heaviest, doesn’t bounce, largest, what do they have in common, different color, describe design,
Synthesis – Put parts together to form whole – solving puzzle, Evaluation – make judgments – balls which float vs sink, cut string and determine which ball has the biggest circumference)
[Link] - speech & language milestones
[Link] – NYS Early Learning Guidelines (2012)
[Link] Language Scale-5 (2011)
5. NYS Prekindergarten Foundation for the Common Core (2011)
[Link]
6. Linguisystems Guide to Communication Milestones (2008)
7. Nicolosi, Harryman, & Kresheck (2006)
8. CELF-2 Preschool (2004)
[Link], Brown, & Mercer-Moseley (2001)
