Word Sorts Make Students Think!
Word Sorts is an instructional activity that requires students to read, analysis, and categorize words and/or pictures by common characteristics. This strategy can also be used to categorize stories, characters, content area vocabulary, math facts, etc.
This activity raises visual awareness of word parts and in particular, the placement of the vowel. Since English is made up of over 1100 patterns from many different languages, teachers must develop “pattern-detectors” who can read and spell new words using the analogy method. If you know the patterns in the word______, then you can read and spell other words with that pattern (seen or heard).
Ultimately, proficient readers and writers need to get beyond the word-level (decoding and encoding) to the text-level for high-level comprehension and composition. This activity is a simple means to the end.
Open Sorts-What’s the Rule (or Generalization)?
- Give the students words or pictures to read or name.
- Ask students to create 3-5 groups of words or pictures. Have the students determine the categories. This is a great cooperative learning!
- Ask the students to label and explain each category. What’s the rule or generalization for each category?
- Ask students to add additional words to the category. Rhyming or having the students do scavenger hunts through texts that they are reading can help student generate the additional words.
Closed Sorts
- Give the students words or pictures to read or name.
- Ask students to sort the words or pictures into groups. The categories for sorting are pre-determined by the teacher and should be labeled for the students.
- Ask the students explain why each word or picture fits in the category.
- Ask students to add additional words to the category. Rhyming or having students do scavenger hunts through texts that they are reading can help students generate the additional words.
- Kelly Harmon