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Types of Sorts
One of my favorite ways to teach phonics skills is through word sorting activities. Today, I am sharing three different types of sorting activities and how they help our first graders increase their decoding skills. I’ll also share easy ways to incorporate these sorts into your instruction.
Picture Sorts
Students sort pictures into two or three categories in a picture sort. Place a header at the top of 2 or 3 columns and present students with various picture cards. Picture sorts focus on building phonemic awareness skills. So they are a great place to start!
Here are some examples:
- Beginning consonant sounds (great review at the start of the school year!)
- Comparing digraphs (sh vs. ch)
- Comparing short vowel sounds (i.e. short a vs. short o)
- Comparing long and short vowels (i.e. short i vs. long i)
- Where students hear a sound in a word (i.e. medial sound vs. final sound)
Word Sorts
A word sort is just like it sounds- students are sorting written words! Word sorts are a key activity to increase students’ word awareness. During a word sort students group words by common spelling patterns.
Here are some examples:
- Sort by word families
- Sort words by syllable patterns
- One example is sorting CVC vs. CVCe words.
- Comparing two to three sound/spelling patterns
- One example is sorting vowel team ai and ay words. After sorting, students can see when each type of spelling pattern is used; ai at the beginning or middle of a word, ay at the end of a word or syllable.
- Comparing the location of spelling patterns in words
- An example would be words that begin with sh and words that end with sh
Writing Sorts
Writing sorts are a dictation activity. Dictation is an excellent way for students to transfer decoding skills to their daily writing.
For this activity, students will need some type of writing materials. A worksheet with columns or a dry-erase board works great! Students will label the columns at the top and the teacher will orally dictate words for students to write in the correct columns. I also like to include a dictated sentence at the end that uses some of the sorted words.
You can grab a free writing sort by clicking the image below!
When and Why To Use Sorting Activities:
Picture Sorts: Picture sorts are essential in Kindergarten and the beginning of first grade. They help increase phonemic awareness skills.
Word Sorts: Use word sorts as soon as students begin reading cvc words. They help increase word awareness.
Writing Sorts: Can be used as soon as students are reading short vowel/cvc words. They help transfer word knowledge to daily writing.
Word sorting activities work great for whole class instruction, small groups, centers, and independent activities.
Planning for sorting activities:
You only need a few basic supplies for using sorts in your classroom! I love using a pocket chart for these activities. You need some header cards and some pictures. You can find great premade sets. Another option is to create your own header cards by writing the skill on index cards. You can also complete picture sorts on an interactive whiteboard, or students can complete their own sorts with a cut and glue worksheet.
Want some premade sorting activities? Check out these resources!
Word sorts are one way to help students learn spelling patterns and how to pronounce new vocabulary words. Students are able to focus on two or three patterns instead of trying to memorize a list of words. They are then better able to apply those spelling patterns to new words that follow a similar pattern. Students are also able to practice the correct pronunciation of words. Here are some ways to set up word sorts with ELLs.
Small-Group
The small group might be a word study group, where all of the students are at the same developmental spelling level. It could also be a guided reading group where you are including a word study component. It is especially helpful in guided reading groups to include word study activities that go along with words students will be reading in their book.
Whole Group
Using word study activities in a whole class setting is one way to expose all students to grade-level vocabulary. Not all students will end up spelling all of the word patterns they learn correctly. Exposing students to grade level word patterns will help students as they are reading and spelling. In a whole group setting, the teacher can provide a high level of support. The class can assist in sorting words.
Vocabulary Development
Matching pictures with words is one of the easiest ways to increase ELLs understanding of the words used in a sort. You can use pictures as you introduce the sort and then switch to words. Have students match the pictures and words as they are sorting, or have them use cards that have both the picture and the words together. It will depend on the level of the students, and what word sort they are completing, for how the word sort is set up.
Phonemic Awareness
Word study activities are one way to incorporate phonemic awareness into activities for older students. Pictures and sound sorts are two ways that require students to listen to the sounds in a word instead of looking at how the word is spelled.
Pronunciation
Especially for older students learning English, how to pronounce new vocabulary words can be challenging. One way to help students practice this skill is through sound sorts. Students can sort words based on how they are pronounced. This will also give them additional practice identifying new words. For example, have students sort the sounds of /ed/ a the end of words or voiced and unvoiced /th/ words.
Phonics
Word sorts allow students to learn about phonics concepts and apply those concepts to new groups of words. Instead of trying to memorize new phonics concepts, students are better able to conceptualize them when they are using word sorts. Word sorts are a type of puzzle, which makes them naturally engaging for children.
Learn more about sorting with ELLs
Word sorts are one way to use sorting activities with English Language Learners. There are many other ways to use the strategy of sorting with ELLs.
Word Study Resources
This set of word sorting and writing pages is a simple way to support ELLs with word study. All of the word sorts will have picture cards. There are three levels of word sorts. Set one has pictures, set two has pictures and words, and set three is only words. Many of the word sorts now come with a digital version.
Words Their Way for ELLs– An overview of using word sorts with ELLs along with specific strategies to support ELLs.
Words Their Way Word Sorts– Starting at the Letter Name level some of the sorts do not have pictures. As you introduce the sorts consider adding in the picture and/or explaining the meaning of new vocabulary words to ELLs.
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I am definitely a word sort fan, mainly because
my students enjoy learning vocabulary and spelling this way.
Also, students have to pay close attention to
patterns, features of words, sounds and their meaning.
I learned, while
teaching vocabulary using word sorts, that my students were more interested and excited about words. They were internalizing new vocabulary and spelling them correctly. In addition, they were making sense of words and patterns within words for the first time. It is crucial for students to construct their knowledge of words, creating a deep understanding of how language works.
Teaching spelling and vocabulary with word sorts is extremely beneficial; as a result, I made the risky decision to replace my traditional spelling tests with word sorts activities. It took a while to convince my students’ parents and administrators, but the results spoke for themselves.
Types of Sorts
1. Sound and Picture Sorts
Sound sorts are essential because sound is the first layer of English orthography. Sound study can be introduced at a very early stage and develop with a child’s individual ability. Sorting pictures or oral vocabulary is a manipulation of sounds, and this manipulation increases awareness.
Picture sorts are one component of word study and are used to help beginning readers develop concept of word, phonological awareness, and phonics.Picture sorts most often begin with focusing on initial sound (single consonant, digraphs, or blends).
2. Open and Closed Word Sorts
Word sort activities involve students comparing, contrasting, and classifying words — considering words from a variety of perspectives.
Open Word Sort activities are students directed. Students
sort the words into any categories that make sense to them. They’re thinking creatively
and critically.
Closed Word Sorts are teacher directed. Students place words under the correct category heading.
| cat | make | car | miscellaneous |
|---|---|---|---|
| mad | race | star | fall |
| flat | game | hard | ball |
| cap | place | mark | x |
| grab | plate | park | x |
3. Digital Word Sort
Digitized word sorts provide an efficient way for teachers to deliver spelling pattern differentiation. A variety of these are ready-made, including:
wordsortwizard.com
http://www.eduplace.com/kids/sv/books/content/wordsort/
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/wordfamily/
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Looking for a simple, low-prep activity to help your child learn beginning sounds? Here you go!
Today I’m sharing a set of low-prep printables that will help your child or students master beginning sounds.
Each sort asks your child to sort pictures into 2, 3, or 4 groups based on their beginning sounds.
Simply cut out the headers and the pictures. Glue or place each header at the top of a column, and have your child say the name of each picture. After he names the picture, he glues or places it in the appropriate column.
You’ll get a total of eighteen picture sorts (pictured above) in the download.
Tips for using these picture sorts
- Make sure your child knows the names of the pictures before asking him to do the sort. You’ll find a picture key at the front of the download.
- If you are doing these with a young preschooler, do all or most of the cutting for your child – no need to wear him out before he begins!
- If your child is just starting to learn letter sounds, go through the sorts in order. They progress from easy to hard. Do just one sort per day, and review what you’ve learned through fun alphabet activities before working at a new sound.
- If your child struggles with a sort, store the pieces in a plastic bag and review the same sort until you’re ready to move to the next one.
- If you feel that your child already knows most of his letter sounds and has phonemic awareness, use these as a review before moving on to a beginning reading curriculum.
My middle son enjoyed these when we did them a year ago (it’s taken me this long to get them on the blog, whoops!). But when I pulled them out for his younger brother (4 1/2) he resisted them (that’s a nice way to say that he called them boring and refused to do them).
Despite his resistance, I’m still pulling these out for my preschooler because the review is good for him. (And because I’m mean like that.) It won’t be a strong focus, though, because he knows his letter sounds quite well.
Get your free beginning sound picture sorts!
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