What is a Word Sort?
Words sorts can be used in many different ways. A word sort is a strategy used for letter-sound relationships and for tying word pronunciation to word meaning. It is where you sort words based off of certain criteria. For example, words could be sorted by their first phoneme or by topic like food categories (fruit, vegetable, meat) for example. When using the word sort strategy for comprehension purposes, it gives students to opportunity to learn that every word has a meaning or even multiple meanings. (Jennings, J., & Lerner J & Caldwell, J., 2014).
How do Word Sorts help with Comprehension?
Like stated earlier, using word sorts will help students learn and understand that words carry meaning or multiple meanings. There are so many different ways that you can sort words, which makes it very engaging and fun for students. Word sorts also help students with word identification as well. When students become familiar with word sorts, they will want to make their own categories for words. This is a great thing to allow because it will extend on their knowledge of the words they are using. With word sorts, you can have two different types, either an open word sort or a closed word sort. In a closed word sort, the teacher provides the students with the categories for sorting. In an open sort, the students are creating their own categories based on their schema of the words. (Jennings, J., & Lerner J & Caldwell, J., 2014).
Concept Sort
A concept sort is a type of word sort that works on comprehension strategy that helps students learn and understand their vocabulary words. In the video below you will see a teacher use a concept sort in the classroom. View the video below and notice that she uses the sort in a small group setting, but it can also be performed as a whole group or as individuals.
|
Open Sort Differentiation Strategy
Above is a video that shows how the word sort can be differentiated to meet the needs of all the students. At one point in the video, the teacher scaffolds a group of students towards using the word sort strategy in a comprehension manner rather than working with prefixes and suffixes.
|
Examples in Content Areas
Spelling
Word sorts can be used with spelling words to help students with phonic skills and their phonological awareness. Students need to understand the different phonemes in a word and patterns that occur in certain words.
|
Math
Word sorts can be used in mathematics in relation to the vocabulary that comes with math. Do students know what the words variables, area, bar graph, decagon, sphere, triangle, digit, etc. mean? A great way for students to build understanding and knowledge of content-area specific words is through a word sort. By allowing students to do an open sort, the students will stretch their knowledge and find several ways to sort the given words.
|
Science
A science word sort can be used in many different ways. Student could use a word sort to classify animals, bacteria, elements, etc. Another great example of a word sort activity for science is sorting rocks based on characteristics. This would be a part of a lab that students would be engaged in.
|
References
Jennings, J., & Lerner J & Caldwell, J. (2014). Reading problems: Assessment and teaching strategies (7th ed.). Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
Knatim. (2012, November 10). Precision Teaching: Word Sort: Differentiated Word Sort. Retrieved September 27, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhW-H7iHXEY
Pasco County Schools. (2013, September 17). Common Core State Standards: Small Group Word Sort. Retrieved September 27, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjgUx7zSX14
Reading Rockets. (2011, July 1). Concept Sort. Retrieved September 27, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_R5wfmWIlQ
Knatim. (2012, November 10). Precision Teaching: Word Sort: Differentiated Word Sort. Retrieved September 27, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhW-H7iHXEY
Pasco County Schools. (2013, September 17). Common Core State Standards: Small Group Word Sort. Retrieved September 27, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjgUx7zSX14
Reading Rockets. (2011, July 1). Concept Sort. Retrieved September 27, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_R5wfmWIlQ