Monday, August 14, 2017

Sorting


I've been meaning to write this post for ages but never had the time. Well here it is...


  I am a big fan of integrated lessons especially when it comes to Math and ELA. Here is a sneak peak at a sorting lesson that I did a few weeks ago.  I started out by reading Grandma's Button Box. You can find it here on Amazon www.amazon.com. The book is about a group of cousins who accidentally spill Grandma's button box. The children have to work together to figure out which attribute the buttons were originally sorted by.  While we read the book the students and I made an anchor chart displaying the different attributes the cousins tried. Should have taken  pictured of that. My bad.

 I also picked up these awesome shape buttons to bring the story to life. You can find them Here and Here.   

After the story it was time for center based exploration. The students used the Task Cards from my sorting packet . I provided the pairs with a set of task cards and presorted buttons. The students were asked to sort by multiple attributes like shape, color, size, and number of button holes.
 

The activity was easily able to differentiate. I created different rings of task cards depending on the ability of the students. Some groups were only sorting by 1 or 2 attributes while my advanced group was attempting to sort by three attributes. 

I set up the activity by printing and laminating the sorting task cards. I then decided the level of rigor for each group and created a ring of task cards for them. Each group was given a tray, task cards, and a baggie of buttons. The groups worked together compete the task cards. The picture clues really helped my struggling readers to understand the task.
Sorting is such an important foundational skill for primary students.  Children are amazed to see how many things they sort on a daily bases...
  • Books in the library by topic
  • Books in the library by reading level
  • Art supplies
  • Pieces to games during indoor recess
  • Clothing
  • Food in the refrigerator
  • Dishes
  • Items on a menu
  • Money
  • Silverware
Once the students saw that sorting is a real life skill, they were  trying to think of how many things they sort, and how many ways they can be sorted. Overall the lesson was a sucess. 

If you are interested in picking up a copy of the sorting center you can hop on over to my TPT store. Click Me

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