Word Sorts

Summary: Reading through this article, it became very apparent to me how much learning can be done just through organizing and categorizing information. Specifically, children can learn to become better readers, writers and spellers just by sorting words by sounds, phonograms, vowel sounds, syllable structures, roots and stems, etc.  While there may be different variations of sorts, and different purposes, it all comes down to accessing information children already know and

As I was reading this, I began to jot down rules, suggestions and questions about word sorts and math. Then it dawned on me, what would be the benefit of using this in math to learn? Sometimes in education we just do and don't know why, and after learning about backwards planning I learned the importance of always determining a why or purpose for activities.

I personally know I learn best when I begin to decipher the differences between items, sort them into categories, and then compare and contrast the differences. Not only does this help me to see the differences that exist, but it also allows me to sort through all the information more efficiently. Some of the areas I came up with that would beneifit from doing a 'sort' in math would be: different formulas, geometric characteristics, and rules in math.

"One of the best ways to build accuracy and automaticity in word recognition is to build fast, accurate recognition of these units" (Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton & Johnston, 2008).  While accessing information quickly is not my strong suit, it is one area I really wished I was good at. When I am put on the spot or need to think quickly, I freeze - and it is something that I pray God will help me through as a teacher. However, since this is something I know I am not good at, I have realized the importance of this in math. If students are able to recall information quickly and automatically - such as terms, rules, concepts, or pictures in their heads - learning math is so so much easier. Because math is all about building on what you already know, this would be a great thing to focus on when doing word sorts or using as an essential question.

Bear, D. R., Invernizzi, M., Templeton, S., & Johnston, F. (2008). Words their way. (Fourth ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.