Short Sorts - An Easy Assessment, Homework, and Practice Tool
Be honest, was it the word easy that caught your eye? I surely hope so, because I.am.here for activities that are inexpensive. If I am being real, I am looking for the cheap option, the convenient option (#easybutton), BUT I’M ALSO looking for the purposeful!
I am a huge fan of “sorts” as learning tools! Some of my colleagues joke that when in doubt I will suggest a sort; this could be why I have made so many of them.
They make fantastic informal assessments.
They make efficient and reusable centers (hello, sign me up).
They make great partner work (so you can actually have time with other students).
They make awesome and meaningful homework activities (let’s make your life easier).
And sorts often come across to the student as a game (today, I am winning at teaching).
But here is the caveat: I think there are certain steps that need to happen to maximize their purpose. A sort in itself is not multisensory - cue the dun, dun, duuunnnn. Moving cards around does not a pathway-using-multiple-senses make. Now hear me out before you send me an email (which you are also welcome to do because I love to network and share ideas. I also am totally open to reviewing my own learning and I like to grow in my own knowledge base! I digress).
In order to make it a cognitive activity, the student needs to be able to reflect on the pattern, rule, and purpose of the sort. They should be actively analyzing the words and reaching back into their own learning toolbox for a known rule, pattern, sound, or strategy. A sort is something that eventually I would love for them to do independently. In order to make it multisensory, I would want the student coding the pattern (kinesthetic), hearing themselves verbalizing the sounds or checkpoints of the rule (auditory), and seeing the pattern as they track the word (visual). I also want this to happen simultaneously. This is when I can call it a multisensory activity.
I have a variety of sorts in my Resource Center and on my Teachers Pay Teachers page. Be sure to check them out because some are #freebies and others are priced to be affordable. My favorite series of sorts are my Short Sorts. I found a very cool (do we use that word anymore?) folder idea. I tell you, my colleagues and members of my profession are brilliant. I mean who takes a 39 cent folder and turns it into something beyond its original use. I saw the folder idea on this blog: http://teach-a-roo.com/2011/09/cool-folder/ These are easily stored in a bin that I found at Michael’s Craft Store.
I just took the idea and interpreted it into rules and concepts that I was teaching. Thus, my Short Sorts came to be. I like to laminate the cards for multiple uses. I prefer a black Expo marker (I can be cheap on most things, but in this case the marker makes a difference) so that it erases easily. I also use the mini Velcro dots to keep them closed.
I have Short Sorts that cover syllable types, soft c/g rule, spelling generalizations, math concepts, and the list is growing. All you need are paper folders, glue, printer ink, paper, and if you prefer it - laminating pouches.
I hope that you will find one that is useful for you. Leave a comment and let me know what you think and if there is a certain concept you would like to see in sort form. I would be happy to make one!
Here are a few pictures to get you started:
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