Lesson Plan Template
-
Grade
-
Subject
-
Section
First
ELA
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
-
Competency
Categories
-
Aligned Standards
Language
-
Strand
L.1.5.a
-
Vocabulary
- Sort: To arrange items into groups based on similar characteristics.
- Category: A group of things that are similar in some way.
Category Cascade
Sort Words by Category
Prerequisite Skill
Materials and Preparation
- Flashcards with words (e.g., plane, boat, car, dog, cat, bird, cow, chicken, rooster, train, January, Monday, Tuesday, March).
- Chart paper and markers.
- Worksheets for guided and independent practice.
- Worksheet pack including guided practice, independent practice, exit tickets, homework, and assessment.
Learning Objectives
- Students will be able to identify and group words based on common characteristics.
- Students will understand the concept of categorizing words.
Introduction
Begin the lesson by explaining that many words are alike and can be grouped together. For example, the words "plane," "boat," and "car" are all modes of transportation, and "dog," "cat," and "bird" are all animals. Explain that today, students will also learn to sort words into new categories like months and days of the week.
Explicit Instruction/Teacher modeling
Demonstrate sorting with a few examples. Show a set of words on flashcards and explain why they go together. For instance, show the words "train," "plane," and "boat" and explain that they are all modes of transportation. Show "dog," "cat," and "bird" and explain that they are all animals. Show "January," "Monday," and "Tuesday" and explain that "January" is a month and "Monday" and "Tuesday" are days of the week.
Related Products
No Products are Available
Guided Practice
Hand out flashcards to students and ask them to work in pairs to sort them into categories. Categories include modes of transportation, animals, months, and days of the week. Walk around the room to provide support and ask guiding questions like, "Why did you put these words together?" or "Can you think of another word that fits this group?"
Independent Practice
Provide students with a worksheet where they will sort a list of words into the correct categories. The worksheet should include words from different groups, such as modes of transportation, animals, months, and days of the week.
Differentiation
Support
- Pair struggling students with a buddy for peer support.
- Provide a list of possible categories for students who need additional help.
Extension
- Create a word wall in the classroom with different categories.
- Ask students to bring in pictures from magazines to create a collage of sorted items.
Assessment
Use an assessment worksheet from the worksheet pack to evaluate students' ability to sort words correctly and explain their reasoning.
Review and closing
Discuss common misconceptions, such as thinking a word belongs in a group based on its sound rather than its meaning. Review the categories created during the lesson and ask students to share their examples.
Misconceptions
- Words are grouped by their first letter instead of their meaning.
- All words with similar sounds go together, even if they are not related.