Starting Word Sorts

So this week we started our word sorting routine.  These are activities which involve sorting words based on their category, sound, spelling, etc. to get students familiar with spelling and phonics conventions.  There are many different sorting activities that you can do.  The first day was a disaster.  I didn't really have a plan for implementation, organization, and introducing the process to my students.  Needless to say, the students didn't learn anything, were bored, and we wasted 30 min. of reading instruction time.  Upon reflection here is what I did wrong:

• No clear goals/objectives for the lesson
• No organizational plan
• No plan for the structure of instruction (scaffolding)

That night, I went home and consulted my Words Their Way book for more strategies.  Today, I came back with a plan and it went great!!  I started the sort in a small group and modeled for them.  We were sorting the /ow/, /ou/ word patterns.  The students helped me do a few then I sent them to their seats to do their own independent sort.  After all the words were sorted, the students recorded them in their word study journals.  I will have a picture soon.  Tomorrow, we will work with the same words and do a partner activity called a blind sort.  Yesterday aside, I saw the wheels turning in many students during this activity.  The students were really reading the words and noticing the patterns within the spelling.  During reading groups, students were reading and decoding words with this spelling pattern.  I could tell the students were actively engaged in this word study and through interactive practice and manipulation, the students learned more and retained more than by simply doing a page in their phonics book.