Lessons & Units :: Classify and Categorize Kindergarten Unit

Lesson 2: Sorting into Predetermined Groups

Lesson Plan

My Big World Book

My Big World Book
Learning Goal
Categorize items into existing categories.
Duration
Approximately 50 minutes
Necessary Materials
Provided: Guided Practice Pictures
Not Provided: My Big World Book by Roger Priddy, scissors, chart paper, markers

  • Teacher Modeling

    will read aloud My Big World Book by Roger Priddy and discuss the similarities of the objects in each group. For example, in “Our Town and City” I will say, "all these pictures are things that you will see in a city. You won’t find any pictures of a farm or big green forests on these pages because you wouldn’t find those things in a big city."

  • Think Check

    Ask: "How do we put things in a group?" Students should respond that you could group things by what they have in common or by what is similar.

  • Guided Practice

    will look at pictures A through G and sort them into two categories: “In the Sky” or “In the Ocean.” (Pictures are provided. See Guided Practice for Lesson 2.) Note: Cut the pictures out before the lesson. Write the two categories on chart paper or on the blackboard. During the lesson, you will need to tape the pictures to the chart or blackboard.

    TIP: Engage your students to explain their thinking through questions such as: Why did you put this picture in this group? What details in the picture gave you a hint as to what group, or category to put it?

  • Independent Practice

    will cut out pictures and sort them into two categories: “At School” or “At the Grocery Store.” (Independent Practice Worksheets are provided.)

Build Student Vocabulary colorful

Tier 2 Word: colorful
Contextualize the word as it is used in the story The picture of the colorful butterflies appears on the page called “In the sky”.
Explain the meaning student-friendly definition) Colorful means having many colors. The butterflies in the story are colorful because they have many bright colors. They are orange, blue, yellow, black, and light blue.
Students repeat the word Say the word colorful with me: colorful.
Teacher gives examples of the word in other contexts The flowers are very colorful. They are bright pink, orange, and yellow. A rainbow is colorful because it has many colors such as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
Students provide examples What is something that is colorful? What colors does it have? Start by saying, “Something that is colorful is ___________________. It has the colors ________________________.
Students repeat the word again. What word are we talking about? colorful
Additional Vocabulary Words peaceful, crowded

Build Student Background Knowledge

Pause while reading page 2 and ask students if they can find a photo of a place where someone could freeze. Explain that both the cold arctic and the big mountain are places where you might freeze. Why? A tall mountain is up high where the air is thin and cold. Even in the summer, the air is very cold at the top of the mountain. The mountain might even be covered in ice and snow.

Texts & Materials

Standards Alignment

(To see all of the ReadWorks lessons aligned to your standards, click here.)

User Comments

great resource!

Submitted by karenrowleybrooks_2689847 on 3/6/17

This is a great article for challenging students.

Submitted by hmartinthomas on 12/19/16