Story+Sort

Strategy** **Name**: Book Sort
 * [[image:book.jpg width="150" height="109"]]


 * Strategy Description:** This strategy has students use their critical thinking and comprehension skills to categorize the non-fiction books in their classroom library.


 * Description/Name of the class in which you used the strategy:** First Grade Reading

I came across this idea and thought it would be a great way for my students to become familiar with the non-fiction books in our room. It would also give them more insight and ownership into how our classroom library is organized. Above all, they would be applying critical thinking and comprehension skills to categorize all of our non-fiction books.
 * Rationale**:

I will have my students do this at the beginning of the year, when they are relying more heavily on illustrations, and again in the early spring when they are more capable of attacking the text itself. I would have them categorize in small groups and then come together as a class to see how our categories could possibly be combined or altered to fit together. After we have made all the decisions, I will create labels and display the books in bins for the kids to easily identify and find.
 * Procedure:**

I really think my first graders will like this lesson as it gives them ownership. They also love to sort items, especially for a resource all of the kids will use. I think it will be interesting to see the differences between their categories and thought processes from fall to spring. I think my visual learners will benefit from using the books and illustrations to make their categories.
 * Diverse Learners:**


 * Potential Issues:**
 * ! worry that in the fall it will solely be based on illustrations and not be based on actual book context. However, I’m sure I can facilitate a comprehensible library setup. To introduce this lesson, I may try doing it with smaller sets of books as a class first, and then move into small groups.
 * Be sure your students understand the possible ways a library can be set up. Books cannot be categorized on the size, color, etc. The PBS website listed in the resources has an interactive game to help categorize books that were mixed up in the library!
 * It will be extremely important to model the interaction that occurs between students, to show that compromise and not always getting your way will be a part of the activity.


 * Implementation Suggestions:**
 * I think this lesson could be used for other content areas easily. In science, students can sort books on scientific concepts or social studies concepts. The most important feature is the “why”, and I think students could come up with interesting reasons for their connections. In high school, students could use novels and decide why books go together. What common themes do they see?
 * Resources**:
 * Goularte, R. April 25, 2009. //Book Sorting: Using Observation and Comprehension to Categorize Books.// Retrieved April 25, 2009, from []
 * April 25, 2009. //Flood!.// Retrieved April 25, 2009, from[| http://pbskids.org/lions/cornerstones/joseph/games/flood.html.]