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Lessons
Book Sorting: Using Observation and Comprehension to Categorize Books
Discipline
Reading
Grades
Kindergarten, 1, 2
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Professional Commentary

This sorting activity addresses critical-thinking skills, observation and categorization processes, and reading comprehension and writing skills. While this lesson emphasizes an open inquiry approach to sorting, teachers may adapt the activity to help students distinguish between genres, identify and discuss the types of books they like to read, or familiarize students with the classroom library selections. To start the activity, students choose books from the classroom library, then use their observation skills to sort them into categories while discussing the content and illustrations. The teacher's role is to question, observe, and guide students in their sorting methods. Following the book sort, students describe the categories they created, providing reasons for their decisions. (author/ncl)


Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts
Kindergarten–Grade 5
Reading: Literature
Kindergarten
Craft and Structure
RL.K.5 
Recognize common types of texts (e.g., storybooks, poems).
RL.K.6 
With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
RL.K.9 
With prompting and support, compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories.
Grade 1
Craft and Structure
RL.1.5 
Explain major differences between books that tell stories and books that give information, drawing on a wide reading of a range of text types.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
RL.1.9 
Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories.
Grade 2
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
RL.2.7 
Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.
RL.2.9 
Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story (e.g., Cinderella stories) by different authors or from different cultures.
Reading: Informational Text
Kindergarten
Craft and Structure
RI.K.5 
Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book.
RI.K.6 
Name the author and illustrator of a text and define the role of each in presenting the ideas or information in a text.
Grade 1
Craft and Structure
RI.1.5 
Know and use various text features (e.g., headings, tables of contents, glossaries, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text.
Reading: Foundational Skills
Kindergarten
Print Concepts
RF.K.1 
Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.
  1. Follow words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page.
  2. Recognize that spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters.
  3. Understand that words are separated by spaces in print.
  4. Recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet.
Grade 1
Print Concepts
RF.1.1 
Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.
  1. Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence (e.g., first word, capitalization, ending punctuation).
Ohio English Language Arts Standards (2001)
Reading Process: Concepts of Print, Comprehension Strategies and Self-Monitoring Strategies Standard
Grade Level Indicators (Grade 1)
10.
Use criteria to choose independent reading materials (e.g., personal interest, knowledge of authors and genres or recommendations from others).
Grade Level Indicators (Grade 2)
9.
Use criteria to choose independent reading materials (e.g., personal interest, knowledge of authors and genres or recommendations from others).
Reading Applications: Literary Text Standard
Grade Level Indicators (Grade Kindergarten)
4.
Distinguish between fantasy and reality.
Grade Level Indicators (Grade 1)
4.
Identify differences between stories, poems and plays.
Grade Level Indicators (Grade 2)
4.
Distinguish between stories, poems, plays, fairy tales and fables.