CILR 607 Strategy

Presentation
Amy Sorensen
Introducing Ideas &
Vocabulary with the Concept
Sort
What is a Concept Sort?

A Concept Sort is a vocabulary and

comprehension strategy that is used to
introduce new topics and/or familiarize
students with new vocabulary. They can be used
before reading to gather students prior
knowledge or they can be used after to assess
students understanding of the concepts that
they learned.
NEPF Connections:
The Concept Sort activates all students initial understandings of a new concept
S1.1, 1.4 (S.1.1) It also provides students the opportunity to build on or challenge their initial
understandings of the concept (S1.4).
S2.1, 2.2, 2.3

S3.1. 3.2, 3.3, 3.4 Additionally, this task employs students abilities and skills, places and appropriate
demand on each student and will progressively develop their cognitive abilities and
skills. It can be modified to meet each students specific needs (S.2.1, 2.2, 2.3)

This strategy also produces opportunities for extended discourse between the
teacher and students, provides students opportunities to create and interpret multiple
representations, assists each student in using exidting knowledge and prior
experience and structures the classroom environment to enable collaboration
(S3.1,3.2,3.3,3.4).
NEPF Connections Cont.

S4.2 This activity helps students to monitor their own learning (S4.2) Also,
this strategy allows teachers to plan on-going learning opportunities
S5.1, 5,2, 5.3
based on the evidence of students learning. It also aligns assessment
opportunities with learning goal and generates evidence of learning
during the lesson for all students (S5.1,5.2,5.3)
Simulation!!
The Constitution and
Preamble Concept Sort
What category would you put these words into?

Places People Document

Samuel Adams Paul Revere Nathan Hale

Lexington & Fort Ticonderoga New York City

Concord
Declaration of Bunker Hill Boston
Independenc
Valley Forge
Think about these words: Power
George Central States
Washington Government Rights
Articles of Constitutional Preamble
Confederation Convention

Shay’s Rebellion Constitution Bill of

Rights
 Sort these words into these
categories?
Concerns People
Events that led to Parts of our had about
our Government Government Government

States Rights

Shay’s Rebellion Preamble George Washington

Central Government Constitutional Convention Constitution

Power Articles of Confederation

Bill of Rights
What the Students did:
What Students Did:
What Students Did:
How I used this strategy with students:
I used this strategy during one of our first Zoom meetings, unfortunately, I hadn’t
figured out how to record them yet, so I don’t have a copy of us doing it.

It went ok, I checked in with my daughter, who is also in my class, and she said that
using this strategy helped her be familiar with the words she read during our social
studies reading for the week.

I do think I’d like to use this strategy again when we could be together and do this
activity on paper, I may do it again with slides, but I’d like them to have their own
copy or a shared copy to complete with a partner.
Concept Sort
Handout