First graders build vocabulary by sorting words into groups — like animals and foods — learning that words belong to categories, which helps them understand and connect what words mean.
Students will be able to…
A cat, a bird, and a fish all go together — they’re animals! Pizza and bread go together too. How do we group words that belong together?
Project this and sort each word into animals or foods. Ask children: does this belong with the animals, or with the foods?
Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.
A cat, a bird, a fish — what do they have in common?
Teacher models.
Class uses Which Group?
Students sort words.
Students share a group.
Aligned to the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
Sort words into categories to gain a sense of the concepts the categories represent.
Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and meanings.
Define words by category and key attributes.
Ask and answer questions about word meaning in a text.
Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.
Have families sort household items into groups — toys, clothes, foods — and name each category together. A printable sorting page is in the ELA library.
Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.
A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.
A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.