Sorts

Sorts are a great way for students to make sense of things around them.  It could be images or numbers or objects or words....the point is to get them thinking about a subject and have them make sense of it in some way.

Here are some ideas for sorts.  Don't think that these are just for Littles.  Older students enjoy them.  They offer a non-threatening way for students to look at things, and they offer us good insight into our students' thinking.  Sorting is very mathematical even when it is not about numbers.  It is about looking at things carefully, finding patterns, and making sense--that's math!

SORT:
pattern blocks
doors
coins
book characters
drain covers
shapes--2D and 3D
numbers (odd/even) (prime/composite) (square/not square) (multiples)
vehicles
words
patterns
emojis
food
volume/area/perimeter
shoes
states
types of graphs (no numbers or titles are necessary)
expressions
angles