6 Ways to Use Picture Sorts in the Classroom — My Teaching Cupboard

The process of using picture sorts in the classroom is straightforward:

1. Introduction: Introduce the picture sort activity during a small group instruction. Explain the sorting criteria and demonstrate how to sort the cards.

2. Guided Practice: Allow students to practise sorting the picture cards with teacher guidance. This will help students understand the sorting criteria and how to apply them.

3. Independent Practice: Place the picture sorts in an investigation area. Students can then practise sorting independently, reinforcing the skills they learned during the guided session.

Example of a Picture Sort Activity

Imagine you are teaching your students about phonemic awareness, specifically focusing on initial sounds.

You prepare a set of picture cards with images like a cat, cup, fish, and fire. You also have anchor picture cards or sorting mats representing the sounds /c/ and /f/.

1. Introduction: During your small group instruction, you explain that today’s activity is about sorting pictures based on their initial sounds. You show the picture cards and the sorting mats with the letters Cc and Ff.

2. Guided Practice: You pick up the picture of the cat and ask the students what sound it starts with. Hopefully they respond with /c/ . You then place the cat picture card on the sorting mat representing the /c/ sound. Repeat this with the other picture cards, guiding students to place the fish and the fire pictures on the /f/ mat and the remaining picture of a cup on the /c/ mat.

3. Independent Practice: After practising together, you can move the picture cards and sorting mats to an investigation area. Here, students can practise sorting the cards independently, reinforcing their understanding of initial sounds.

The Benefits and Versatility of a Picture Sort

Picture sorts are not only fun but also highly educational. They can be adapted to cover a wide range of learning objectives, from phonemic awareness and phonics skills to categorising science concepts and building vocabulary. This makes picture sorts a versatile resource to have in any early years classroom.

When you use picture sorts in both your structured lessons and independent investigation areas, your students will be able to easily transfer and apply their sorting skills across different contexts. 

In my classroom, picture sorts have been a game-changer. The kids love them, and they easily transfer the skills needed to practise picture sorting independently. This not only reinforces their learning but also encourages a sense of autonomy and confidence in their own abilities.

What are the benefits of picture sorts?

Picture sorts are an incredibly engaging way to teach students. The hands-on approach captures their interest and makes learning interactive and enjoyable. 

For preschool, kindergarten, and 1st grade students, the tactile experience of handling picture cards adds a sensory dimension to learning, enhancing retention and understanding. We all know how important and effective hands-on learning or multi-sensory learning experiences are for our little ones so this method aligns well. 

Versatility of Picture Sorts Across Subjects

One of the greatest strengths of picture sorts is their versatility. They can be adapted to fit a wide range of subjects and learning objectives. 

Here are just a few examples:

• Phonemic Awareness: Picture sorts help students identify and sort pictures based on initial, medial, or final sounds. This activity reinforces phonemic awareness, an important Science of Reading skill for early reading development.

• Vocabulary Development: By sorting picture cards into categories, students can expand their vocabulary and improve their oral language skills. This is particularly useful in language-rich subjects like literacy and social studies.

• Math Skills: Sorting is a foundational math skill. Picture sorts can be used to teach students how to categorise and classify objects based on attributes like shape, size, and colour. This type of activity also helps develop counting skills and number sense.

• Science Concepts: Picture sorts can be used to teach and reinforce science concepts such as animal classifications, plant life cycles, and weather patterns. Students can better understand and remember these important concepts by categorising science-related images.

Development of Specific Skills

Picture sorts support the development of several key skills that are essential for young learners:

• Phonemic Awareness: Sorting pictures based on sounds helps students become more aware of the phonemic structure of words, which is crucial for reading and spelling.

• Vocabulary Development: As students sort and discuss picture cards, they are exposed to new words and concepts, enriching their vocabulary and language skills.

• Sorting and Categorising: These activities help students develop the ability to classify and organise information, a fundamental cognitive skill that is useful in many areas of learning.

• Counting and Number Sense: Sorting activities that involve counting objects or sorting by quantity help students strengthen their number sense and counting abilities.

• Memory and Recall: Picture sorts can also improve memory and recall by encouraging students to remember and apply sorting criteria.

Building Important Life Skills

Beyond academic benefits, picture sorts also help students develop important life skills. The ability to sort and categorise information is a critical thinking skill applicable in many real-life situations. Additionally, picture sorts foster independence and self-regulation as students learn to complete tasks on their own during investigation time.

In my classroom, picture sorts have proven to be a valuable tool for engaging students and promoting independent practice. By implementing these versatile activities into both structured lessons and investigation areas, I have seen my students easily transfer and apply their sorting skills across different contexts. This not only reinforces their learning but also encourages a sense of autonomy and confidence in their abilities. 

If you’re looking for some versatile picture sorts to teach essential curriculum skills, check out the comprehensive selection of picture sorting resources available in my store. I use these sets over and over again as they support so many different learning objectives and ensure my students are always engaged and on task.

6 Ways to Use Picture Sorts in the Classroom

Picture sorts are incredibly versatile and can be used across various subject areas to enhance learning. Whether you’re teaching English language arts, general science, or social studies, picture sorts can be seamlessly integrated into your lesson plans. 

Here are six effective ways to use picture sorts in your classroom to engage students and reinforce important concepts.

1.Teaching Phonemic Awareness Skills with Picture Sorts

Picture sorts are a fantastic tool for teaching phonemic awareness. By sorting pictures based on sounds, students can focus on beginning sounds, initial sounds, short vowels, or long vowels. I have found picture sorts can teach most phonemic awareness skills. 

They help children develop the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds in words, which is essential for reading readiness. Working with pictures also ensures you are working with sounds and not written alphabet letters. Phonemic awareness is an oral activity. Phonics involves the written representation of sounds. 

Example: In my classroom, I often use picture sound cards for a sound sort activity. For example, we might focus on initial sounds by using picture cards with images like a mosquito, mushroom, nose and noodles.

During small group instruction, I introduce the sorting mats and explain that we will sort the pictures based on their beginning sounds. As we sort, I guide the students to place the mosquito and mushroom pictures on the /m/ mat and the noodles and nose pictures on the /n/ mat. 

This hands-on activity not only engages the students but also reinforces their understanding of initial sounds in a fun and interactive way.