How To: Spell & Sort [the Phoneme]

• Lesson Objective: Recognize and apply phonological knowledge

• Grouping:  Small-group to independently at seats

• Methodology: Students complete cloze sentences that reinforce rules and vocabulary related to the targeted concept. Next, they sort targeted graphemes based on their corresponding phoneme(s). Once they’ve built familiarity with the spellings, they move on to sorting whole words that contain the targeted grapheme by sound rather than spelling.

• Duration: 20-25 minutes

  
  

Who else loves a sorting activity?

My brain thrives on a good sorting or organizing activity. Even when I was a little kid, I absolutely loved reorganizing our VHS & Betamax tapes. Alphabetical? By color? By size? Favorites in the front? Oh, the endless possibilities.

Apparently, I was on to something. Sorting is a powerful instructional strategy, especially in literacy, because it engages students in active thinking and reinforces meaningful patterns.

When students sort by sound (rather than just spelling), they deepen phoneme-grapheme connections. Our brains are wired to remember information that’s been grouped or categorized. Sorting taps into this cognitive strategy, helping students retain what they learn.

Sorting encourages metacognition because it requires students to justify and explain why items go together. Lastly, it makes abstract concepts concrete. "Diphthong" May not have much meaning until you have to sort the different diphthong patterns.

🖍 How the Routine Works

We begin in small groups, though the expectation is that students will complete most of the work independently. The first task is completing cloze sentences that reinforce key rules and vocabulary related to the targeted concept. I provide a word bank for support and scaffolding, especially helpful as students build fluency with academic language.

Sample Spell & Sort.

Next, students sort targeted graphemes based on their corresponding phoneme(s). Some graphemes may belong to more than one category, and I encourage students to rely on memory first—especially if this activity falls near the end of a unit. It’s an excellent informal review and a great way to see what students truly know without immediate prompts. Anchor charts are available as needed, but the goal is for students to attempt the sort independently before referring to them.

Once they’ve developed familiarity with the grapheme-phoneme connections, students move on to sorting whole words—again, by sound, not spelling. This reinforces the concept that multiple graphemes can represent the same phoneme, an important part of orthographic mapping. We typically sort a few words collaboratively first, and I always try to include at least one “trickster” word to keep them on their toes.

After I’m confident students understand the task, I send them to their seats to work independently. My co-teacher and I circulate to monitor progress and offer support as needed. If a student requires extra guidance, my co-teacher may work with them more closely while I pull students one-on-one for phonemic awareness instruction (part of my typical routine during independent work time).

Check out the Interactive Unit Guides to see how this lesson fits within each unit. There, you’ll find links to the unit-specific Spell & Sort. I build these for each unit to both review and target our current phonological patterns.