- bag
- paper
- plastic uppercase letters
- letter cards
- curved
- straight
MA Standards:
Mathematics/Measurement and Data/PK.MD.MA.3: Sort, categorize, and classify objects by more than one attribute.
Head Start Outcomes:
Approaches to Learning/Initiative and Curiosity: An interest in varied topics and activities, desire to learn, creativeness, and independence in learning.
Approaches to Learning/Persistence and Attentiveness: The ability to begin and finish activities with persistence and attention.
PreK Learning Guidelines:
English Language Arts/Reading and Literature: Develop familiarity with the forms of alphabet letters, awareness of print, and letter forms.
Mathematics/Patterns and Relations: Sort, categorize, or classify objects by more than one attribute.
Letter Sort
© Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Early Education and Care (Jennifer Waddell photographer). All rights reserved.
Educator Prep: Place plastic uppercase letter cards in a bag. Make a three-column chart on large paper. Label the three columns of the chart with a straight line, a curved line, and a straight and curved line. Hang the chart so children can reach it easily.
- Have a volunteer pull a letter card out of the bag and hold it up.
- Point to the parts of the letter as you say, The letter L has a straight line here and another one here. It has two straight lines and no curved lines. Ask children to tell you on what column of the chart they think the letter belongs.
- Have a volunteer help you tape the letter to the chart.
Explain to children that they will take turns pulling a letter out of the bag and then taping the letter on the chart. Continue until all children have had a turn.
Adaptation: For younger children, have a set of plastic letters nearby. It may be easier for some children to trace the 3-dimensional object to help them determine straight and curved lines.
English Language Learners: If children are having trouble understanding what is meant by straight and curved lines, draw examples for them, or guide their fingers as they draw the lines by themselves. Have children trace the drawn lines with their fingers as you have them say the words straight and curved.