Grades 2–3
Common or Proper Noun? Sort
City or Paris, teacher or Ms. Lee: sort twelve nouns and spot the capital letters.
Classroom activity · Cut-and-paste sorting activities
Mammal, Bird or Fish? Animal Sort
Whales and bats are mammals, penguins are birds and sharks are fish: twelve animals to sort.
- Grade level
- Grades 1–3
- Time
- About 20 minutes
- Answer key
- Yes, page 2 of the PDF
- Kids practice
- Classifying, Fine motor skills, Explaining reasoning
What kids do
“Cut out the animals. Is each one a mammal, a bird or a fish? Glue it where it belongs.”
Printed on the sheet:
- Mammals have hair and feed their babies milk. Birds have feathers. Fish have gills and fins.
Words on this sheet
MammalBirdFishbateaglesharkhorsepenguinwhaledogowlparrotsalmontuna
Teacher tip
Talk about the tricky ones, like whales and penguins, before kids sort.
How to use it
- Keep scissors and glue sticks in a bin at each table.
- Read the cards aloud for kids who need help.
- Model the first move or the first answer on the document camera.
Watch for
Cutting that takes up the whole time. Pre-cut cards for kids who need it.
Talk about it
- How did you decide where each card goes?
- What strategy did you use?
Take it further
Use the same cards as a center game without glue.
US Letter, prints well in black and white. Free for home and classroom use: print as many copies as you need.
More cut-and-paste sorting activities
Grades 2–3
Prefix Sort: un- or re-?
Unlock, unfair, reread and refill: sort twelve words by prefix and learn what un- and re- mean.
Grades K–1
Shape Sort: Cut and Paste
Twelve big and small, turned and tilted shapes to sort into circles, squares and triangles.
Grades K–1
Less Than 5 or More Than 5?
Count the dots on each card, then sort: fewer than 5 or more than 5. Number sense with scissors and glue.
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