Sorting Activities

(TESOL Ideas--Activities That Can Be Used For Any Grammar Point)

Sorting activities is something I mentioned before in my workshop: Activities That Can Be Used With Any Grammar Point.

I'll repeat here what I wrote in that workshop:

Sorting Activity (Materials: Worksheet with several sentences) (Preparation: Prepare worksheet--10 minutes)

  Used for when you want to draw a distinction between two grammar points--e.g. past simple versus present perfect.  Since, arguable, all grammar is defined by contrasts (e.g. the present continuous is defined by its contrast with the present simple, the past perfect is defined by its contrast with the past simple) this be used for any grammar point once you think of something to contrast it with. 

Students are given a list of sentences, and have to sort them into different categories.

I've often found sorting activities are useful as a way to get students to notice the grammar function themselves.

I've used this activity several times in the past.  See, for example:

* Past Simple Versus Present Perfect: Sorting Activity

* Sorting activity for countable and uncountable quantifiers

* Phrasal Verbs Sorting Exercise

* sorting activity for past advice and present advice

* Sorting activity for giving advice

* Sorting Activity: Present Continuous, Gerund, or Adjective