60-Second Strategy: Quick Sorts

On many days, in Jess Quiggle’s social studies class at Fairview High School, in Fairview, Pennsylvania, high school students walk in to find envelopes on their tables. After settling in, Quiggle gives them the go signal, and they dump the contents out. Quickly they begin to sort little pieces of paper, often onto a graphic organizer that Quiggle has provided each table. Each card has a concept or vocabulary term related to the previous night’s homework topic. Table groups are tasked with categorizing all their cards as fast as possible—and they hardly notice that the game is actually helping their teacher with formative assessment.

For example, after having learned about the demographic transition model, students were tasked with sorting terms like “high birth rate” or “negative population growth” into stages 1–5 (shown as columns on their graphic organizers).

Quiggle circulates the room while students work, and when a group thinks they have it right, she is called over to check. Once a table has everything correct, everyone stops, and they review as a class.

“What I love about Quick Sorts is that anyone can do it in any class or (with) any content. As long as you have vocabulary terms or examples or things that can fit together, it’s really just like putting together a big puzzle and having the kids figure it out for you.”

While Quiggle uses it as a quick formative assessment, the benefits of the game don’t stop there. It encourages both collaboration and competition. “I think it motivates them to work a little bit harder, and try to correct each other’s thinking as they go, because they don’t want to get it wrong. They want to see if their team can beat the other teams in the class.”

To find more quick teaching strategies for high school, scroll to the bottom of Edutopia’s 60-second strategies collection.