Robot Rex has dropped his word cards, and 1st grade students sort 12 nouns into three columns: common, proper and possessive. The bank mixes girl, dog, month and city with Buster, Emma, Boston and May, plus boy's, dog's, dad's and girl's. Hints on the page define each kind of noun. Two follow-up questions ask which word was hardest and for one new noun of each type. The 3 pages cover Common Core L.1.1b and L.1.5a, and the answer key has the full sort.
L.1.1b
“Use common, proper, and possessive nouns.”
The Sorting Chart splits the 12 nouns into common, proper and possessive, and question 2 asks for a new one of each.
L.1.5a
“Sort words into categories (e.g., colors, clothing) to gain a sense of the concepts the categories represent.”
The whole task is a three-way category sort of the word bank.
Twelve nouns in a grid, four of each kind, such as city, Boston and dad's.
Three columns, Common Nouns, Proper Nouns and Possessive Nouns, for students to write the words in.
Students name the hardest word to sort and write one new noun of each kind.
The sorted chart and notes on why May or the apostrophe words can confuse students.
Word card sort
Cut the bank into cards so students can move them before writing. Pairs will argue over May, and that talk is worth the time.
Apostrophe check
Dog and dog's are both in the bank. Hold them side by side and ask what the 's changes.
Local proper nouns
Question 2 asks for a new proper noun. Point students to classmates' names or your town so they remember the capital letter.
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