Categorizing Months, Days and Years

Purpose: To practice vocabulary for months, days and years, while using critical thinking skills.

Prep Time: Enough time to cut up attached word cards (1 set per pair of students) and place them in envelopes, 20 minutes.

Materials: 1 set of month, day, year cards per pair of students and a calendar (see link below).

Procedure:

1. Look at the current month of a calendar with students.
2. Ask them, “What day is it?,” “What month is it?,” and “What year is it?” They can answer orally and you can ask them to point to each on the calendar.
3. Mix up the cards and lay them out.
4. Project them or ask students to gather around a table so everyone can see.
5. Read through the cards as a class.
6. Have students help you find the category cards (Month, Day, Year) and place them at the top of the table.
7. Work together as a class to place each card under the correct category.
8. If you think a second round of modelling is necessary, mix up the cards and ask a strong student to sort the cards.
9. Distribute sets of cards to each pair of students and allow them to do the activity.
10. As students finish, check their work. Fast finishers can read through the cards aloud.