Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

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A flexible warm-up where students work together to group related vocabulary words or concepts can cement their understanding—and help teachers assess prior knowledge.

St. Marys Area Middle School science teacher Pam Armanini started using Word Sorts because she wanted to dig into her students’ knowledge: what was sticking, and what did they still need help with? This activity—which can be used to assess students’ prior knowledge or as a review activity—has the added benefit of getting students out of their seats, moving around, and working together.

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