The book Put It on the List! is filled with various foods that highlight a diverse palate. The book lends itself to the importance of using sorting as a skill in everyday life. Learning to sort helps children to be observant of similarities and differences. It also assists in the development of math skills and problem-solving skills. In this lesson, adults and children will read Put It on the List! by Kristen Darbyshire together and then sort foods into food groups. Prior to distributing texts and sorting, the instructor should remind parents/caregivers of strategies that will enhance the reading experience.

When reading Put It on the List!, point to images of foods while saying the corresponding words (ACIRI II.2). Any time that a child points to a picture, the adult should respond encouragingly and restate the name of the object: “yes, that is a (name of the object).”

Use tangible items (play or real foods) to introduce sorting. These can be sorted by color or “like” and “dislike.” When holding the food, say the name of the food, and identify the characteristic used in sorting. “This is an apple. An apple is red. Let’s put it in the red pile. This is a tomato. It is also red like the apple. Where should it go? Should it go here (a green pile)? No, those are green. This tomato is red...”

The images within picture books not only enhance the fun of reading a book together, but also assist the child in understanding that words are linked to objects.

Children learn through play and everyday activities. Sorting objects helps children to develop visual perception and memory skills. As they are much younger, toddlers will require more prompting to complete the activity. Be sure to model using echoic and gestural prompting. The movements and words will reinforce concepts. Consider breaking from the text to point to and label pictures. E.g., “Milk, but no cereal... look there is a bowl (circle the rim of the bowl) with a spoon (draw your finger along the spoon) and some milk (point to the jug of milk), but no cereal.”

When reading Put It on the List!, point to images of foods while saying the names of the foods to reinforce the connection between objects/pictures and words. Extend learning by asking questions about what can be found at the store in the “veggies” department (from the book image: squash, broccoli, and tomatoes, what other vegetables would you find in the veggie department?) and in the “fruits” section of the store (from the book image: limes, mangoes, bananas, oranges, apples, what are some other fruits?).

When sorting food images into food groups, parents/caregivers should introduce each food item and model how they would sort the item of food. Then, the parent or caregiver should work with the child allowing them to guess before providing the correct answer.  

Sorting involves visual processing, more specifically visual discrimination. The development of visual processing skills assists young readers in distinguishing the differences between letters, numbers, and words (e.g., bat vs. tab). Encourage children to draw from personal experience to relate to the content of the book.

When grocery shopping, point out that foods are sorted into different areas of the store: produce (fruits and vegetables), deli/meat (protein), dairy, etc.

Invite school-age children to read Put It on the List! aloud with the adult. Note that there is additional text within the illustrations of the book. In reading together, one could read the main text, and another could read the labels and lists, or one person could read the left page and one could read the right. In taking turns reading, or partner reading, children can develop fluency. Adults can step in to help with pronunciation and understanding as needed by rereading and supporting the sounding out of words. Encourage the child through positive feedback.

After reading the book, families will receive a MyPlate image and Sorting Food images to use (see materials). As school-aged children may have more knowledge of the food groups, they should complete the activity mainly by themselves. The parents/caregivers should only step in if they need or ask for help. Their role is to provide support and advice.

Reading together has multiple benefits. In taking turns, or partner reading, children can develop fluency. Children have the opportunity to self-correct and transfer knowledge. For example, a child may be challenged by reading the word “cereal,” but in seeing and hearing an adult read the word on a previous page, they can transfer their understanding quickly to gain success.

Consider extending the sorting activity to alter the criteria: sort by shape, sort by color, or sort by have eaten or have not eaten.