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Literacy 4-6

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Literacy 4-6 > Strategies > Games

Games

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Overview

Games help students visualize how to connect one fact to another. By engaging student Attention, games motivate students to develop meaningful connections with content and can lead to positive memories of learning.

Use It in the Classroom

Watch how this teacher explains and plays "Back to the Board" or "Don't Say It" with her class. Students make connections by using their existing knowledge to describe the word, which supports Long-term Memory and builds students' Vocabulary.

  • Interactive games, like match-game puzzles, allow learners to practice and assess their Vocabulary knowledge by matching words with their respective definitions. These fun games promote a positive emotional connection with learning and improve memory consolidation.

    • Design It into Your Product

    Videos are chosen as examples of strategies in action. These choices are not endorsements of the products or evidence of use of research to develop the feature.

    Learn how SpellingCity lets teachers create their own word lists and definitions to be incorporated into spelling and Vocabulary games. With a variety of games and levels, teachers can provide increasingly complex words to support deeper Vocabulary building.

  • Designing games that incorporate literacy skills like Syntax and Vocabulary encourages students' Attention on practicing and improving. Through these playful games, learners reinforce skills and concepts to promote greater fluency and further memory consolidation.
    • View References

    Resources

    Below are additional examples, research, and professional development. These resources are possible representations of this strategy, not endorsements.
    Examples

    Crossword Puzzles

    Crossword puzzles applying vocabulary from Read Naturally stories

    Examples

    ELA Games

    Free online games to practice letters, sounds, spelling, and Vocabulary

    Examples

    Why Use Games?

    Five benefits to incorporating games in the classroom

    Professional Development

    Teaching Academic Language

    Free CE-credit webinar discussing the use of multimodal strategies to teach academic language

    Research

    Digital Games & Learning

    Subtopic that includes research on educational games in the classroom on Digital Promise's Research Map

    Research

    Student Motivation

    Topic that includes research on the factors that motivate students to learn and reach their goals on Digital Promise's Research Map

    Factors Supported by this Strategy

    Literacy
    Morphological Knowledge
    Orthographic Processing
    Phonological Processing
    Vocabulary
    Cognition
    Attention
    Inhibition
    Long-term Memory
    Short-term Memory
    Speed of Processing
    Working Memory
    Social and Emotional Learning
    Student Background
    Adverse Experiences
    Literacy Environment
    Physical Well-being
    Safety
    Sleep
    Socioeconomic Status

    More Active Learning Strategies

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    Students activate more cognitive processes by exploring and representing their understandings in visual form.

    Explaining Their Thinking

    When students explain their thinking process aloud, they recognize the strategies they use and solidify their understanding.

    Field Trips

    Visiting places connected to classroom learning provides opportunities to deepen understanding through firsthand experiences.

    Playful Literacy Activities

    Playful activities can support the development of learners' Metacognition and also inspire their narratives and writing.

    Response Devices

    Response devices boost engagement by encouraging all students to answer every question.

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