As more and more districts and organizations look to incorporate Science of Reading strategies into their curriculum, one big fear is that these very explicit processes will not capture students’ attention nor engage them. But what if we tap into a high-interest area such as games and storytelling in order to help students feel motivated to practice Science of Reading skills?
Below are five different ways you could use a board game such as our Gamestormers storytelling game (appropriate for ages 5+) to build key skills such as fluency, comprehension, phonemic awareness, and more!
Reading Fluency via Instruction Manuals
One of the best ways to master reading fluency is through an informational text that scaffolds you through a process. Some of the best informational process texts exist in the world of board and card games – the instruction manual! In our Gamestormers instructions, learners have the benefit of a context-rich document that leads first with sentences and examples, but also has built-in supports via diagrams that add context to their reading.
Vocabulary via Card Types and Classifications
A key aspect of reading is identifying what words mean, but also how their definitions can change in different contexts or become synonymous with other familiar terms. For instance, Gamestormers uses the vocabulary terms “Storyline”, “Item”, and “Mechanic” in much the same way language arts teachers use the terms “Subject”, “Noun”, and “Verb” – in fact, we often encourage students to think of these terms as they create ideas within the game!
Reading Comprehension via Card and Player Board Text
While plenty of reading comprehension comes into play during that instruction manual overview, games actually shine most when students decode the meaning of card abilities, flavor text, and helpful game aids during play! In Gamestormers, each player board where they construct their five-card game idea has key questions the player can read and process to help them decide what cards to use.
Phonics and Phonemic Awareness via Card Names and Titles
The beauty of board and card games when it comes to phonics is that it gives students a chance to practice word sounds within a domain that is high-interest and full of lesser-used words to provide variety. Often in phonemic practice, students see the same common words used or words that do not engage them in the process of learning. Thankfully, our Gamestormers card game features 139 unique Nouns, Verbs, Subjects, Characters, and more to give students a chance to practice the phonemes and graphemes found within the high-interest words in our game.
As a bonus, we’ve created FREE printable guides to the phonemes and graphemes found in over 130 of our cards from Gamestormers for you!
Speaking Fluency
Science of Reading does not only rely on reading fluency, but also the ability to utilize a student’s oral fluency to positively impact reading. In many board and card games, players must elaborate on ideas to impress others and earn their support, helping them improve their speaking fluency. During Gamestormers, students tell a narrative story based on the five cards they select during play. This activity helps students sharpen a variety of SoR elements such as vocabulary, phonics, and comprehension, but also helps marry reading and speaking fluency as they communicate their ideas as a unified tale.