Vocabulary Games

• Developing vocabulary is an essential literacy skill, and vocabulary-based reading games encourage middle-school students to develop not only vocabulary knowledge but also skills for defining unfamiliar words. One option is to place students in reading groups and invite them to scan passages from their reading and underline any terms they don't know. The groups then use context clues and brainstorming to create definitions that they present to the class for voting and confirming. Each correctly defined word is worth a point. A follow-up game is to create bingo cards using the vocabulary words. A teacher reads the definitions of the terms and the student who covers her board first wins a prize, such as points on a quiz.
  
  

You Be the Author

• Games that combine both reading and writing skills provide comprehensive understanding of literacy concepts. One option for a game involves reading a passage from a text aloud and stopping before key plot developments or pieces of dialog. Teams of students then write a paragraph that they think will follow the passage. Students read their texts aloud and then the teacher reads the next passage. Students with the closest guesses win points. Another option is to complete a text and then invite students to re-write the ending of the text. The challenge is to write a text that differs from the original, but maintains a sense of contextual reality. Read the endings aloud and invite other classes to vote on the best alternatives.
  
  

Scene Games

• Transforming texts into visual shows is an engaging method for encouraging middle schoolers' careful comprehension skills. One option for a text-based role-playing game is to put a spin on classic charades. After students read a text, write down short descriptions of key scenes on strips of paper. A player selects a strip, and then acts out the scene for the class without speaking. If a student correctly guesses the scene, both the actor and the guesser receive a point. Another option is to challenge teams of students to create scenes from a text but with a variation, such as the scene takes place underwater or in the future. If other students correctly guess the scene, award points to both the presenters and the guessers.
  
  

Character Profiles

• One way to encourage middle-school students to connect with characters is to create profiles. Students select a character of choice and create a brief five-sentence profile of the character without mentioning the character's name. The profiles might be in the style of a personal advertisement or an online social networking profile. Students then read the profiles and guess which profile is for which character. Another option is to host a trivia-style game in which teams of students are asked questions about characters that don't necessarily come directly from the text. A sample question might be, "Which character is most likely to run for president?" Teams then create arguments for which character they believe fits the profile. The teacher determines the best argument and awards points.