Saturday, May 27, 2017

6 Differentiated Literacy Stations from One Board Game

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6 Differentiated Literacy Stations from One Board Game | Apples to Applique


I know it's summer, so probably the last thing you want to think about is planning for school. However, summer is the perfect time to prepare fresh new activities for the coming year.

This idea for new literacy stations is simple and fun, and can be used for multiple activities and skill levels. It also takes less than 5 minutes to prep, so I promise it won't take away from your summer relaxation! Sound good? I am all about engaging activities that don't take hours to prepare!

All you need is some dice and an old game board. Many classic kids games will work, like Candy Land or Chutes and Ladders. It doesn't even need to have all the pieces, so thrift store finds are perfect for this.

Here's your super-complicated prep--are you ready?

Write a letter name in each game space.

That's it.

6 Differentiated Literacy Stations from One Board Game | Apples to Applique
Simple, one-time prep takes about 5 minutes!

I just tossed the Candy Land cards, because I don't need those millions of pieces complicating my life. Since our purpose for this game is not color recognition, dice work just fine. Counters also make excellent game pieces if yours are missing, so bring on those garage sale games with all the missing pieces!

There are so many ways to play, and it can be differentiated based on the needs of your students.

1. Player says the name of the letter they land on

2. Player says the sound of the letter they land on

3. Player names a word that starts with the letter they land on

4. Player finds a picture that starts with the letter they land on (requires some alphabet picture cards)

5. Player finds the lowercase letter to match the uppercase letter they land on (requires lowercase alphabet magnets or cards, or a chart for students to point to)

6. Player writes the letter they land on (upper or lowercase or both, depending on level)

6 Differentiated Literacy Stations from One Board Game | Apples to Applique

You can approach this literacy station different ways. You can introduce it with different objectives at different times of the year, depending on what you are targeting at that time, so that all players complete the same activity during game play. Or, it can be differentiated in one game session, so you can use mixed ability groups. For example, if I'm playing with a high level learner and low level learner in the same group, they can each have different requirements. When it's my low level learner's turn, I can ask her to say the letter name. When it's my high level learner's turn, I can ask her to name a word that starts with that letter. If I have a kiddo who needs fine motor practice, he can write the letters on his turn. All of this can be accomplished during the same game!

I would love to hear other ideas you have for implementing this board game in your literacy stations; I'm sure there are other variations I haven't thought of yet. Leave me a comment to let me know how you can use this in your classroom!


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