Bingo is a very popular game, and, as a result, virtually everybody knows the rules and how to play the game. Undoubtedly, of course, the simplicity of the rules have contributed to the game’s popularity, but nevertheless it is true that many people love playing the game. Although bingo is traditionally a social activity, particularly for older people, today however it is also finding a place in the classroom.
The basic idea behind introducing bingo into the classroom, is that it provides a fun and interesting activity for students, but the bingo cards, and in some cases the game mechanics, can easily be adapted by the teacher depending on the situation, the particular subject being taught, and the age of the students.
Generally the most common adaptation of the game is simply to vary the content of the bingo cards (so instead of simply containing numbers, the cards contain items chosen by the teacher that relate to the subject in question), although in some cases it may also be necessary to slightly modify the rules of the game as well. Some common educational variants of bingo include:
* Reading bingo or Sight word bingo – This is a game principally for younger students. The cards are printed with words that the students must recognize or find – very often these are words chosen from the Dolch sight word list or similar word lists.
* Math bingo – The bingo cards contain math problems. In order to check off a square on their cards, the students must correctly solve the math problem in that square.
* Foreign language bingo – The bingo are printed with words in one language, and the students must find the matching word when calls are made in another language. This game can be played in French, German, Spanish or Italian classes, and the bingo cards can be in that language, and the calls made in English, or vice-versa.
By: Sunil Tanna
Bingo is a relatively simple game. Most adults know how to play the game, and it’s easy enough to learn that even young children can master the game in just a few minutes. Because of this simplicity, as well as the facts that the game does not require investing in expensive materials or specialist equipment, and that the game can easily be adapted in numerous ways, many teachers now use bingo as a teaching tool.
In classes involving younger children, teachers have adapted the game of bingo to help them with their reading and English. In these situations the class plays pretty much a standard game of bingo, with the teacher acting as the bingo caller, but instead of using bingo cards printed with numbers, the cards are printed with letters or words chosen by the teacher.
Some ideas for using bingo in the classroom include:
* Helping to Teach Phonemic Awareness – The students are each given a bingo card printed with letters in the squares. When the teacher calls out a word, the students must identify the letter than begins the word and find the matching square.
* Practising Sight Words – Sight words are words that students must learn to recognize to achieve reading fluency (the most famous list of sight words, is probably the Dolch Sight Word list). Sight words can be practised by using bingo cards printed them – students must find the matching square when the teacher calls out the word.
* Improving Vocabulary – Again the bingo cards are printed with words chosen by the teacher, in this case however students must find the matching square when the teacher gives a word’s definition.
* Identifying Parts of Speech – As with the vocabulary bingo game, the cards are printed with words chosen by teacher. However, in this case, students must find a part of speech based on a description given by teacher, for example, “a verb beginning with S”.
In all these cases, the main requirements to play the game are an enthusiastic teacher, and of course bingo cards printed with items of the teacher’s choice. While it may be possible to purchase some preprinted educational bingo cards, this could quickly get expensive if a lot of bingo cards are needed, and in any case the cards may not contain the exact items that the teacher wants for their class. The alternative is for the teacher to prepare the bingo cards in advance of their class. Of course, making a lot of bingo cards by hand is probably not a good use of class preparation time – but fortunately bingo card maker software can automate the process – using such software, you just enter a list of items that you want on your bingo cards, and the computer can generate as many cards as you want.
By: Sunil Tanna
