10 Simple Ways to Add Fun to Your Structured Literacy Classroom!

K-2 teachers….

I am a believer! My deep dive into the Science of Reading has confirmed that there is a need for structured literacy. Elementary teachers need to provide explicit and systematic instruction in reading and writing. Okay, but are there simple ways to add fun to a structured literacy classroom?

I think so! Keep reading to discover simple ways to make your structured literacy classroom engaging and enjoyable for elementary students. Boost reading and writing instruction with fun activities!

We know students do best when learning is fun

This portion is actually taken from another blog post I wrote about simple ways to make K-2 learning fun and effective.

You can also read Why Should Learning Be Fun in a K-2 Classroom? for a more detailed look into why learning should be fun.

Basically, when primary students are enjoying the process of learning, there are many positive outcomes, including:

• being able to focus on the task at hand
• retaining information
• actively participating
• taking risks with learning
• pushing themselves to expand their thinking
• loving school

10 Simple Ways to Add Fun to a Structured Literacy Classroom

There are lots of ways to make learning fun but let’s talk about 10 simple ways to make your structured literacy classroom more engaging and enjoyable.

Games

Adding games into your daily routine is one of the quickest ways to add fun. 

Early elementary students love to play games which means they are perfect for practicing new skills in a low-stress way.

Furthermore, learning games provide opportunities for meaningful practice. 

Primary students can play whole group games, like sight word bingo or partner games, such as these CVC Games and Clothespin Activities.

Another advantage to using games in the early elementary classroom is that you can review a variety of skills. For instance, you can review short vowels or other phonics skills. Games fit perfectly in a structured literacy classroom.

Click the button to get the password to a Free Members Only Resource Library. This library has games, like the one above, that you can use for fun, partner game review.

Movement

Movement in the primary classroom can help reduce student stress and improve student behavior. 

How do you add movement to a structured literacy classroom?

One fun suggestion is to add movements to letters. My school uses Letterland, a curriculum that has resources for teaching phonics, phonological awareness, and foundational literacy skills. Each letter, or combination of letters, has a name and an action. For example, the t is Talking Tess. Students meet Talking Tess, and learn her name, sound, and accompanying action. If you do not have an already made curriculum, you and your students could certainly create actions to go with the letters.

Another way to add movement to your structured literacy classroom is to have activities like “Read the Room”. An easy way to do a “read the room” activity is to take the picture and word cards from the free CVC Mixed Short Vowel game and place them around the room. Students could walk around the room and read the cards to each other. Be sure to grab this free game found in the Free Resource Library.

Change Locations

Changing locations can add a little excitement and revitalize student engagement.  

An easy way to change locations is to utilize every space in your classroom. For instance, students can work at their desks, on the floor, or even under their desks!  Writing is more fun when you can sit somewhere new.

Technology

Technology can add fun to any lesson, especially lessons in a structured literacy classroom. 

Above all, utilizing technology can build background knowledge and/or strengthen understanding of a concept as students take virtual field trips, watch video clips, or play online learning games. Students will understand complex text much better if they have adequate background knowledge.

Boom Cards™ can be a great way to gamify learning. These digital task cards are easy to use, self-checking, interactive, and fun! Teachers, you can get a free or paid subscription (http://bit.ly/BoomTrial).

Additionally, other fun, free sites (or free for teachers) include National Geographic for Kids, Epic, Funbrain, Starfall, and Storyline Online.  

If you would like some free Boom Cards, click the button for the Free Resource Library. The resource library has several Boom Cards available. 

Choice

Choice can be a great motivator and a simple way to add fun to a lesson.  Whenever possible, give your students choices. For example, let them choose where they sit during an activity (changing locations) or choose how they demonstrate learning (i.e. a song, picture, or writing about a topic).

When primary students feel in control of their own learning, the activity can become much more engaging and enjoyable. 

Collaboration

Providing students with the opportunity to work with others can also add fun to learning. 

Although some children may prefer to work alone, it is important to help early elementary students learn how to work with others. 

Partnerships or small groups can be beneficial as students share the workload and capitalize on each others’ strengths. Also, students can brainstorm ideas and work together to complete projects or activities. 

Art and Music

Adding art and music can provide lots of fun for students.

Allowing students to create art in the classroom can improve motor skills and language development, relieve stress, encourage another form of expression, and help students make connections in their learning. 

Instead of having students write a response to reading let them draw a response. For example, after reading a book, students can draw the setting or main characters.

Music can improve auditory skills, relieve stress, improve creative thinking, and develop reasoning and language. Furthermore, songs can also aid in memory retention and help students review skills. There are so many fun songs on YouTube that can reinforce a variety of literacy skills, like Phonics Song from Gracie’s Corner.

Global Elements

Adding global elements to your classroom or lesson can also add to the fun. 

Early elementary students are naturally curious. Therefore, feed that curiosity by teaching them about other people, cultures, and places. 

Easily add global elements with maps, virtual field trips, video clips, global read-alouds, and guest speakers. 

Incorporating global elements can be a wonderful way to develop background knowledge for a book or inspire great writing.

Read, Read, Read

Expose students to a variety of texts, authors, and genres.

Books are powerful tools and can be used for many purposes:

What’s more, books can also add lots of fun to your classroom! Students can have fun by reading a book, partner reading, listening to a read-aloud, or viewing an ebook on the ActivBoard or Interactive TV.

A structured literacy classroom should be filled with books. Students need daily exposure to decodable text, as well as fiction and nonfiction.

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Hands-On Learning

Finally, to add fun to the classroom, you must include opportunities for hands-on learning.  

Students need the opportunity to build, create, make, and explore.  

The great thing about hands-on learning is that students learn through experience. Thus, they learn by doing and actively participating.  

Hands-on learning can be as simple as adding manipulatives to a phonics lesson.

Students can use hands-on materials during literacy centers. These Beginning Sounds Poke Cards are a fun, self-checking way for students to review beginning sounds independently.

They can role-play scenarios or act out scenes from their current reading assignment.

Students can complete printables that add color by code to the review. 

The Members Only Free Resource Library contains several color-by-code printables. Click the button to access them. 

Conclusion

As elementary teachers, we know the importance of structured literacy. Students need explicit and systematic instruction in reading and writing. Just because instruction is structured, doesn’t mean it has to be boring!

K-2 teachers, we want our students engaged and actively participating in their learning. We want them to be excited about coming to school. We want our structured literacy classroom to be a place that engages our students and promotes their literacy development.

We want learning to be fun! 

Making learning fun does not have to be a difficult process. When you are planning your lessons, think of small changes you can make that will have a big impact. 

Try these simple ways to make K-2 learning fun and effective in your structured literacy classroom. 

When learning is fun, everyone benefits – including the teacher!