Literacy Lesson: Kicking off Reading Strategy Study with an Online Game

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In searching Pinterest for bilingual/dual goodies, I saw that Susan Orozco had posted a link to http://www.rtve.es/infantil/ which is the children's site of the Corporación de Radio y Televisión Española.  There are all sorts of online games available through the site.  Some do not seem educational at all (Bob Esponja? UGH!) but there are quite a few really good games that would make great computer centers or excellent whole class SMARTBoard activities to kick off the study of a new reading strategy. 

For example, this game is called Las 7 Diferencias.  It displays two elaborate pictures and you have to click on seven things that are different between the two pictures.  What a perfect way to begin talking with your little guys about semejanzas y diferencias? 

Maybe you are working on describing words or characterization.  Have you ever played the Guess Who? Board Game?   ¿Quién es quién? is an online version of that game and it is so much fun!  I may have just wasted invested the past half-hour playing it myself.  In order to guess the person that your partner has chosen, you pick from a long list of questions to guess who they are "thinking" of.  Based on your computer partner's answer, you must go through your grid of pictures and eliminate all of the people that do not match that criteria.  Awesome critical thinking opportunities for our little guys!
 

I used to always "anchor" my reading strategy studies with a favorite picture book.  I would call my students to practice a strategy by reminding them of the book that we had read when we first learned about how to use that strategy.  I still believe in the power of mentor/anchor texts but why not anchor with a game as well?  Seriously, so fun!  Okay, I think I'm going to go back and play ¿Quién es quién? one more time!  :)