| Educational bingo is increasingly popular as a | | | | most commonly encountered in schools. |
| classroom activity as more and more teachers | | | | In reading bingo, the game is played using the |
| are realizing that the game can easily be adapted | | | | same basic game play mechanics as traditional |
| to a variety of different lesson plans. Apart from | | | | bingo - the player's (student's) objective is to find |
| the simple fact that students of all ages can | | | | a line of five matching items vertically, horizontally |
| enjoy the game, there are many other reasons | | | | or diagonally as the items are announced by the |
| by bingo is growing in popularity, not least the fact | | | | bingo caller (teacher), however the bingo cards |
| that it's very inexpensive to play (important given | | | | are printed with words instead of the usual |
| the constraints that today's teachers work | | | | numbers. These words can be sight words |
| under), but also the facts that game play | | | | (words that students must learn to immediately |
| mechanics can be modified to teaching pretty | | | | recognize in order to achieve reading fluency), |
| much any subject to any age range of students. | | | | words that students are in the process of |
| Bingo can play a role in teaching many different | | | | practicing this week, or they can be chosen |
| subjects, including math (the squares on bingo | | | | specially in order to practice a variety of phonics |
| cards can be printed with math problems for | | | | games. Some examples of phonics games, include |
| which students must write in the answers rather | | | | the teacher asking students to find rhymes, find a |
| than simply marking off squares), telling the time, | | | | longer word that contains a shorter word or |
| geography, history, science, foreign languages, and | | | | sound, find a word that the teacher reads out |
| yes, reading. In fact, bingo particularly excels in | | | | slowly (e.g. "fff-lll-aaa-p") so that students must |
| reading classes, and it is here that the game is | | | | practice "blending" letters, and so on. |