Multisensory Monday: Roll & Read

With a new school year approaching, I always have my eyes open for a new activity or a spin on an old

favorite. Roll & Read was adapted from a game that is typically used with Spanish vocabulary words. It is an engaging activity that allows students to meld new concepts with their basic graphing knowledge. I have included blank game boards as well as the game board I use with the tri-blends and miscellaneous blends lesson.

Materials Needed:  

• 1 game board

  • Blends version
  • Customizable version

• 2 standard dice
• 2-4 different colored highlighters

Roll and Read Instructions:

Players: 2-4

1. Place the game board between the players, or tape it to the wall to stand and play!
2. The youngest player will roll both dice first.  
3. The two dice determine the player's move. The rows and columns are numbered with dice along the top and the left side. The grid is used to determine the boxes that a player may claim as their own by coloring a one-word box after their roll. Players can color in the entire box or highlight only the new concept in each word to mark the box with their color. If a student rolls a 2 and a 5, their only two options are to color the intersection of 2,5 on the game board or 5,2.  
4. Once a box is selected, the player will read as well as pound and finger tap the word.
5. If both of these places are already claimed, the player must roll again. 
6. After the first player completes their turn, the playing order continues clockwise. 
7. Each player will continue rolling the dice in order until a player gets three boxes in a row vertically, horizontally, or on a diagonal. 

Word Work:

The word work area on the game board is a space that can be used for additional practice. Students can dictate the words, draw keyword images, and receive feedback.  

When the game is over, words that were not utilized can also be explored in the word workspace. 

Written by Natasha Rondeau.

Natasha is a Brainspring tutor.