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Game Plan: A Sourcebook for Teaching the Parts of Speech
Search and Sort
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Ten Essential
Vocabulary Strategies
Book 2
Grade 5
Vocabulary is the key to reading comprehension! Help students develop critical strategies for unlocking the meaning of unfamiliar words in context.
Jump Right into Reading
Grade K
Jump Right into Reading introduces the letters of the alphabet in carefully sequenced groups so that words can be read immediately. Exercises reinforce phonological awareness, sound-to-letter matching, and letter formation.
Writing Skills
Teacher's Handbook
Differentiate instruction in your classroom with this comprehensive guide to teaching writing to students in grades 2–12.
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Free resources for summer learning!
The end of the year is a time for review, reflection, and fun. Whether you are winding up the school year, teaching a summer session, tutoring, or working with your children at home, EPS has materials that work—even when school is out.
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Classroom Games: The Power of Play
by Joanna W. Kennedy
At some point during the primary grades, learning becomes serious business for many students. Lessons are less playful; hands-on experiences are replaced by work sheets; exploration turns into memorization; and the joy of learning turns into the pursuit of good grades. “Play,” the “work” of early childhood, has, by middle school, been relegated to physical education, recess, or after-school sports. Most teachers feel pressured to dedicate every available teaching moment to curriculum requirements and standardized test preparation. Game playing may be welcomed during a rainy day recess, but it is rarely an integral part of instruction.
Actually, games may provide more opportunities for meaningful instruction and enjoyable learning than more traditional methods of teaching. Rogoff (1990) calls interactive activities “an apprenticeship in learning.” According to Fredericksen, games create “a bridge between learning and doing” (1999). At all levels of education, games have amazing power to engage, challenge, intrigue, and delight students who may resist more conventional materials.
The application of games in the classroom, however, requires careful planning. In order for classroom games to enhance learning, they must be “purposeful, relevant, and educational” (Fredericksen, 1998). For games to be a successful element in the teacher’s tool kit, it is important that they contain the following elements:
Novelty
Work sheets and drills do not usually appeal to the curious and imaginative nature of most students. Games have delighted students of all ages over the years simply because they provide a novel approach to understanding concepts and mastering skills. They also teach social and academic skills in a natural way, in cooperative teams or one-on-one with the teacher, rather than in the traditional, hierarchical classroom.
Intellectual Stimulation
Research shows that children learn best when they are actively engaged. Successful games invite students to analyze, strategize, and think flexibly. They challenge students to plan, organize, and think about the relationship between cause and effect. Players are encouraged to integrate prior knowledge with the new information or concepts that emerge during the competition.
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Summer Resources
We’ve put together a resource list of our best titles for summer learning. Please see the Web pages for more information, research bases, and free downloadable lessons.
EPS at Conferences
See our materials, pick up samplers and catalogs, or speak to an EPS expert at a fall conference.
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