Directions for Play

Set Up:

• Select a story, play or article.

• Create a series of questions to ask students after reading.

General Fiction Examples:

• What is the setting of the story? How does the setting impact the events?

• Describe the main character’s personality.

• What problem did the main character face? How was that problem solved?

• What lesson did the main character learn? Explain.

• Find three examples of descriptive or figurative language in the text. Explain how they impacted your understanding of the story. 

• What is the genre of this text? How do you know?

General Nonfiction Examples:

• Explain how the graphics in the text helped you better understand what you are reading.

• What is the author’s purpose for writing this text?

• What is the central idea of this text?

• Select two details to support that this is the central idea.

• What message is the author trying to teach readers in writing this text?

• Hang the hoop in an open area of the classroom. Place a piece of tape about six feet from the hoop (2 point line). Place another piece of tape about ten feet from the hoop (three point line). 

Game Directions:

• Students stand behind their desks.

• One student is called upon randomly to answer a question based on the text. Another student is called upon to be their rebounder. (Note: You can have a third student be the timer to get more kids involved or time the student yourself.) 

• If the student answers correctly, a timer is set for one minute. The student then selects a spot to stand (either behind the 2 point mark or 3 point mark). They have one minute to try to sink as many baskets in the mini hoop as possible before time runs out. The rebounder will help the student by retrieving the ball and tossing it to them. The student whose turn it is should not go after the rebound. They may, however, fluctuate between the 2 point and 3 point line.)

• As the student makes a basket, the teacher records the point value for each shot. After each round the total for the student is calculated.

• Students are called on one by one to answer a question and play the game, until each person has had a turn.