Program Designed to Help Struggling Students with Literacy
What:
This activity took place in a Title I school in which over 90% of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch and about 25% are identified as English learners. Because we receive federal and state money, we also have numerous government mandates to fulfill. Some of my students struggle to find space at school for their interests and passions, leading at times to negative behaviors or disengagement with school activities. During this curricular unit, I sought to open a space where students who had failed high-stakes tests and those who were considered to be English learners could become agents of their own reading and learning.
Recognizing my students’ powerful interest in the popular computer game Minecraft, I designed a culturally-relevant space in which my students and I co-created a literacy curriculum that drew on this area of passion. A readers’/writers’ workshop provided a framework within which students read informational & how-to texts about Minecraft, read stories based in the Minecraft world, and drafted stories set in the Minecraft world.
Students spent about two hours each day reading and writing.
– I read aloud from a grade-level appropriate chapter book in which a Minecraft character enters our world through a special portal. The students discussed used textual evidence to make inferences about characters’ motivations and upcoming events.
– Students engaged in partner and independent reading of texts that were close to their instructional level. A paraprofessional and taught mini-lessons at the “point of need” when students struggled with decoding, comprehension, or vocabulary.
– I led focused lessons about narrative structure and story sequence to prepare students for writing their own Minecraft-based stories. I modeled the use of a graphic organizer based on the narrative structure.
– Students used this graphic organizer to plan and write their own stories.
Students also played with Minecraft Legos for about 30 minutes each day. These Legos served as motivators at the end of our three hour literacy block. More importantly, students’ Lego constructions were directly connected to their writing. I asked students to think of the stories they were writing and then to build scenes and act out plot events from their own written work. Likewise, the social nature of Lego play encouraged students to speak and listen to their peers, further developing these students’ English skills. Finally, while they played, I listened to their conversations and added their words to a group word wall, increasing the breadth of vocabulary used in their written work.
Who: 10 third grade English learners who were at risk of not passing I-READ. These students don’t always choose to read or write, but desperately need more opportunities to engage in literacy activities.
When & How: 3 hours per day for five days during a Spring Break Intersession. The district provided transportation, though about half the students were brought by their parents. The district also provided breakfast and a snack each day. Finally, the district provided a small budget for materials. I used this money to purchase the Minecraft books and Legos.
Challenges or Obstacles:
- Several students who really needed to participate were unable to do so.
- There were not enough Minecraft books at the level needed for guided reading; most were too difficult.
- I planned more activities than we had time to complete. While most students finished planning their stories, they didn’t have time to complete their drafts or go through a revision or publishing process.
- Though I’d originally envisioned having students actually play Minecraft while at the Minecraft Camp, I was unable to work this out with the district technology department and our security firewall. HOWEVER, this led me to the use of the Minecraft Legos, which was extremely beneficial.
Benefits and Successes:
- Excellent student attendance.
- Students engaged in 15 additional hours of structured (though engaging) literacy activity.
- While unanticipated, the Legos appeared just as engaging and motivating as the Minecraft Pocket Edition video game would have been. They also provided opportunities for speaking and listening that video games often don’t.
Student comments:
- I learned how to make a planner of the story.
- I learned that if you do not understand the story that you read again.
- We should do Minecraft Camp again because it’s fun to read new books about Minecraft.
- I learned the words hinge and TNT.
- We should do Minecraft Camp again because we learned stuff and I had fun learning.
Additional Information:
Images taken from Minecraft Camp
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presentations_minecraft-students-writing_2016-bsu-best-prac
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Submitted by: Margaret Boling Mullin, PhD, Rhoades Elementary School