Game of Quotes
Are your students reluctant to read during silent reading time? Level up silent reading routines with a Game of Quotes!
Do you even have silent reading time in your class? I gave it up for a while because it felt like such a waste of time when no one was reading. With all the pressure to “cover” so much material in a short time, I felt this weird teacher guilt when the principal walked into my room and the kids were silently reading. I felt like I had been caught doing something wrong because I was using precious minutes of instructional time for silent reading. It’s not that my principal has ever made a comment that made me feel this way- this is why I refer to it as “weird” teacher guilt. I’m not exactly sure where it comes from.
When you struggle with teacher guilt, and the kids aren’t even reading anyway, do you stop making time for silent reading? Give the Game of Quotes a try! The benefits of this game extend beyond reading engagement.
Witness the magic of peer influence as students share their favorite quotes from the books, creating an environment that sparks interest in new and exciting reads. Prepare for a chorus of “I want to read that!” echoing throughout your classroom with The Game of Quotes.
From Reading Avoidance to Reading Appeal
How many of your students spend silent reading time selecting a book? When I was an elementary school teacher, the kids would always walk back and forth from their table to the classroom library, getting a book and exchanging it for a different one two minutes later. They spend the whole time choosing books, never finding anything that interests them, only to begin this routine again the next day.
In middle school, this dance of avoidance looks a little different. I still have an extensive classroom library, but the reluctant readers spend less time pacing back and forth between the library and their table; instead, middle school readers do what I call pretend reading. They have a book open, but they stare at a friend across the room, playing a silent game of charades with facial gestures. Students sleep, leaving a trail of drool across the page of my book. They have an open book on their table and a notebook on their lap under the table where they write love letters or do work for other classes. This game of avoiding reading has become far more sophisticated.
Motivating Students to Engage with Text
I don’t want to play the role of reading police and force my students to read. I’m not micromanaging their reading time. They can choose any book they want. I don’t have a box of books restricting students to a specific reading level. My library is extensive and updated at least once a month. When I order from Scholastic, I ask the students what books they want and order those books. I don’t make them take quizzes to prove they are reading. I read the books and do a weekly book talk to get students hyped up about something they may not have seen in the classroom library. We go to the school library to check out books. What else can I do to motivate my students to read?
How Did I Come Up With The Game of Quotes?
The idea came to me in a comic book store. They had a game aisle in this store, and I came across this card game called BYOB (Bring Your Own Book), an adult game intended for book clubs. I bought it, took it home, and immediately went to work to adapt it to the classroom. I thought this game could be fun to get students’ eyes on the text. It turns out that they love it even more than I imagined.
I created a presentation in Google Slides with a few kid-friendly prompts. I used animations so the students wouldn’t see the prompt until it was time, and silent reading instantly became a fun game! The room was filled with laughing, page-turning, and students whispering, “I want to read that!” When was the last time a reading log or an online quiz caused a stir of echoes in the classroom?
Students quickly learn that it’s harder to find a quote for the prompt if they don’t read during silent reading time. When a prompt is revealed, a student who has been reading their book remembers a part of the book that they had read and can quickly go to that chapter or section to find a good quote.
When a student wins several rounds with well-chosen quotes, other students also become interested in reading that book. I think I am the one who is really winning this game, though, because my students are reading and getting their classmates interested in new books!
Game of Quotes Goes Viral
The Game of Quotes Eduprotocol
I presented at a CUE Rockstar professional development conference. My session was about evolving your ELA class. It was 2018 and the first Eduprotocols book had been published. I thought the highlight of my session would be the work that my class had done on the Bookakucha Eduprotocol. One of the authors, Jon Corippo, came to my session, and saying I was nervous would be an understatement. Jon loved the Game of Quotes so much that he asked me if it could be included in the upcoming Eduprotocols book. I said, “Yes!” and its popularity has continued to grow!
How Do You Play The Game of Quotes?
My friend Josie, aka JWozTeaches on TikTok, explains it so well. She’s awesome, and you should follow her.
Gameplay can vary greatly depending on whether you are playing as a whole class or in small groups and whether you are using slide presentation prompts or game cards.
My initial trial was a whole class game with presented prompts, and it looked something like this:
- Students enter the room, and Game of Quotes is projected on the screen so they know it’s coming.
- Students have their usual silent reading time.
- At the end of silent reading time, I show the prompt for round one.
- The students flip through the pages of their books, looking for a good response to the prompt.
- Students share their responses and vote on a winner.
- Students ask for more reading time (I win!).
My original slides were shared widely online. Since I keep finding other people selling these Game of Quotes prompts on Teachers Pay Teachers, I am no longer putting a link to it in my blog post.
You can still get a bunch of free prompts. Just click the button below to sign up for my email list, and you will instantly download a much prettier version of the slides I originally shared.
I Love Game of Quotes, But I Need Some Fresh Prompts
Have you tried Game of Quotes and need fresh prompts? I’ve got you! This digital resource (shown below) contains over fifty prompts; you also get printable cards and pages to use as a reading log.
The paid product is much more in-depth and is designed to complement any book your students read. Choose from five exciting gameplay variations, ideal for:
- small group reading
- reading centers or stations
- book clubs or literature circles
- as a paper-based alternative to traditional reading logs (printable page included)
- silent reading time and a single prompt as a daily warm-up (printable warm-up pages included)
- the perfect activity for a dedicated class period in the library
I am constantly creating new editions of Game of Quotes. Check out The Wild Robot Edition by clicking the button below. Shout out to my super-talented daughter, who did all the artwork for my Wild Robot cards.
I love the Rick Riordan Presents books and wanted to create a fun set of cards for readers who love mythology. I continue to surprise myself with the fun “wild card” ideas I come up with for each new edition of this game. The mythology game might be my best one yet.
What’s Next?
The next edition I am working on will be a Poetry edition. I plan to use it with my novels in verse. Stay tuned!
Sign up for my email list to get your free slides and notifications when new editions of Game of Quotes are available.
If you have an idea for a Game of Quotes prompt or a different way to engage students during SSR, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.
Related Posts:
A Novel Study for The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
How to Write Effective Sub Plans (I always bring my Game of Quotes cards when I sub someone’s class)
