Tips and tricks to help your reader take on the HPAS Reads Bingo Card Challenge! (And the cards themselves if you need to reprint, or your child wants to switch to a different reader level.)
Turn in your Bingo Card by November 2nd for a chance to win a prize.
HPAS Reads Transitional Bingo card
Transitional Reader Resources
Confused about a square on the Bingo Card?
The whys (and some whats) are down below. Each challenge is listed as if the card were numbered from left to right starting in the upper left corner.
Sometimes the explanation will say “Connections to Curriculum”. That means you could choose a book that is about a subject you are going to study (or have already and it could be a reminder of the things you learned). It will say what grade it is related to, but at HPAS you might study something for a different grade level, if other kids in your class are in that grade.
Take the challenges at your own pace. Have fun. School work comes first. You can hand in your Bingo Card even if you don’t finish it. Hand it in by November 2nd and you will be entered in a draw for a prize.
Librarian Kelly has shared some podcast recommendations that are listed below. If you have trouble using them you can ask her, or your homeroom teacher, for help.
Happy reading!
Bingo Card
- Read a short comic, manga or graphic novel (or a chapter of a longer one) – There are so many great graphic stories out there: Humor like The Flying Beaver Bros, books about emotions like So Embarrassing: Awkward Moments and How to Get Through Them or stories about starting at a new school, like Swim Team. Graphic novels are usually faster reads, so are a great way to satisfy your imagination when life gets busy!
- When you find a word you don’t know in something look it up – When you knew fewer words coming across one you didn’t know probably happened so often you didn’t bother to look them up. You just figured them out from what was around them. As you become a stronger reader, starting to look up and really understand those words you don’t know becomes a useful tool, and strengthens your vocabulary in new ways, so we want you to try it!
- Read outside – Under a tree? In the shade? On a bench? Find a place you enjoy and give reading outside a try!
- Read an article about something that interests you – Magazines like Chickadee, National Geographic Kids, Little Player or Kayak could be good for this. Pick a topic you want to know more about, and if you aren’t sure where to find an article about it, ask a grown up (family, teachers and librarians can help).
- Draw a new cover design for a book you like – If you were drawing the cover what would you put on it? What do you think would make other kids want to read it?
- Read a short book or a chapter about Canada – Connections to Curriculum Grade 3 Communities in Canada 1780-1850 and Living and Working in Ontario, Grade 4 Political & Physical Regions of Canada, Grade 5 Interactions of Indigenous People and Europeans in What Would Become Canada, Grade 6 Communities in Canada Past and Present … and more. Books can help make history (or geography) come alive. Suggestions include Africville (picture book), Wow Canada!: Exploring this Land from Coast to Coast, When We Were Alone and The Day I Became A Canadian: A Citizenship Scrapbook.
- Write a Thank You note to someone – Has someone done something kind for you, or do you just appreciate them for lots of things? Write a short note to let them know and express your gratitude.
- Re-read an article about something that interests you – This could be an article you read in class, in a magazine, on the web or in a newspaper. Sometimes when we read something a second time we notice new things. Give it a shot!
- Make a list of goals – This could be about anything: foods you want to try, things you want to learn to do, achievements you want to get in a video game … Putting goals down on paper can help us remember them and focus on them; Both of which can help us achieve them. Good luck on your goals!
- Read about an ancient civilization – Connection to Curriculum: Grade 4 Early Societies to 1500CE. There are lots of great nonfiction books about early societies, just pick a place and go from there. For fiction about modern North American kids (or dogs) time traveling and experiencing another place and time try The Adventures in magic travel agency series, or some of the Magic Tree House and Ranger in Time books.
- Recommend a book to a friend – explain why they might like it – It’s always good to share things you like with friends.
- Read a poem – Any type of poem at all: a funny poem, a story poem, a nature poem – short or long, old or new – from Poettrees to An Owl at Sea.
- Re-read the beginning of a fiction book you liked – look for clues about the end that the author planted – This can be a fun one. Especially with a book that had a surprising ending. Re-read the beginning, now that you know the end. How is the problem the main character will face hinted at? Is the solution hinted at? Who do we meet right away, and who does the writer keep hidden until later in the book?
- Read a book/chapter about Earth Science – Connections to Curriculum: Grade 4 Rocks, Minerals and Geological Processes, Grade 3 Soils in the Environment, Grade 2 Air and Water in the Environment and Grade 7 Interactions in the Environment and Heat in the Environment, Grade 8 Water Systems. In most grades you can interpret this in a way that will help your studies, but you can also just read about whatever earth science interests you: volcanoes, climate change, the ocean, fossils, etc …
- Read about an invention – Connections to Curriculum – Grade 1 Everyday Materials, Objects and Structures, Grade 2 Simple Machines and Movement, Grade 3 Strong and Stable Structures (and possibly Forces and Motion), Grade 4 Machines and their Mechanisms (and possibly Light and Sound), Grade 5 Conservation of Energy & Resources, Grade 6 Electrical Phenomena Energy and Devices, Flight and even Space, Grade 7 Form Function and Design of Structures and Grade 8 Systems in Action and potentially even more (like Grade 4 Early Societies). This is another one you can find a way to connect to something you are studying this year, or just decide you want to know who invented bread. Curious about something? Go for it.
- Listen to a podcast – There are so many good ones. Librarian Kelly has offered some suggestions below.
- Add something to your reading space to make it better for you – Do you have a spot where you like to read? Does it need a cushion? A better light? Music? Or headphones for silence? Talk to your grown-ups, but see if you can make your reading space work better for you.
- Start a list of books you want to read – Remember that book a friend recommended to you? Unless you start reading something like that right away it can be easy to forget about it. A reading list with recommendations from friends, new choices by authors you liked and anything else that catches your eye, can make choosing your next read easy peasy.
- Read a how-to article about something you want to learn to do – WikiHow is a great website for this, but you can also find books, magazines and more: learn how to ice a cake, or code redstone in Minecraft, or anything you want to learn.
- Pick a newly created word (like a Pokémon name) and learn how the word was created – Many of your favourite novels, movies and video games have words their creators made up just for that story-world. Choose a word or short phrase and try to find out why/how the writer came up with it.
- Read something funny – Just what it says. A funny story. A joke book or comics. Pick something that makes you laugh.
- Read a recipe for something you’d like to make – You don’t have to make it, just read the recipe so you know what you need to get and what you need to do, if you do want to give it a try.
- Ask a family member to tell you a story – Sometimes the best stories haven’t been written down (at least not yet – maybe you will!).
- Read a story by someone you have something in common with – You can pick anything at all, but it might be nice to look for a story written by someone who shares something with you, that you don’t see in many of the books you read. Even if the book is about something else, understanding what points of view a writer might have in common with you, and how their perspective might be different can make you think about a book in a different way. Can you find a book or story written by someone your age? Someone who shares your culture or religion? This one might be tricky, but you can ask a librarian to help!
Podcasts
Whale of a Tale (GoKidsGo)
Zavia and Atlas are a 10-year old sister and brother with different temperaments and skills but one big common interest: fearlessly exploring the vast ocean while driving around in their home — a high tech whale-shaped submarine!
The Radio Adventures of Dr Floyd
This family friendly new twist on “old time radio” features the adventures and exploits of the World’s Most Brilliant Scientist, Dr. Floyd! Join Dr. Floyd as he tries to thwart the plans of his evil arch nemesis, Dr. Steve, all the while learning about the people and events that shaped the history of the Earth.
Websites
https://reading.ecb.org
Into the Book is a multimedia package designed to improve elementary students’ reading comprehension, as well as their ability to think and learn across the curriculum. Based on current research, the project focuses on eight learning strategies: using prior knowledge, making connections, questioning, visualizing, inferring, summarizing, evaluating and synthesizing.
https://site.pebblego.com/modules (ask your childs teacher for login details)
PebbleGo is a curricular content hub specifically designed for K-2 students. Packed with informational articles, ready-made activities, and literacy supports for students of all abilities, it boosts engagement and fosters independent learning in core subject areas.
