| While most of tend to think of bingo as a pastime | | | | matching English word, or you could simply play the |
| enjoyed purely for leisurely purposes, it is also true that | | | | entire game in the foreign language. |
| many K-12 teachers have adapted bingo for use in | | | | * Math bingo - The bingo cards are printed with |
| their classrooms. Bingo is today being used to help | | | | numbers, and the teacher gives a math problem such |
| teach a diverse range of school subjects including | | | | as simple addition, subtraction, multiplication or division |
| reading, English, foreign languages and math. | | | | problem. Students must find the square containing the |
| Education versions of bingo are generally played | | | | answer to the problem. |
| according to roughly the same rules as the standard | | | | * Fraction and Decimals bingo - The bingo cards are |
| game - with the teacher acting as bingo caller, and the | | | | printed with fractions and/or decimal numbers. The |
| students as the players - but they often played with | | | | teacher reads out a number and the students must |
| specially modified bingo cards containing items chosen | | | | find the matching square. This doesn't have to be easy |
| by the teacher rather than the usual numbers. | | | | - the student could be required to convert the number |
| Additionally, in some cases, the teacher may tweak | | | | between representations such as find the square |
| the rules somewhat. | | | | containing "0.75" if the teacher says "six eighths", etc. |
| Here are a few ideas for using bingo in lessons: | | | | Obviously teachers can vary the level of difficulty so it |
| * Sight word bingo - The bingo cards are printed with | | | | is appropriate for their class. |
| words chosen by the teacher (often words from the | | | | * Rounding bingo - The bingo cards are printed with |
| Dolch sight word list). The teacher reads out a word, | | | | numbers, and the students must find the matching |
| and students must find the matching square on their | | | | square when the teacher says something like "two |
| cards. | | | | point six rounded to the nearest whole number", or |
| * Phonemic awareness bingo - The bingo cards are | | | | "twelve rounded to the nearest multiple of ten". |
| printed with letters. The teacher calls out a word, and | | | | * History bingo - The bingo cards can be printed with |
| students must find the letter which begins that word. | | | | names of historical figures (for example, "Theodore |
| * Vocabulary bingo - The teacher gives a definition for | | | | Roosevelt"), events (for example, the "Battle of |
| a word, and students must find the square on their | | | | Gettysburg"), or dates (for example, "December 7th |
| card with the matching word | | | | 1941"), and students must find the matching square |
| * Parts of speech bingo - The teacher gives a clue for | | | | when given a clue by the teacher. |
| a part of speech ("a verb beginning with T", etc.) and | | | | * Geography bingo - Basically the same idea as history |
| students must find the square with a matching word. | | | | bingo, but using city, state, country or other place |
| * Foreign language bingo - The bingo cards are printed | | | | names. The teacher can give clues such as "it's a |
| with words in the language being taught (French, | | | | state on the West coast of the United States and it's |
| German, Spanish, etc.), the teacher reads out a word in | | | | capital is Sacramento". |
| English, and students must find the matching word. You | | | | * Science bingo - Just like history and geography, bingo |
| can also reverse this, so the teacher speaks in a | | | | can also be used to help students learn key facts |
| foreign language, and the students must find the | | | | about biological, chemistry or physics. |