Thank you for reading our June 2009 newsletter!

Volume Three, Sixth Issue

WriteReading.com is dedicated to Words that make the future brighter!

 

 

Book of Mormon Bingo: The Top 50 Game

Over the past several months these newsletters have focused on the top 50 words from the Book of Mormon. Next month’s newsletter will include the fifth and final set of ten words. This months’ newsletter will explain a simple game you can make to help your child review the words they are learning. It is also a fun game for all ages. It can be played as many ways as your imagination can conceive! Hopefully, these newsletters have helped you and your child enjoy a regular routine of writing and reading together. (These important activities are not just for children on a homeschool curriculum!)

 

Materials needed:

This game of Bingo uses a grid of 25 words arranged in five rows of five words each. Although this can be accomplished on paper (see website below for generating random bingo word sheets), our family enjoys playing this game using 30-count egg carton flats. Turn the flat so the extra row is along the bottom. This row can be used to store unused tokens. One grid is needed for each player. Next you will need a blank sheet of small rectangular stickers to write each word on with a black marker. White address labels will work if you turn them vertical and write each word across the label the short way, and then cut them apart. Securely stick each word near the top of each egg opening, on the far side. Small plastic bingo chips can be purchased, which is what we use, but you can also try other items such as dried beans, raisins or marshmallows. The final item needed is a Book of Mormon!

 

Directions:

There are two versions of this game: an easy one for beginners, and one that is a little more advanced. The first game uses the top 28 words in the Book of Mormon, but three are omitted. The words Nephi and Alma are excluded, along with the word “their” because it also sounds like “there” (which is the 59th most common word). In the easy version each player uses the same words, but they are arranged in random order. The second game uses the top 53 words, excluding the same words as before. In this version the words are divided in half, so that if two players are playing, they both will have different words. They are divided evenly so that both players have an equal chance of finding words based on the total number of times all their words occur in the Book of Mormon. (One person will not get all the easy words.) Words can be crossed off, or a token put in an egg carton once for each time a word is heard, or the game can begin with edible tokens in each square that can be eaten whenever a word is heard. Our family often plays this game during family scripture reading. After one page is read in the Book of Mormon (four to five minutes), the children in our family (now ages 12-25) can find about 20 words using the easy version, and about 13 words using the advanced version. The winner of the easy version is the player with the least amount of empty spaces, and the winner of the advanced version is the player with the most Bingos. An added benefit to this game is that if there is only one reader during family scripture time, the children pay closer attention and it is quiet! The winner can also be the player with the first Bingo, or play can continue until Blackout. Using the easy version, a child can also play alone until all words are found and circled within their own Book of Mormon. Happy reading!!

 

Word lists:

A good website for printing out randomized Bingo sheets is:

http://print-bingo.com/bingo-cards-custom.php

When the page opens up you may want to use these options:

  1. change Center Square to “Not Free”
  2. leave “Center Square Text” as it is (an asterisk * means any word can be in the center of the sheet)
  3. leave it on “word can appear in any column”
  4. leave it on “Vera” font style
  5. change text size to “24”
  6. leave it on “Autofit”
  7. change Card Size to “One bingo card per page”
  8. change the letters in the Column Headers from “BINGO” to reflect the bold letters shown below in the first row
  9. copy each column of words below, and insert (paste) them into each of the ”Word Lists” columns (to separate each word use “enter” on the keyboard, if needed)
  10. leave it on “Bingo Cards” for Output Type (for free users), as other options require paying for Premium Access
  11. click the “Submit” box
  12. when a new page opens, click on "Click here to get your first set of custom bingo cards" (five different sheets)
  13. if you have adobe acrobat reader (or the better Foxit Reader) a new page will open up with a printable .pdf file
  14. print the file, and/or save it to your computer (in a place where you will be able to find it again!)
  15. if you “page back” in your browser and click the “Submit” button again, you will get a different set of five randomized sheets!

 

Beginner’s version (put the words in any order):

The chart titles in bold letters below can be put on the egg carton flats in the extra row to differentiate the game boards.

 

E

A

S

Y

!

and

people

they

were

that

which

for

came

I

a

it

shall

to

behold

unto

pass

them

all

he

be

of

his

in

not

the

 

Advanced version (put the words in any order):

list #1

L

I

S

T

#1

of

with

which

had

for

was

came

but

is

my

he

should

the

will

be

upon

all

are

who

God

they

have

his

by

in

 

list #2

L

I

S

T

#2

that

how

a

unto

to

him

were

pass

Lord

it

them

yea

and

ye

I

also

did

from

this

people

behold

land

not

you

shall

 

This unique program uses the Book of Mormon to help a child:

·        grow closer to the things of God

·        develop a scripture reading habit

·        learn how to read and write

 

Helping a child learn or practice reading and writing skills can be a daunting task. But it doesn’t have to be. Head Start with the Book of Mormon: Using the Scriptures to teach Children Reading and Writing Skills, by Vicki Lynn Rasmussen (42 brief pages + 70 pages of flashcards) will give parents and grandparents the skills needed to nurture great readers using a simple scriptural plan—based on the top 50 words in the Book of Mormon. From a toddler hearing a story read to them, to a child reading silently, the three included phases will benefit all learners. Watch as your child also develops the habit of regular scripture use!

 

Thank you for purchasing this book! What better gift can you give a child than the gift of literacy? As referenced on the back cover, the author’s entire royalties will be donated to the LDS Perpetual Education Fund. This book can be ordered at the website above, or purchased at local LDS booksellers.

 

Please email any questions, comments, or success stories you have to:

info@WriteReading.com

 

Thank you, and I hope to chat with you again soon!

Hugs & wishes, Vicki (o;`~

 

 

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