Virtual Worlds and Reading Levels

As a Language Arts and Social Studies teacher, I am always interested in helping kids connect with books. One of my goals each year is to motivate kids to become lifelong readers. I always operate under the assumption that, if they are not enthusiastic readers, they simply haven’t found the right book yet. Tapping into student interests for novel studies helps, as well as choice reading during literature circles.  But there are always a few kiddos for whom reading is still a chore.  Colleagues and I have discussed the fact that most of our students have a very low exposure to print in the home setting; in addition, nearly half of all of our students are English Language Learners, which can also be challenging. All of this means that some of our students have a very complicated relationship with the task of reading.


In the quest Virtual Worlds and Reading Levels, I read an article from Wired called “How Video Games Like Minecraft Help Kids Learn to Read.” It is actually an article I have read before, back when I first started hearing about Minecraft as an education tool.  The main theme of the article is that students will read and engage with complex text when they are highly motivated to do so. They will successfully decode words and make meaningful content connections when the reading task and purpose appeals to them. Essentially, this article contends that students view Minecraft as a passion project and they are willing to go to great lengths to learn about the game and be successful while playing.  Many players even feel compelled to generate content to help others play better, or fictional content to entertain others based on shared interest in the game.

The idea that students are motivated by video games makes sense to me.  Students are engaged by materials, tasks, and strategies in which they feel a vested interest.  Over the years, I have used digital storytelling in my classroom extensively.  Students enjoy making movies because they are amplifying their own voices. Students also love to self-direct 20% Projects (also known as 20 Time or Genius Hour), wherein they choose research topics of choice and develop new skills of choice.  That really seems to be the key word – CHOICE.  So much of what I have learned about video games so far involves a highly developed element of choice.  Players choose quests, they choose avatars, they choose to develop skills, or try out certain strategies for game play. Video games offer authentic ownership over learning. Why not do a better job leveraging that for our students?