Game Review: uKloo Riddle Edition

I usually have a ton of students working on either inferencing or listening comprehension (or both), so I am always on the lookout for great materials to use with this population. Since it is always more motivating for students when an activity looks like an actual game, I was fortunate to stumble across uKloo Riddle Edition and be provided with the opportunity to review it.

uKloo essentially consists of 75 cards, each of which contains clues about a secret item. Players have to listen carefully and use their critical thinking and inferencing skills to figure out the mystery item. This is very similar to speech therapy activities where you give three clues and have students figure out what object is being described. However, uKloo takes it a step further by only providing only a simple sentence, thereby making this activity more challenging. The game box also contains a little paper pad for you to create your own riddles, which would be an excellent extension activity once students have mastered the clue cards.

Another great aspect of this game is that there are three difficulty levels (25 cards each). That way, you can tailor this activity to different students' needs. Here are some sample riddles:

Level 1: Always white, sometimes brown, builds your bones when it goes down.
Level 2: Isn't it a curious thing, to fight cavities with a string?
Level 3: Poke your fingers through my eyes, while I cut things down to size.

Were you able to figure out the mystery items? The respective answers were milk, dental floss, and scissors. I played this game with my 4th and 5th grade language students and most of them were challenged enough with level 1 or 2.

Obviously you don't need to be a speech therapist to enjoy this game at home -- this game can also serve as a treasure hunt where players find the mystery item in their home. The next clue card is then hidden with the item. 

For more information, you can also check out this video on YouTube:


 
uKloo Riddle Edition reminds me of that chapter in J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit", where Gollum challenges Bilbo with riddles. All in all, it's an awesome game that you can use to target multiple skills.

Also make sure to check out uKloo Early Reader Edition (which is also available as an App for your iPad).

Halloween Inferencing Activity

With Halloween drawing close, I figured I should share some of the themed activities that I created for my students this year. I do have quite a few groups working on logical thinking, listening, and inferencing skills, so I love doing "riddle" type activities with them. My Easter Egg Inferences were a pretty big hit with my students, so I figured I should create a similar activity with a Halloween theme.


Halloween Inferencing - get it here!

The activity consists of 54 gravestone cards, each of which features three clues. Students then have to guess what lies buried in this spot. To check their answers, they flip over the card to reveal a picture on the back. Several of the cards feature Halloween-themed objects, alongside common every-day items. Blank cards are included so you can add your own! If you teach large groups, it might be fun (or macabre!) to have student pictures on the back and write clues about them onto the gravestone. The riddles are fairly easy and would probably be most appropriate for Pre-2nd grade, depending on students' cognitive levels. You can also adapt the activity by playing in any of the following ways:

• Simply read clues and have students guess what the item is.• Place all the picture cards on the table, then read clues and have students find a corresponding picture.
• Give students points based on how many clues they needed (e.g., one clue = 3 points, two clues = 2 points, three clues = 1 point).
• Show students the picture card first, then have them come up with possible clues that might be on the card. Give points for correct guesses!

Just something fun for October. You can find this activity (priced at $3) in my TPT store.

~Viola

Easter Egg Inferencing Activity

One more week until Spring break, which means that it is almost time for Easter! Having the break so late this year is really difficult - I've been counting down the days. And if I am this burnt out, I can only imagine how my kiddos are feeling! In order to make the wait until the break a little bit less painful for my students, I created an Easter-themed inferencing activity. A number of my students have logic-building, inferencing type goals to improve on their critical thinking skills, and this is a great way to work on these goals.

This activity consists of 54 cards: the front contains an Easter egg with three clues about a mystery item, and the back of the cards (if you choose to print them double-sided) has a picture of the answer. This activity would be fun for preschool or Kindergarten classrooms or Speech groups. The difficulty level is fairly easy, so this is best for younger audiences. You can adapt this activity in several ways:

Easter egg inferencing - get it here!

• Simply read clues and have students guess what the item is.
• Place all the picture cards on the table, then read clues and have students find a picture.
• Give students points based on how many clues they needed (e.g., one clue = 3 points, two clues = 2 points, three clues = 1 point).
• Show students the picture card first, then have them come up with possible clues that might be on the card.

I also included 9 blank cards so you can add your own clues! If this sounds like something that fits your students' needs, please come visit my TPT store!

~Viola