Teachers Guide Get Reading Ready
Innovative Learning Tools
Teacher’s Guide
by Judy Campbell Crump, BA, BEd. Specialist in Reading and Special Education
Teachers have a pivotal role in helping children to develop and maintain a positive attitude towards learning and literacy. Motivated readers read more, use more complex cognitive strategies, and thus become better readers.
“Motivation to read is the essential element for actively engaging children in the reading process. It is the fuel that lights the fire and keeps it burning. Children need to be immersed in a literacy-rich environment filled with books, poems, pictures, charts, and other resources that capture their interest and make them want to read for information and pleasure.” (Early Reading Strategy: The Report of the Expert Panel on Early Reading in Ontario)
uKloo provides teachers with a powerful motivational tool that links reading with the child’s interests and goals. A fun and active seek-and-find literacy game, uKloo provides high rates of engagement and is a strong motivational strategy that encourages independent reading. Great for kinesthetic learners, it offers physical exercise and is an alternative to sitting still with a book or computer. It is ideal for use in a literacy centre-based program, as it works well in a small group setting. It utilizes shared reading, guided reading, and independent reading strategies, and encourages discussion, collaboration, and teamwork.
uKloo Kids’ teachers help develop reading skills in that it:
Teacher prep is simple with uKloo Early Reader Treasure Hunt Edition. You prepare for the game by hiding clue cards around the classroom, which students will then follow to find the surprise at the end of the hunt. You can choose clues from three different levels of difficulty. When a child gets stuck on a word, they are empowered to look up the word themselves with the aid of a picture helper poster, a reference tool to help decode the clue card. Surprises can be anything: a tasty snack, a dollar store toy, or any other motivational tool you use in your classroom. Once students become familiar with the game, they can set it up for each other. Teachers and students can also write their own clue cards tailored to their specific classroom environment.
The uKloo Riddle Edition is for more advanced readers. Clue cards consist of riddles, which must be solved to follow the trail to the surprise. While still providing practice reading familiar words and decoding unfamiliar words, the riddles encourage students to use their logic, reasoning, and higher-level thinking skills. Students can also build their creative writing skills by writing riddles of their own for their classmates to solve.
uKloo Early Reader App expands uKloo learning into new digital environments, as it encourages children to look up word clues, search the play screen, and discover engaging surprise animations along the way. The picture helper provides extra help when they get stuck, and the app offers ten adjustable levels of achievement.
uKloo games are ideal for students with special needs. You can select from three levels of difficulty, and the duration of each treasure hunt can be changed to meet the attention and stamina needs of diverse students. Also, this active game involves movement around the classroom or home and engages students who need more physical movement to learn or who have difficulties with attention.
uKloo works well with groups of students who are at diverse levels. There can be roles for more advanced readers to make and hide clues, and for children at earlier reading levels to follow clues and discover surprises.
uKloo is also the perfect motivational alternative to add to your lending library and to promote for family use. Tailored to the home environment, it encourages parental involvement and helps parents support early reading. Parents and children actively interact and play, having fun together while strengthening reading skills, as well as relationships.
uKloo Early Reader Treasure Hunt Game has earned the Global Educator Institute (GEI) Seal of Endorsement, placing it among the best teaching products available today. GEI recognizes the very best in classroom-tested, teacher-approved learning products using a rigorous assessment process. Products bearing the GEI Seal of Endorsement have earned the distinction for improving learning and the learning environment. A GEI Seal of Endorsement is becoming one of the most recognized and prestigious awards in the educational market for establishing the benchmark of excellence in learning products.
“My students loved the treasure hunt. The instructions were clear and the game was easy to put to use. I actually enjoyed hiding the clues and seeing the enjoyment on my students face as they moved through each clue and finished the game. I appreciated that there are different levels included and felt that the more my students played the more they were able to read the clues. I also loved that they were having so much fun playing, and that they didn’t even realize how much they were learning. The product is durable and easily store-able. I foresee using it many times in the future.” — Jennifer S., OK, GEI Reviewer and Teacher
“This was a very simple product to use and the kids loved playing it multiple times. uKloo is always changing due to the different cards and ways to switch it up. They also loved to see the different ‘prizes’ each day. I loved the look on their faces when they could recognize the words and ‘read’ to each other. This is a great product and can be used in any classroom!” — Angela S., MS, GEI Reviewer and Teacher
This Guide was created by:
Judy Campbell Crump, BA, Bed. Specialist in Reading and Special Education
Judy has worked as a teacher-librarian and literacy teacher in Ontario for 30 years, during which she has helped young people develop literacy skills and discover the love of reading. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and a Bachelor of Education with additional qualifications in Reading and Special Education.