When we think of dice in the classroom, we often think of math activities, but did you know that there are so many great dice that you can use during your ELA (English Language Arts) lessons? My kids love when I introduce a new kind of dice or if I pull out one of their favorites! One of the best things about having a good collection of dice is that you can easily switch out the dice to make an activity feel new. These must have dice for ELA learning can be used in centers, whole group, or small group. Don't forget to grab our free printable dice activity worksheets as well!
Have you ever tried utilizing dice during your small group instruction? It's a great way to engage students! These Question Dice work great for answering comprehension questions about the elements of the story after reading a book together. You could even give partners a question die and have them take turns rolling it to answer questions about the story they just read.
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Kids love emojis, so why not add them into your writing centers? Instead of letting writer's block hit, place these Emoji Dice at your writing center and students can roll one to write a story about the emotion that is shown on the emoji. You can download the Emoji Writing printable HERE!
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There are so many ways that you could use these Alphabet Dice! You could use them for word building, letter identification, letter sounds (for example, have students match the sound of the letter to an object or picture), or for letter formation practice. Students will love getting to roll an alphabet die and then using the Wax Craft Sticks to form the letter! This makes a great center activity, especially at the beginning of the year.
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Teaching vocabulary is an important part of reading instruction. Students need lots of practice and meaningful interactions with a word before the word becomes a part of their schema. Using these Vocabulary Dice in your lessons is a fun way for students to interact with a word. After learning a word in context, roll the vocabulary die, then have the students use their white boards to write or draw the answer. This is great for small group instruction!
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Dice are also a great addition to centers! These Word Family Dice are a great way for students to practice building and reading words. Have students roll the letters (green dice) or blends (yellow dice) dice first to form the beginning of the word, and then roll the blue or red dice next to form the end of the word. This is great practice for reading and understanding words, because students will need to decide if the word they rolled is a real word or a nonsense word. You can have students record their results on the Free Printable Roll a Word Recording Sheet.
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I'm always on the lookout for great resources to add to the writing center! These Story Prompt Dice are made by putting the Get to Know Your Class Pocket Dice Cards into each sleeve of a Pocket Dice. With over 100 cards, you'll have lots of options to switch out the prompts throughout the year to keep the center fresh! Students will just roll the die and then use the prompt to write in their writing journals. For more writing center ideas, be sure to check out my post on 5 Activities for Your Writing Center!
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