Reading Games Well: A New Lens for Literacy in the Classroom
View this edWebinar to explore how games, like books, can be “read well” to foster deep literacy and critical-thinking skills in students. Drawing on the established frameworks, like that of Rudine Sims Bishop’s Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors, we examine how video games create immersive narratives that offer students unique ways to see themselves, others, and new perspectives.
This edWebinar introduces key ideas from the presenters’ new book, The Well-Read Game: On Playing Thoughtfully, demonstrating how educators can approach games as texts—analyzing themes and literary devices just as they would with traditional literature. We highlight several readings from the book to support these ideas and showcase how games can invite personal interpretations and responses.
As a practical example, we explore Walden, a game EDU, a free game experience that invites students to step into Thoreau’s world. Educators gain concrete strategies for pairing games with traditional texts, fostering discussion, and assessing student understanding through multimodal literacy approaches.
By the end of the edWebinar, you leave with actionable strategies from The Well-Read Game to integrate games into your curriculum, enriching your students’ engagement with both books and games. This recorded edWebinar is of interest to elementary through high school teachers and librarians.