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Get ready for some amazing March Madness reading ideas! March Madness isn’t just reserved for basketball fans; it’s the perfect time to add some excitement into your upper elementary classroom with a literary twist! This season, let’s score big on reading fun and engagement with our March Madness Reading Activities for 4th grade. We’ve curated a slam-dunk list of 25 March Madness reading ideas that will turn your classroom into a literary arena, where books compete for the top spot, characters take center stage, and creativity soars.
From book brackets and character trading cards to literary trivia and slam poetry, these activities will not only spark a passion for reading but also transform your classroom into a community of book-loving champions.
Pssst. . . . Check out the ready-to-go Basketball Reading Activities, loaded with printable basketball-themed reading activities for upper elementary students!
Get ready to inspire, motivate, and celebrate the madness of March with these engaging and educational March Madness reading ideas and activities!
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1. March Madness Book Bracket: Set up a book bracket with popular books, and let students vote for their favorites to advance to the next round. The ultimate winner could be the class read-aloud.
2. Character Slam Dunk: Have students create basketball player trading cards for characters in their favorite books, including character traits, strengths, and a summary.
3. High-Interest Basketball Reading Passages: Find some non-fiction reading passages about the game of basketball that will be of great interest to your students. Read as a class, in small groups, or independently to learn more about basketball. The passage shown here is in the ready-to-print Basketball Reading Packet.
4. Sweet Sixteen Book Reviews: Encourage students to write and share short book reviews for their favorite books. Create a display of the “Sweet Sixteen” recommended reads. What a fun activity in this list of March Madness reading ideas!
5. Reading Log Madness: Challenge students to keep a reading log throughout March, tracking the number of pages or books they read. Award small prizes for achieving certain milestones.
6. Literary Basketball Trivia: Create a basketball-themed trivia game based on characters, plots, and settings from popular books. Teams compete to answer questions and score points.
7. Create a Book Jersey: Have students design basketball jerseys representing their favorite books, with the book title as the team name and character names and symbols as players.
8. March Madness Book Hunt: Hide book-related clues around the classroom or school, leading students to discover their next reading challenge or book recommendation.
9. Book Slam Poetry: Invite students to write and perform slam poems inspired by their favorite books. Host a class poetry slam where everyone can showcase their creativity.
10. Basketball-Themed Skills Review: Use basketball-themed worksheets to review important reading skills like main idea, point of view, and text structure. The printables shown below are a part of the ready-to-go Basketball Reading Packet.
11. Book Bracket Craft: Let students create their own mini basketball brackets with book covers. They can color or decorate the covers of the books they’ve read and move them through the rounds. We love this option in the list of March Madness reading ideas!
12. March Madness Reading Bingo: Design a March Madness-themed bingo card with reading-related challenges. Students mark off squares as they complete each challenge, aiming for a bingo.
13. Book vs. Movie Showdown: Compare and contrast books with their movie adaptations. Have students vote on which version they prefer and discuss the differences.
14. March Madness Book Olympics: Organize a series of reading-related challenges, such as speed reading, book trivia, and summarizing. Award gold, silver, and bronze medals for each event.
15. Basketball Bookmarks: Have students create basketball-themed bookmarks with their favorite quotes from books they’ve read. Share these bookmarks with classmates.
16. Story Slam Dunk: Encourage students to write short stories with a basketball theme. Host a “Story Slam Dunk” where they can share their stories with the class.
17. Fun Realistic Fiction Practice: Read a basketball-themed story where students will practice key skills, such as using context clues and finding the main idea. The story shown here is a part of the printable Basketball Reading Packet.
18. March Madness Genre Challenge: Explore different literary genres throughout March. Challenge students to read at least one book from each genre and share their favorites.
19. Basketball Book Trailers: Have students create book trailers for their favorite books using multimedia tools. Screen the trailers for the class and vote for the most compelling one.
20. Reading Tournament Awards Ceremony: Host an awards ceremony at the end of March to celebrate students’ reading achievements. Recognize those who reached specific goals and share highlights from the month.
21. Math and Reading Madness: Integrate math skills by having students track their reading progress using charts, graphs, and other math-related activities.
22. Geography of Books: Explore books set in different locations and create a “March Madness Map” pinpointing where each story takes place. Discuss how the setting impacts the plot.
23. Book Buffet Tournament: Set up a “book buffet” with book samples or excerpts from various genres. Students can “taste” different books and vote for their favorites.
24. March Madness Author Study: Focus on a specific author each week. Read and discuss books by that author, and have students create author profiles or presentations.
25. Reading Reflection Slam: At the end of March, have students reflect on their favorite reads. They can write a reflection, create a visual representation, or even perform a reflection slam for the class.
As we wrap up this list of March Madness reading ideas, we hope that they help to make this March truly memorable. By combining the thrill of basketball with the magic of literature, you can foster a love for reading that extends beyond the pages of a book. Who knows. . . maybe some of these activities will become an annual tradition in your amazing classroom!
Click HERE to get your Basketball Reading Packet.
Click HERE to get your Basketball Multiplication Packet.
Click HERE to get the discounted Basketball Reading and Multiplication Bundle.
Have a wonderful March Madness season in your classroom!
Hi, I’m Shelly! Thank you for being here. I love helping third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers with fun and engaging activities that require no to little prep! Let me help you by taking some of the stress and work off your plate.
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