Monopoly Reading Comprehension Lesson Plan: Activities & Game Skills

Use the fun board game Monopoly to teach essential reading comprehension skills. This lesson plan includes activities like deciphering property deeds, understanding rule books, and interpreting Chance/Community Chest cards to improve literacy.

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Materials Needed:

  • Monopoly game board and pieces
  • Monopoly rule book
  • Monopoly Chance and Community Chest cards
  • Monopoly Property Deed cards
  • Paper and pencil
  • Optional: Short article about the history of Monopoly

Lesson Activities:

Introduction: Advancing to GO! (5 minutes)

Welcome, Reading Tycoon! Today, we're not just playing Monopoly; we're going to become experts at reading it! Just like you need to know the rules to win the game, strong reading skills help you understand and succeed in many things. We'll explore how reading is essential even in a fun game like Monopoly.

Activity 1: Deciphering the Deed (15 minutes)

Let's start by becoming property experts! Grab the stack of Property Deed cards. Pick five different properties.

  1. Read Aloud: Read the details on one card aloud (cost, rent, mortgage value, cost of houses/hotels).
  2. Key Info Hunt: On your paper, write down the most important piece of information for a player wanting to buy that property. Why is it important?
  3. Compare & Contrast: Choose two different property cards. Read them carefully. How are they similar? How are they different? Which one do you think is a better investment just based on the card, and why? Use details from the cards to support your answer.

Activity 2: The Rules Roundtable (20 minutes)

Now, let's tackle the rule book! Sometimes rules can seem tricky, but they are just instructions. Open the Monopoly rule book.

  1. Rule Quest: Find the section that explains what happens when you land on 'Income Tax'. Read it carefully. In your own words, write down the two choices a player has.
  2. Vocabulary Vault: Find the rule about 'Mortgages'. Read the section. What does the word 'mortgage' mean in the context of the game? Write down the definition. Can you find another important vocabulary word in the rule book (like 'bankrupt', 'auction', 'monopoly')? Define it based on the rules.
  3. 'GO' Instructions: Find the rule about passing 'GO'. Read it carefully and explain exactly what happens and how much money you collect.

Activity 3: Chance & Community Chest Comprehension (15 minutes)

These cards add surprises! Shuffle the Chance cards and draw three. Shuffle the Community Chest cards and draw three.

  1. Read and Explain: Read each card aloud. Explain what the card requires the player to do. Is it good news or bad news for the player?
  2. Cause and Effect: Pick one card. What action (cause) does the card make you take? What is the result (effect) of that action in the game?
  3. Instruction Check: Do any cards require calculations or moving your token? Read them again to make sure you understand exactly what steps to follow.

Conclusion: Reading Tycoon! (5 minutes)

Great job! See how much reading is involved in Monopoly? You read rules, property details, and action cards. Understanding what you read helped you figure out how to play, make decisions, and follow instructions. Keep practicing these reading skills, and you'll be a property *and* reading tycoon in no time! Maybe we can even play a short game using your super reading skills?

Optional Extension:

Read a short article about the history of Monopoly. Summarize the main points about how the game was created or how it has changed over time.