Gamification or the Ludic Expectations of Literacy

This article attempts to show how play, namely gamification, can fit the determined goal of achieving outstanding literacy instruction for Primary Education children. We first provide a brief overview of the recent history on the research of literacy and play. We also make reference to strong standards and gamification in Primary Education childhood classes. To do so, and after reviewing current research into the issue of gamification and literacy in education, we describe a practical experience in a state Primary Education school in Valencia (Spain) connecting gamification and literacy skills. By doing this we will try to fill a gap found after our search of the literature, which revealed that to date there are few studies that have investigated practical experiences of teachers using games. The main objective of the didactic proposal depicted here was to enhance the children’s literacy skills through gamification in the field of Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL). Thus, the implementation of this experience has studied the way of integrating game dynamics in non-recreational environments to enhance their learning. The design of the teaching sequence shown here was contextualized by using the picture book The Gruffalo, and the students as the main protagonist to finally achieve a close relationship between learning, literacy and entertainment.