Teaching Core Vocabulary and Generative Language While Playing a Game by Gail M. Van Tatenhove, PA, MS, CCC- SLP www.vantatenhove.com Playing board games or card games is a good activity for teaching core vocabulary and helping children learn to produce generative language. It is also a great strategy for working on communicative turn taking and a variety of pragmatic and conversational discourse skills. However, these game playing activities need to be organized in order to promote use of core vocabulary and generative language. This document is a resource to help you engineer a game playing activity as an effective intervention strategy. This document is a SAMPLE of materials taken from the Minspeak Activity Scripts by Gail M. Van Tatenhove (www.vantatenhove.com). It has been modified slightly from the original materials. The document provides an activity guide for playing a game, guidelines for providing modeling, and a suggested routine for engaging in game playing activities in such a way as to encourage generative language production using an AAC system. Finally, it includes a vocabulary chart that can be used as a visual support material or act as a stand- alone manual communication board. This document cannot be duplicated for commercial distribution without the permission of the author. It can be duplicated for educational purposes and needs.
Activity Guide: Playing a Game Goals: To use core vocabulary to mediate game playing. To target specific core vocabulary words useful to the game (e.g., Chutes and Ladders = prepositions). To play games with communication partners who may not be trained in use of the AAC device by using the vocabulary chart provided as either a visual support material for use of the AAC device/app or as a stand- alone communication board. Settings: Game time at home with a family member, friends, or babysitter. Small group setting in therapy or the classroom. Engineering: Select games that involve turn taking and conversational give and take to practice mediation of game playing. If the game uses cards, make a card holder out of an used (but clean) egg carton. Use the half of the carton that holds the egg. Turn the egg carton over and, using a knife, make small slits in the bottom of each egg indentation. Cards should fit into the slits. If the game uses a spinner, consider use of an adapted spinner if the player(s) have any type of physical challenge. If the game uses dice, consider use of a clear container with a lid into which you can place the dice. This keeps the dice from getting away from the player(s). You shake the container and read the dice from within the container. Add handle to the container, if needed. Create any additional visual support materials you need to target specific words appropriate to the game. For example, make small stickers with prepositions and attach them to your Chutes and Ladders game. Variations on this Activity: Customized Vocabulary in the AAC System: Have the augmented communicator create a To Do list of games he/she wants to play in therapy. Pretend you are playing a TV game show and have the augmented communicator be either the host and/or player. Watch a game show on TV and comment on what is going on. Make games that target specific vocabulary that you want to practice (e.g., BINGO card to teach pronouns, Tic Tac Toe cards to practice verbs, Lotto game to practice adverbs, etc.) Select apps that can be adapted to focus on use of core vocabulary. Add names of the augmented communicator s favorite toys, games, or apps to his/her communication device. Add any vocabulary unique to the game being played (e.g., yahtzee for playing Yahtzee, gin for playing Gin Rummy). VanTatenhove, 2014 2
Provide Modeling While Playing a Game Words in bold/italics on the Playing Routine (see next page) can all be modeled with use of ONLY the vocabulary chart. You can model them on the chart, or use the chart to copy the code and say the word(s) on the person s AAC device or app. Words with morphological variations (e.g., verbs, nouns, adjectives) are marked with bold/italics even if that specific form of the word is NOT shown on the vocabulary chart. For example, the word did is marked because the word do is on the chart, and to play and playing are marked because play is on the chart. Provide the amount of modeling which you judge as appropriate for the augmented communicator. For example, augmented communicators who are only talking with 1 word may only be able to handle models of 1 or 2 words, while augmented communicators who are talking with 2 or more words may be able to handle models of simple, complete sentences of 3 or more words. Modeled words are a form of visual language input. Generally, communication partner provide modeling for 1 of 2 reasons: 1. Words are modeled to stimulate use of core vocabulary and encourage communication exchange. In this case, modeled words do not need to be repeated back by the augmented communicator (AC). Language is being modeled in a way that matches the process of normal language acquisition. The augmented communicator sees and hears language produced via an AAC system and eventually says that language him/herself on the AAC system. 2. Words are modeled to give an example of what the augmented communicator could say. In this case, the communication partner might verbally say you could say.i want to play that game while modeling I want to lay that game. The hope is that the augmented communicator repeats part or all of the language modeled. The routine on the next page shows examples of what you can say and model (see column 2) for modeling of reason #1 (see point immediately above). The language shown in column 3 that the augmented communicator (AC) could say can ALL be said with only the words provided on the vocabulary chart. VanTatenhove, 2014 3
Possible Communication Routine when Playing A Game The following routine (or script) is only a suggestion for how you could organize a game playing activity. Do Not attempt to force an augmented communicator to stick to the script. This routine/script is only a guide to help the communication partner structure an activity that encourages use of core vocabulary to communicate for a range of communication functions. It is designed to make game playing a core vocabulary and language learning activity. What You Do and Why: Get out games available to play and set them out for all to see. Wait to see if the AC will comment on the games to or request a specific game. If not, ask a more direct question. Set up the game that the AC selected. Use a variety of strategies (feigned ignorance or incompetence) to provide opportunities for the AC to direct others in the set- up of the game. If necessary, ask more direct questions during the game set- up. Start the game. Decide who will go first? Have the person state who will start. What You Say and Model: Let s look at what game we could play with today. They are all fun games. We can play what you want. Maybe this or that. What do you want to play? This goes here (in wrong place) and this goes there (another wrong place). Okay? Where do you want to put this? What things do we need? Who should go first? Are you ready to go? What the AC Could Say: That game. I want play that. That is fun. I like (name of game). Get that (or name of game). Can we play this? Not there. That is okay. That is not okay. Let me. Put it there and that here. We need that thing. Let me get it out. I go first. You go first. I am ready to play. VanTatenhove, 2014 4
Continue playing the game. Encourage a variety of vocabulary and language related to turn taking during the game. Be careful of the overuse of yes/no questions. Encourage comments about the turns. Continue playing the game. Avoid giving the AC too much help or direction while playing the game to encourage request for assistance or request for information. Also, sabotage different aspects of the game, like losing items from the game. Who(se) turn is it? You go now. You can go again. You go now. Let me know if you need help with anything. I need the (dice, spinner, card). Where is the (dice, spinner, card)? mine you I go again. My turn. Help me. I can do it. Help me get it. It is there. It is here. You put it there. I don t know where it is. Continue playing the game. Tray a bit of cheating to see what the person will say or do to stop you. Continue playing the game. Encourage comments about the progress of the game and various plays made. I will go again. I will take this thing. That was a good play. That was a bad play. Okay. I can get you later. I can win this game. I am going to lose this game. Do not let me win! Why did you do that? You can not do that. That is mine! What are you doing? Good play. Bad play. Very good. Why do that? I win. You lose. I will get you. This game is fun. VanTatenhove, 2014 5
Finish up the game and decide if you want to play another round of the game or a different game that is available and visible. (request recurrence or change) End the game playing activity. Encourage words that mark cessation or ask questions about playing again. We have time to play again. I want to play more, do you? Maybe we can play this now. No more playing for you and me. It is time to put every these things away. We can play more later? Play it again. No more playing this game. No more. How much more? Play that now. I want to play (card, name of game). Why? When play again? Put things away. No more playing. Play more later. It was very fun. VanTatenhove, 2014 6
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