SAY IT RIGHT’S ConverStation Game
Say It Right™
P.O. Box 651
Tybee Island GA 31328
TOLL FREE 888-811-0759
Ph:912-228-4556
F: (912) 480-4214
Email: info@sayitright.org
By Carol Sacher
With the advent of the technology era and social networking – cell phones and texting, Facebook, MySpace, instant messaging -- it seems that adults and kids alike have either lost the ability or have not developed the ability, to communicate effectively – verbally as well as in the written word! We are losing our ability to hold interesting and extensive conversations with one another.
SAY IT RIGHT, a manufacturer of research-based speech and conversation development products, created the award-winning, fun multi-use game, ConverStation to teach the art of conversation to a broad range of ages and ability levels. Designed with flexibility in mind, kids, teens and adults alike will enjoy playing this stimulating conversation-development game.
Originally designed for speech language therapists and schoolteachers, ConverStation provides a fantastic opportunity to develop expressive language skills and stimulate conversation for everyone in the family.
Created for players ranging from 5 years of age to adult, the game includes 240 cards listing 800 questions that not only encourage interesting conversation, they address a wide variety of language receptive skills. By incorporating highly-effective topics into these question cards, players take turns engaging each other in conversation and learning the skill of turn-taking and personal communication.
Divided into four categories of questions – “How do you…”, “If ...”, “What...” and “Tell about …”, they are coded to easily determine which age group each card is appropriate for. Additionally, the card lists a main question followed by three additional questions that can be asked to stimulate further prompting and probing, resulting in more extensive and descriptive conversation. Each question was carefully selected to focus on a wide array of skills or goals including, memory, vocabulary, organization, sequencing, problem-solving and categorization.
Each player takes his/her turn by a roll of the dice and whichever color square is landed upon, there is a coordinating color card, listing the question the player must answer. The question is asked by another player (the reader) who is also encouraged to ask the additional questions found below the main question on the card, leading to a more extensive conversation.
To hone their conversational skills even more, the players can be given additional instructions when answering the questions on the cards:
* Player must answer more than one question on each card
* Player must use a minimum of three sentences to answer each question
* Player must make eye contact with the “reader” or another player while answering the
question.
The “reader” or other player must then respond with a related question for the player to answer.
In addition to ConverStation, SAY IT RIGHT developed the Graphic Expressions Workbook, (sold separately) to use as a complement to the game. This 150-page workbook is packed with expressive and functional writing activities. Each activity elaborates on a question from the board game.
Both families and professionals will appreciate the engaging topics and the interesting conversation stimulated by the questions on the cards. Your players are sure to enjoy learning about each other as they respond to the questions in ConverStation.
ConverStation™ received a Preferred Choice Award from Creative Child Magazine as a Toy of the Year Finalist (2005) for Family Educational Board Games. C.S. |
