an ETA's bff, part 2

My other secret weapon, imported game is called Scrabble Slam! On an educational level it blows Catchphrase out of the water, but - to be honest - it's not as much fun. That's not to say it's not fun at all though, I don't think a week goes by that I don't play this with one group or another. 

I tweak this game a lot based on the level of the group playing, but the basics always stay the same: you begin with a four-letter word and each student must change by laying 1 - 3 of their letters on top of the letters in the word to create a brand new word. Each card has two letters on it - one on the front and one on the back. This means that if a student is holding 3 cards in their hand, they have a selection of 6 different letters, but (clearly) letters on the same card can not be used at the same time. 

So the original version is basically chaos, the 4 letter word is created and the remaining cards are dealt evenly among the players who then just lay down cards to create new words as quickly as possible without any order or turns or anything. 

However, that clearly does not make for a very beneficial learning environment, so I here are my versions:

for younger students (I've never played with a group younger than 7th grade, but really, the age is just up to your discretion of the students' abilities): each player gets to hold a total of 5 cards in their hand to change the word with, but they are only allowed to change a maximum of 3 letters. Everybody draws from the same middle pile and always has 5 cards in their hand at the beginning of their turn. For those of you keep score at home, you are right, this version has no winner. I guess you could get creative and count how many cards each student total uses, but I've never had any problem motivating students to play without a winner thus far.

For older students (again, in my experience it's been 10th grade+, but it's really up to you): make you 4 letter word, then deal the cards evenly among the students. This is now their "pile." They pick up all new cards from the top of their pile and can only ever have a maximum of 3 cards in their hand. Who ever uses all the cards in their pile first wins. 

What makes this game really amazing: students are encouraged to keep their hands open for all to see, that way if they're stuck on a word I - or another student even - can give hints for a possible new word they see. For example, if the picture above is their hand the student is stuck, I might give the hint "when you first meet somebody, you ask 'what is your...?'" to get them to guess the word "name." It's even more awesome when students give each other hints. I sometimes I might also require them to define or build a sentence using their new word before it can be accepted. 

Things to watch out for: you can't really play this with a big group, I would say 6 students maximum. I mostly play this actually while tutoring, but I also play with my smaller classes. 

It really is just an awesome game for learning a foreign language! 

An ETA's bff, part 1

Today and tomorrow I'm going to share with you blog people some ETA trade secrets - games! But not just any old "you can play this anywhere, anytime" type of game. These are games I brought with me from the US that make playing them that much more exciting (well, I like to think so anyway!).

Catchphrase is pretty much the greatest game ever. If Hot Potato and Taboo had a baby it would be Catchphrase. I already loved playing this back home, even when I wasn't trying to warp enrich the minds of the youth. It's just fun! 

So how do you play? Well, first the group needs to divide into two teams, then they sit in a circle with teams sitting every other person (ABABABAB etc.). Then you hit the start button on the fun little handheld device and it gives you a word you must make your team guess and pass on to the next person to make their team guess a new word and so on. All the while there is a really annoying little beeping sound - much like a bomb ticker counting down and getting faster and faster (remind me to take the batteries out of this before I get on the plane home...). Eventually a buzzer goes off and the round ends. Whichever team is caught with game in their hands loses the round and the opposing team gets a point. 

Things that make this game super awesome: the fact that it's a little electronic device. I mean really, if you show up to class with some slips of papers with words on them or a little round electronic game that makes noises and has buttons, they're gonna go for the noises and buttons. It's a great way to review old vocabulary and practice explaining things. And the annoying beeping/countdown force you to think and form thoughts/sentences quickly. Did I mention it's also fun - which is a great decoy for tricking students into learning things! 

Things to look out for: it has a lot of cultural references, idioms, and phrases that students might never have learned, so it's important to encourage them to be creative about getting their team to guess the word. Instead of just going for the definition they can break it down into single words or do opposites, rhymes with, etc.  Also, this is most definitely a game that can only be played with older students. I play it mostly with my 12th graders (and once with my 10th graders). I don't think I would play it with any group younger than 10th grade. 

Every class I've played this with absolutely loves it - so that's a big win for Catchphrase! 

The Zeltlager Series: Prost Oberbürgermeister [and other games]

You've heard a lot about the Zeltlager at this point. But if you're any good at math, you may have noticed that the time spent singing songs, baking bread in the campfire, and one night of initiation can't really fill up an entire week. So what did we do with the other 17 hours of the day that we weren't singing, baking or sleeping? 

The answer is simple: we played games. After breakfast we played card games. After lunch we played big group games. After dinner we played drinking games certain games you would only legally be allowed to play after the age of 21 in the US.

The morning games were really a come and go as you please sort of deal. You just had to find other people who wanted to play with you. For the first couple days we basically only played Tick, so I was pretty proud to pass that on so successfully! We also played some old favorites like Phase 10, Uno and Yahtzee (called "Kniffel" in German). 

of course, if we ever got tired of playing card games, we just played with the actual cards themselves...

The afternoon games could really be described as organized activities for the whole group. One day we did a sort of marathon of games including trying to untie a human knot and balloon soccer. Another time we split into about 5 groups and had to go on a little hike stopping at different stations along the way to complete various tasks. One of these stations was to name and stamp as many different body parts as you could that started with the letters N, S, B and A. As you can imagine I was at a slight disadvantage. However, I had learned a new word literally the day before, so I was super excited to contribute Speiseröhre (it means esophagus). I wore my S stamp proudly for the rest of the day. On the last afternoon we split into 4 different groups: one for singing, one for dancing, one for fashion, and one for acting. Each group had the afternoon to create a song, dance, fashion show and play respectively. I was in the dance group. We decided to do a ribbon dance to the Circle of Life. And since I'm, well, me, I had the part of the person who danced like an idiot in the middle of everyone else. Representin' America, what can I say. 

The night games, although mostly spontaneous, were probably some of the most fun. The first night we played a simple German game that involved a level of colloquial German that I'm just not at yet. But suffice it to say, I learned a lot of vocab you definitely don't get in school. The next time we happened to start up some night games, I got the chance to teach them an American game. It was one I've actually only played once before, but I have been dying to play again ever since. In English it's called "Cheers, Governor!" (in a British accent, so really more of a "Cheeyas, Govnah!"). I translated it roughly* to "Prost, Oberbürgermeister!" (I know that Oberbürgermeister isn't the exact translation, but it's by far the most fun German political position to say). 

The game is very simple: you count around in your group up to 21. The first rule is that 7 and 14 are switched (6, 14, 8, 9... 13, 7, 15, 16, etc.). When you reach 21 instead of saying the number everyone raises their glass, says "Cheers, Governor!" and drinks. The person who was then #21 gets to make up a new rule for a number. Sometimes it's just to say something in place of a number ("Frauen - komma - sind anders - punkt" instead of 9), sometimes it's a direction change, sometimes it's a category (instead of saying 13, you have to name a cocktail), or sometimes you had to do something (at number 4 you have to run around the bench). Each time you reach 21 you add a new rule, but every time there is a mistake, you start back over at 1. Simple, elegant, and so much fun. It was such a hit, we even played this past weekend at a party. 

And that was the much longer-winded than I originally intended explanation of how we enjoyed the majority of our time at the Zeltlager

*I later learned that another meaning of the word "Governor" in British English is the barkeep, 

more likely the correct meaning in this game. Oops.

A game a day: Tick

This game is from my friend Jennifer who currently lives in Erlangen (you should check out her blog, it's like totally famous... and she's kind of my blogging role model). She introduced Tick to us back in the fall and, although we don't get the opportunity to play as often as Uncle Stuart's Game or the Dice Game, it's still one of our favorites! Jennifer explained that this is a game her Grandmother claims to have invented. Of course, with any card game, it usually exists under many different names or with slightly different versions, but after many years of intense internet searches, Jennifer said they had found nothing to disprove her grandmother's claim.

Of the games posted so far this week, this is the most complicated to explain, but I also think it's one of the easiest to catch on to once you've played a hand or two. It involves a good bit of strategy, but also a little luck.

TICK (2 - 6 players)

What you need: two regular decks of playing cards, with jokers
Objective: to have the least points
Scoring: 2 - 10 are face value (that is to say,  2 is worth 2 points, 3 is worth 3 points, etc.), Jacks = 15 points, Queens = 20 points, Kings = 25 points, Aces = 30 points, Jokers = 0 points
How to deal: this is the tricky part of about Tick, the game changes with every deal. In total you play 11 rounds, and each round your are dealt a different number of cards. For the first round each player is dealt 3 cards; for the second round, 4 cards; 5 cards for the third round; 6 cards for the fourth, and so on until the eleventh round when you are dealt 13 cards. After everyone has been dealt a card, place the top card up for the discard pile
Wild Cards: this bit is similar to the dealing, in that it changes with every deal. There are two kinds of wild cards in every deal. Jokers are always wild through all 11 rounds. The second wild card, however, depends on the round. But, also like the dealing, it's pretty simple: first round 3s are wild, second round 4s are wild, third round 5s and so on. 
*Hint: If you arrange the score sheet like in the picture (with each deal labeled 3, 4, 5, etc.) it helps to keep track of how many cards to deal and which card is wild!
Taking a turn: To begin every turn you either draw from the deck or take the top card off the discard pile. To end your turn, discard a card. You should always have the same number of cards in your hand throughout the game. 
Getting a Tick: To get a tick means all the cards in your hand and no more (that means in the 3rd round you can only tick with 5 cards, in the 10th round you can only tick with 12 cards, etc.) are used in a set/run. Sets and runs are the same as Uncle Stuarts game in that you need at least 3 of a kind for a set or a straight of at least 3 (in the same suite) for a run. This means for the first 3 rounds (up to 5 cards in your hand) a tick can only be made with all cards of the same number or all cards in one straight. When you begin to have more cards in your hand, you can tick by having any combination of sets/runs. The only requirement is that all cards are used.

*Note: You keep all cards in your hand at all time, whether or 

not they are used in a run/set. You only show your hand 

when you have a tick/the deal is over.

Ending a deal: After the first player gets a tick for each deal, he/she says "Tick" and each other player gets one more turn. 

*Note: it is possible for more than one player to tick in a deal, if 

he/she is able to use all his/her cards in a set/run during the 

last turn. 

Counting points: If you'll remember, the goal is to have the LEAST amount of points, so when counting the points in your hand, all sets/runs of at least 3 count for zero points (whether or not you ticked, if you have a set/run of at least three you remove those cards from being counted). This also means if you have ticked, you have 0 points for the round (so please don't try to count your cards). After you've taken out all the sets/runs, add up the leftover points in your hand. That's your score. 

Like I said, this is one of my favorites, so enjoy!

Tomorrow's Game: Golf 

A game a day: Uncle Stuart's Game

This game is a Hotel Baptistella staple. It's one of the many versions of rummy (perhaps you'll recognize it by a different name), and is a family game brought down to the mainland by my island friend Gemma from England. As for the etymology of the name, it is called so because the game was introduced to Gemma's family by none other than Uncle Stuart (who, I am excited to say, I will get to meet in a couple short weeks - shake the hand of the genius who has provided hours, days and weeks of entertainment for Gemma and I).


Uncle Stuart's Game (for 2 or 3 players)
What you need: a single deck of cards, no jokers (a for real 52 card deck, 2-10 Jack Queen King Ace, in case you come from a country *ahemgermanyahem* where strange and unusual decks of cards are used).
Objective: Be the first player to reach 500 (for a shorter version play to 300, or for a never-ending version - like the one Gemma and I play - play to 1,000,000) 
Scoring: Cards 2 - 9 are five points each; 10s, Jacks, Queens, and Kings are 10 points each; Aces are 15 points each.  
How to deal: 7 cards are dealt to each player. Note that the dealer should start the deal with him/herself and is also the first player to take a turn. The dealer also deals him/herself an extra card in place of drawing a card for the first turn
Taking a turn: Each turn is started by drawing a card from the deck or discard pile, or scooping and ended by discarding into the pile*. During your turn you may lay down new sets/runs or play on other's sets/runs. 

 *the discard pile should be organized as shown in 

the picture below, with each card showing and the

 earliest card discarded on the bottom and the last 

card discarded on top. 

Getting points: All cards in your hand are negative points, while the cards laid out in sets/runs in front of you are positive points. To be able to lay your cards out, they must be either in sets of at least 3 of a kind or runs (in the same suite) of at least three. No player is allowed to lay down any cards during the first round. On a players first time laying cards out he or she may only lay out one run/set (the number of cards used, as long as at least 3, does not matter) but can not lay down a 2nd run/set or play on another players set/run until the next turn. After this players may lay down as many cards, sets or runs as they have during any turn. 
Drawing from the discard pile: there are two ways to draw cards from the discard pile: either by picking the last card or scooping. Both options take the place of drawing a card from the deck to begin a turn.  A player may pick up the last card in the discard at any point during the game, the player does not have to use this card immediately. A player may only choose to scoop from any point in the discard pile if he or she already has at least one set or run laid out. If the player scoops, he/she must immediately use farthest card to which he/she scooped. For example, if scooping from the discard pile in the picture, if the player scoops to the 3 of hearts, he/she must immediately play the 3 either in a run, a set, or on another players run/set. The player may then choose to use any/as many other cards from the scoop in the same turn. 

*the player can use any number of cards from 

the scoop to make a run/set. For example, in 

the picture, if a player has one 5 in his/her 

hand, he/she may scoop all the way to the 

first 5, gaining two 5s to make a set of 3. 

Playing on another player's set/run: You may only play cards on another player's sets/runs when you have at least one set/run laid out. There is no minimum number of cards required to play on another player's hand. When you do play on another player's hand lay the card(s) out in your own pile (you get the points for any cards you play) and specify which set/run your card now belongs to. Once assigned to a set/run, a card cannot be changed. 
Ending a deal: each deal ends immediately when a player has no more cards in his/her hand. At this point, the players count all the points left in their hands and subtract that from all the points they have played on the table. Any sets/runs left in the hand when the first player goes out, must be counted as negative. (Negative scores are possible)


It is slightly more complicated than yesterday's game, but relies a lot more on strategy. Gemma and I have been playing our "never-ending game" since November (she's kicking my ass), and can still sit and play it for hours on end! 

Tomorrow's Game: Tick 

A game a day: The dice game

I'm currently on day 2 of my 8 days of down time for the month of April. I had a fabulous week with Kristen - we visited Bamberg (twice [I mean, she did study abroad there]), enjoyed a few good beers, and played the dice game pretty much everywhere we went.  I don't know how Kristen knew that Gemma and I LOVE playing games (definitely not from this post, this post or this post...), but she showed up armed and ready on Monday with a bag of dice and a, as we would come to discover, very addicting game. 

What is "the dice game"? Well, that's what I'm going to explain. I've decided for the next 4 or 5 days until I leave for Munich I'm going to share a game a day of games (mostly cards) that I have learned from my Franken friends and a couple that were my favorite from home (what can I say, I was raised with cards in my hand). We'll kick things off with the game that has been consuming my time for the past week. Unfortunately it doesn't have a real name yet, so we'll just call it "the dice game" (however, I am open to suggestions). 

THE DICE GAME (2 or more players... although you can play by yourself. I will neither confirm nor deny that I've done that at some point in the last week)

What you need: 6 regular dice (6 sided, that is)
 





Objective: to have the highest score

The total possible value of this roll
would be 550 points, the extra 4
holds no point value and must be
rolled again or the turn ends
accepting the 550 points

Scoring: dice showing 5 dots = 50 points, dice showing 1 dot = 100 points, 3 of a kind* = the number showing x 100 (e.g. three dice showing 4 dots is 400 points), a straight of 1 through 6* = 1100 points, 6 of a kind (on one roll) = Game over, you win, you probably just kick-started the apocalypse. To count your score for the turn, you must roll at least 300 points, for your first score on the board you must roll at least 400 points. 

*Note: the only score sets are 3 of a kind or a straight of 6.  4 or 5 of a kind or a straight of less than 6 hold no extra value. Also, combinations always take the highest possible point value; therefore, if a player rolls three 1's, the score would be 300 points,   while a player rolling three 5's would count it as 500 points.   

with this roll, the player
must count the 5 to
continue rolling

Taking a turn: players take turns rolling all 6 dice. For each roll you must have at least 1 scoring die* to continue your turn. Each die you count towards your score may not be rolled again until all 6 dice have been counted towards your score, at which point you start again with all 6, taking out dice as they continue to add to your score. Your turn ends in one of two ways: 1. you don't roll any points. Once you have a roll with no points in it (i.e. no 1's, 5's, 3 of a kinds or straights of 6) you automatically lose all the points you saved during that turn and your turn is over. 2. Once you reach the minimum of 300 points (or 400 for the first time scoring), you have the option with every roll to either stop and take the points or continue rolling and risk ending with no points. 

 *Note: you do not have to count every scoring die in a roll.  For example, if the player rolls a 1 and two 5's, he or she  may choose to only keep the 1 and re-roll the 5's for a  better chance of  scoring on subsequent rolls. 

Ending the game: Once the first player reaches 5000 points, the game ends and each player (besides the player to reach 5000) gets one final turn. In their final turn they must roll until they a. gain no points by rolling a turn without scoring or b. surpass the original winner's score. Once a player surpasses the original score he or she has the option of continuing and risk losing his or her entire score or stopping to count the points. Even if the original player to reach 5000 points has his or her score surpassed by another player on the final roll, he or she does not get a chance to roll again. 

I hope you enjoy this very simple game as much as we have this past week! 

Tomorrow's game: Uncle Stuart's Game