AU2013100879A4 - A board game apparatus for use in composing stories and poems - Google Patents

Abstract

A game including letter cards; topic cards; punctuation cards; rule cards; score cards; the game constructed in 5 such a way that players receive a score on one of the score cards depending upon the player's ability to use the letter cards and the punctuation cards to compose words, sentences and a grammatically correct composition pertaining to a topic as defined by the topic cards and 10 in accordance with game rules as prescribed by the rule cards. Topic Movies Jack... Jill...

Description

1 A BOARD GAME APPARATUS FOR USE IN COMPOSING STORIES AND POEMS This application claims priority from Australian Patent 5 Application: No. 2013901014 entitled ''A BOARD GAME APPARATUS FOR USE IN COMPOSING STORIES AND POEMS'' which is hereby incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein. 10 Background of Invention Technical Field The present invention pertains to the field of board games. 15 Background Art Board games have been constructed that relate to word formation games. 20 Summary of Invention General problems with background art: Central to the inventor's discovery is the realization that prior art board games and word games in general, 25 teach word construction (spelling) skills but that they fail to go beyond mere spelling instruction to deal with grammar, sentence construction and broad composition skills. 30 Specific problems with background art including: absence of training in sentence construction; failure to teach grammar; 2 failure to teach skills in integrating sentences into discussion about a topic\subject --- composition. 5 Technical Problem To ameliorate some of the effects of the general problems and the specific problems as recited above and in particular to provide, at least in part, a game whose aim 10 is to improve a user's comprehension and composition skills in a given language. Technical Solution Providing a board game whose rules require a player to 15 sequentially construct words, sentences and then to put the sentences together in a meaningful way to discuss a topic. Advantageous Effects 20 Advantageous effects include: improvement in literacy; 25 improvement in spelling; improvement in sentence construction skills; improvement in communication and composition skills 30 (putting sentences together in a meaningful well thought out manner to discuss a topic or to compose a poem).

3 A game including: letter cards; 5 topic cards; punctuation cards; rule cards; 10 score cards; the game constructed in such a way that players receive a score on one of the score cards depending upon the 15 player's ability to use the letter cards and the punctuation cards to compose words, sentences and a grammatically correct composition pertaining to a topic as defined by the topic cards and in accordance with game rules as prescribed by the rule cards. 20 Brief Description of Drawings FIG 1 discloses a board game including board game components according to one preferred mode of invention. 25 Detailed Description Best Mode 30 Definitions and Terms The description in the body of the specification pertains to 'preferred' modes of invention. Accordingly, features recited in the body should not be construed to be 35 essential features of the invention unless explicitly 4 recited. Further, any reference in the body of the specification to the expression 'invention' should be construed to imply a reference to preferred embodiments only. 5 See www.wikipedia.org for a discussion of: memorization techniques; the notion of language immersion; the concept of active learning; the study of linguistics; and theories pertaining to language and vocabulary 10 acquisition. The expression 'composition' can include a story or a poem. 15 The expression 'symbol' can include phonetic indicia, alphabets and pictographic indicia including Japanese and Chinese characters. Mode for Invention 20 Figure 1 discloses a mode of invention according to one embodiment. Figure 1 shows a board game and various components of the board game. A plurality of tiles is shown at position 12. Each tile carries both a symbol and 25 a numerical value for scoring purposes. The capital letter A is shown having a numerical value for scoring purposes of '1'. However, any numerical value can be assigned to a letter. In some embodiments, numerical values can correspond to the frequency of use of a 30 particular letter (hence the demand for a letter and creative use of rarely used letters could carry a high value). In the English language certain vowels, which figure more prominently in the English language than in other languages could be assigned a higher value than a 5 letter like 'z' which features less prominently than the vowel 'e' (in English) in order to reflect demand for this vowel. 5 Also shown in FIG 1 is a topic card. Topic card 14 shows the topic 'Movies' being a favourite topic, which many people could prefer to discuss. Card 16 is shown blank, this is to enable a player to choose a topic of his\her choice and could be quite beneficial for a non-native 10 speaker (with respect to the game language) to enable the speaker to discuss a topic with which the speaker is comfortable (similarly blank letter cards\tiles can also occur). 15 A plurality of tiles, 18, is shown with punctuation symbols. This is to encourage players to not only construct meaningful words but also to encourage and award points to players who construct grammatically meaningful sentences. 20 A reference card, 20, that defines rules is shown (the reference card can be consulted by all players during a game). 25 A score sheet\card 22 is shown that enables two hypothetical players Jack and Jill to record their progress. An aim of the game is for each player to construct a 30 maximum predetermined number of words; then to move to construction of a predetermined number of sentences and finally to move towards construction of a story\poem about a topic according to a randomly chosen topic card as seen in one embodiment. Accordingly, in a preferred 6 embodiment, predetermined limits are set on the number of letters that a player can have to form words; predetermined limits are also set on the number of words that can be formed before a player is obliged to start 5 forming sentences; similarly predetermined limits can be set on the number sentences that a player can construct before a player is obliged to start forming a story\poem (this ensures that the game proceeds to an orderly conclusion). In an alternative embodiment the limits 10 above can be relaxed or entirely removed, with higher scores being given for sentences, and still higher scores being given for a complete composition so as to encourage a player to move beyond simple word construction, if the player is to stand any chance of winning. 15 The game as seen in FIG 1 commences with each player selecting a topic card 14 (that defines the topic\subject about which a player can try to tell a story or compose a poem). Players are particularly encouraged not just to 20 tell stories but also to try to form poems in order to extend their linguistic skill set. A game sequence, according to one embodiment will now be considered. Each player takes a predetermined number of tiles 12 25 (letters) from a bag, at random. Each player then takes a topic card 14, at random, from the deck of topic cards. In other embodiments, each player could be given the option of choosing a topic instead of selecting a topic at random. However, by taking a topic card at random, 30 players are forced to extend their linguistic skill sets across a broad range of topics. The choice of which player starts first can be based upon whichever player selects the highest value letter first. Alternatively, player order can be based upon other factors including 7 mutual consent. However, once play commences each player must then start constructing words (unless a player chooses to 'pass' on a his\her turn or to withdraw from the game). 5 The construction of words can be based upon a predetermined number of letters and blanks (wildcards that can have any value chosen by a player, however, the player should preferably try to replace the wildcard 10 letter with the correct letter at a later stage in the game, a process that encourages a player to continue to pay attention to detail throughout the entire game). Upon selecting the letters each player then tries to form words. 15 The tiles 12 that are in each player's possession are exposed during game play so that each player can see what words other players have and to trade letters with other players during the game. One aim of trading is to 20 encourage communication in the language of the game. Further, if the game is being used to teach a foreign language, for example French to non-native speakers of French, then native and non-native speakers are encouraged to interact verbally to make language 25 acquisition both productive but also socially meaningful. One of the other objects of the game is to encourage persons from different multicultural backgrounds to interact, share and understand each other's cultures through language acquisition. 30 As recited above, once a predetermined number of words have been formed, players are then compelled to start to construct sentences, so that a game can progress to a conclusion within a finite period of time. During game 8 play, consensus among players can be used to eliminate words that are devoid of meaningful content in regular communication. Further, and more broadly, an object of game play is language acquisition and not to win the game 5 using technical artifices such as constructing words that are too short to make sense in their context or by constructing sentences that are devoid of meaning according to player consensus. Accordingly, sentences should preferably have a minimum word length so as to 10 reward creativity and to emphasize both education and player enjoyment as opposed to achievement of game victories on purely technical grounds. As recited above, letter trading amongst players is 15 encouraged, not merely to give each player the best possible advantage in a game but also to encourage players to communicate in a language that is not their native language if the game is being played in a language foreign to any player. 20 During the story\poem section, player consensus can also be used to prevent players being awarded points for absurd stories (just as absurd words are eliminated in the word and sentence stages of the game). For example if 25 the topic is about pets, then players can discuss their pet dog or cat, but a story about a pet computer is clearly outside the bounds of the intended topic, despite the fact that some players could argue intelligently, albeit outside the spirit of the game, that if you can 30 have a pet rock then why not a pet computer. Broadly the rules of the game can be summarized according to one embodiment as including rules that permit: 9 each player to possess a predetermined number of letters, chosen at random, to commence play; a maximum permissible number of words and sentences in 5 the word and sentence sections before a player needs to start composing sentences or a story\poem respectively; players to trade letters among themselves; 10 players can disassemble words to form other words; certain letters are to be considered words including 'A' and 'I' (first person singular), however, as recited above, player consensus can be used to eliminate absurd 15 word construction; sentences can have a minimum predetermined and required word length; 20 players can consult a dictionary, however, the number of times that any player can consult a dictionary is limited, not only to encourage rapid progression of a game to maximize player enjoyment but also to encourage non-native speakers of the game's language to try and 25 interpret word meaning from the context of the words being used in the game as opposed to slavish reliance upon a dictionary; players can challenge word and sentence construction of 30 expressions formed by other players, however, limits to these challenges can be specified in order to prevent an abuse of this process; to this effect persons who exceed their permissible challenge limit can be penalized (so 10 far as game scoring is concerned) if their challenges prove unfounded; punctuation tiles 18 are provided to encourage and reward 5 grammatically correct sentence construction; persons who play a game with non-native speakers of a game's language can be permitted to consult with native speakers for assistance during word, sentence and topic 10 construction; at first the explanations and assistance offered to the non-native speaker could be in the native speaker's language, however, after a period of time, the non-native speaker is encouraged to both ask and receive instruction in the language of game play in order to 15 immerse the player in the language of the game and so hopefully develop an intuitive grasp of the language. The purpose of seeking assistance is not only to encourage vocabulary acquisition through visual queues including consulting dictionaries but also to develop effective 20 listening skills in an instructional environment (with help being provided by modes including: assistance being provided by a native speaker or by an electronic interface --- software loaded on a computer readable medium either locally or at a distance). 25 Industrial Applicability In use, the game shown in FIG 1 can be used for educational purposes and also recreational purposes for 30 persons of all ages. The game has been shown in a form suitable for manufacture from plastics and cardboard. However, the game is equally amenable for play on a computer system that is under the control of software encoded on a computer readable medium.

11 In use, if the game is played in a multicultural environment then topics can be adjusted that require the user to select a topic card that could be used to discuss 5 aspects of a foreign culture, this could include a geographical location or aspects of foreign history. A player could then be obliged to use this information together with his\her imagination to discuss the topic at hand. For non-native speakers of the foreign language, in 10 one embodiment, the reference cards (rule cards) 20 could also provide detailed information about topics pertaining to foreign cultures and foreign languages. Swapping of letter tiles 12 also encourages negotiation 15 skills, particularly negotiation skills that are conducted in a foreign language. This concept is of some significance because it is an undeniable fact that foreign language acquisition opens up employment opportunities for persons of all ages. 20 As recited above, trading letters also has benefits in that player's are encouraged not only to pay attention to what letters are in front of them but to 'retain' an understanding of what letters another player has in front 25 of them (this skill is useful in improving a player's memory and attention skills). Game play also enhances pattern recognition skills for each player needs, within the confines of a topic to 30 'look into' the words arranged in front of him\her in search of meaningful word patterns and to look sufficiently deeply beyond mere word patterns towards meaningful sentences to try to perceive the formation of a meaningful story\poem from the limited number of 12 letters in front of him\her, augmented of course by the available letters in front of each surrounding player which could possibly be accessed through trading letters 12. 5 In use, not only are skills in the development of recognizing cross connections (pattern recognition) enhanced by playing the game but also player confidence levels can be enhanced. Further, players are far more 10 likely to start to make their first tentative steps in foreign language acquisition and in particular to try to ask meaningful questions and to negotiate with other persons in a non-threatening environment like a game than they are in the more aggressive and less forgiving world 15 of trade and commerce. Memorization of new words can be encouraged by a variety of techniques: speaking a word out loud and being willing to listen carefully and to be corrected by a native 20 speaker who can also participate in the game; hearing a poem that was composed during a game being recited by a native speaker (the game reference cards 20 can encourage players to pay particular attention to intonation used by native speakers who are also fellow players or whose 25 voices can be stored on a computer readable medium that is used to teach various sample passages or a selection of words); non-native speakers can be instructed by game reference cards 20 to look for similarities (associations) between words in their own native language 30 and words in a foreign language, these associations can be real or just imaginary (players could also be encouraged to use their imagination to develop word associations) --- that is associative memory queues; in the recitation of a story by a native-speaker, non-native 13 speakers can be instructed by the game's reference cards to pay particular attention to aspects of rhyme in stories and in particular poems and where possible to be sensitive to the emotional content of the composition 5 recited by a native speaker (all features that can assist in memorization). In summary, the non-native speaker can be instructed by the game instructional material\reference cards\booklets to use all attentive skills (visual and also auditory) to acquire information, 10 further even tactile queues can be provided in game formats provided for little children in which a child can be asked to recite the name in a foreign language of an object that has been discussed and presented in the form of a soft toy in one embodiment (here similarities and 15 differences in both spelling and intonation between domestic and foreign language words for particular objects should be carefully noted by the player). In use, the advantage of game play for a non-native 20 speaker, where the game is played in a foreign language (ideally with native speakers of the foreign language) is that the non-native speaker can become, at least for a limited period of time, immersed in the foreign language. 25 The game's aims, in one embodiment, of multicultural interaction in the context of foreign language acquisition, can be supplemented by a 'guided' problem solving approach. In the case of persons with limited foreign language skills, a degree of guidance can be 30 implemented prior to game play. Topics, words and explanations for words and concepts in a player's own native language can be provided to the player using game reference material 20, with as recited above, gradual progression to instruction exclusively in a foreign 14 language the subject of game play. The latter use of the reference cards is also a methodology that is also well adapted to software-based instruction. Eventually, as time progresses and language confidence improves, 5 instruction in the native speaker's own language can be replaced exclusively by guidance and instruction in the foreign language of game play. The reference cards 20 (that include game rules) 10 prescribe various rules and can also provide an array of information and guidance on a plurality of different topics. While the rules 20 at first instance could naively seem overly complex and tiresome to learn, they contain a hidden benefit and that is the need to 15 encourage the non-native speaker to work within the restrictions set by the rules, restrictions that parallel the need to operate according to the language structure of a foreign language (the grammar). 20 In summary, the player is encouraged by playing the game, at an early age, to become accustomed to operating within a rule based system and to do so with comfort in the knowledge that the game rules as set out in reference cards 20 do not necessarily impose a hindrance to 25 cognitive development but actually provide a supportive environment for development. The advantage of the 'active learning' approach to the game (guidance and problem solving) is that the process of 'active' physical selection and physical piecing together of letters to 30 form words encourages word, sentence and composition 'memory' to be permanently retained in the player's mind, something that mere 'passive' language acquisition like mere listening as opposed to listening, reading and analysing content is less likely to achieve.

15 As recited above, the game can also be supplemented by way of promotional items including soft toys for little children and instructional videos, DVDs and movies that 5 can be implemented in a plurality of different forms including digitised material. Further to the above, multi dimensional forms of the game can be envisaged in which crosswords and word chains in 10 two and even three dimensions can be contemplated as the tiles 12 take on a plurality of different forms including wooden cubes. Similarly, while the symbols inscribed on the tiles 12 are shown to take the form of letters in an exclusively phonetic language based system, the symbols 15 can also take the form of pictographic symbols in an Asian language including Chinese or Japanese inscribed on a physical medium. Similarly, in generic form, punctuation indicia, topics, rules, reference material and scoring information can all be inscribed in any 20 language on any form of physical medium. In software-based format, students can even hear the words and preferably the sentences that they construct as they are read back to them using software encoded on a 25 computer readable medium. Software based formats can also offer immediate scoring facilities and also the opportunity for immediate language correction, particularly if native speakers are not available for assistance. 30 As recited above, the game reference cards 20 can also provide specific instructions to players to 'focus' carefully upon any language assistance (particularly pronunciation) provided either by other game players or 16 by software. The reference cards 20 can also emphasize the need for players to develop 'all' attentive faculties in game play and in particular auditory (listening) skills as well as visual skills. 5 The reference cards 20 can also encourage mature persons and native speakers of the language of game play to be supportive and to provide assistance in a positive and enthusiastic manner to persons in need, including: 10 younger persons, handicapped persons, the very elderly and also non-native speakers of the language of game play. Further to the above, the reference cards 20 could be 15 written partially in the non-native speaker's own language and partially in the foreign language in which the game is being played. However, as recited above, the non-native speaker should, as quickly as possible, attempt to conduct all game play exclusively in the 20 foreign language that is the subject of the game. One further particular advantage of the present game over games that are merely simple 'word formation games' per se (devoid of sentence and topic construction) is that games that focus exclusively upon word formation do not 25 offer any assistance to a user in developing basic conversational skills that can otherwise be enhanced through mutual player participation in topic composition. In use, the game enables persons, particularly young 30 persons whose literacy has not matured and also non native speakers (with respect to the language of game play) to see word acquisition as a building block or rather as leaves on a tree that are grafted onto broad grammatically correct sentence structures that can 17 eventually become a story or poem (the letters 12 forming the bricks and the grammar being the underlying scaffold upon which sentence structure and a story can take unfold). 5 The tiles 12, upon which are inscribed letters, can, as recited above, take a plurality of different forms including simple cards (letter cards) and three dimensional objects including wooden cubes and a 10 plurality of other two and three dimensional shapes as well as images displayed on a computer screen. Further to the above, at least one medium used to record information can merge with a second medium, for example information inscribed on the scorecards can in a further embodiment 15 be represented on the same card used to represent information pertaining to reference cards.

Claims (5)

1. A game comprising: 5 a plurality of physical mediums inscribed with symbols; the game played in such a way that the symbols are arranged to form a composition. 10

2. The game as recited in claim 1 where the symbols include punctation symbols.

3. The game as recited in any one of claims 1--2 where a topic is inscribed on one of the mediums. 15

4. The game as recited in any one of claims 1--3 where rules are inscribed on one of the mediums.

5. A computer readable medium encoded with the game as 20 recited in any one of claims 1-4.