Triple Talk Vocabular Cards Review

Super Duper sent me a game of vocabulary cards called Triple Talk to use and review. The game consists of 240 laminated playing cards in a cute tin mini-lunchbox type box.

The game gives players 60 word cards (see the example, "fair" in the photograph) and 180 photo-definition cards. There are three photo-definition cards for every word card, and the photo-definition cards represent three levels of difficulty.

I really appreciate the fact that the photo-definition cards say "Level 1" or "Level 2" or "Level 3" on them instead of grade levels. My teen who is academically delayed becomes upset when I introduce a game or book that is clearly labeled a grade level that is much younger than she is.

The cards are bright, the colors and photos are attractive, they are the size of a deck of playing cards and they are laminated to be sturdy. The photos are a big help to students who need that visual cue. The metal case makes them look more like a game or toy than anything "educational".

The description calls for a fast paced game where the word cards are face down in one pile and the photo-definition cards are dealt to each player. As each word card is turned over, the players look to see if they have the photo-definition card and the first player who finds a photo-definition card wins that round. Other photo-definition cards that match the word are discarded. The player who discards all his cards first is the winner.

We haven't used that set of rules at our house. My child with autism needs a slower pace for additional processing time. And, like most homeschoolers, we modify everything we get. We use nothing exactly as it was intended to be used. Triple Talk is easy to modify for our needs. My child recently completed some achievement testing and she needs practice and experience in visualization. I've been pulling the photo-definition cards and we've been going over them to come up with one word that captures all three definitions. It's our own version of the "Learn the Definitions" variation from the rule book that comes with the game.

We are working on nouns, verbs, and adjectives at the moment, and one of the game versions is "Noun or Verb?" and another is "Nouns and Verbs in Context" (which includes adjectives, too).

My girl needs practice and experience defining terms and concepts, too, and I have struggled with how to model that. Defining a word without using the word is challenging. Now I have a game that models that for me.

Other games mentioned in the game booklet include, "Fill in the Blank!"; "Multiple Meanings Jeopardy"; "Pick a Card, Any Card"; and later, a way to use the words and definitions to learn figurative language, something we need practice with in autism.

Triple Talk is priced at $34.95 and can be used at many levels, which makes it a good value in my opinion. This is not a product that we'll use and finish quickly. We will pull this one from the shelf again and again.

Super Duper sent me a free game of Triple Talk Vocabulary Cards so that I could use and review it for you. I was not paid for this review. The opinions are my own. I am not obligated to provide a positive review. 

Homonyms for Me 1-2-3

I am always on the lookout for resources with a tactile and kinesthetic component to use in our homeschool setting. Super Duper is a company that tends to have lots of choices for the learner who needs touch and movement in order to process and learn.

Homonyms for Me 1-2-3 is a creatively designed card game that uses a "secret decoder" flashlight to provide the correct answer.  Each card features different words that have more than one meaning, with three fill-in-the-blank sentences. Three word choices are provided beneath the three fill-in-the-blank sentences.  The job of the student is to choose the word that completes all of the sentences on the card.  After the student makes a choice, the student may shine the special decoder flashlight on the word choices to see if he/she made the correct word choice.

Right off the bat, the game is attractive to a child who doesn't like "school" because of the way cool flashlight decoder.  The learner with unique needs, developmental delays, an aversion to all things school may be drawn to this particular game just because of the flashlight.  Mine is.

The 60 cards are slightly larger than playing cards and are laminated so that they are sturdy. They come in a tin box that reminds me of a smaller version of the lunch box I took to school when I was a child. The game is priced at $24.95.

Each card contains just one task, which is really attractive to our situation, because a long worksheet sends my child's anxiety soaring.  We sit down and complete one or two cards at a time, she feels successful and not overwhelmed, and she learns.  She can sit down with the game alone and flash the light on the cards to fill in the blanks with the correct answer before reading the questions, too, so that she doesn't feel "quizzed".  (We still see what I describe as post-traumatic stress from all the discreet trial where she was required to have the one-right-answer all of the time.)

If you are looking for resources that are outside the traditional worksheet box, I recommend this one.  We have had a good experience with it.  The most difficult part of the game is getting the batteries into the decoder flashlight correctly if you spill them when you are trying to remove the protective strip from the battery to make the decoder work. (After I spilled the battery, I learned that there is a "how to" video here:  http://www.superduperinc.com/products/view.aspx?pid=DEC22&view=HowToVideo)

Super Duper sent me the Homonyms for Me 1-2-3 game to review for you at no cost to me. I was not paid for this review.  I am not obligated to provide a positive review.