|
Game Rules:
Before You Get Started:
Place letter tiles - one per player - face
down. Any color will do. Each player picks a tile.
The player with the letter closest to A
becomes the Dealer. The Dealer plays, too.
The dealer shuffles each color set of 36
tiles and loads the two columns of tiles letter-side up into the Letter
Getter.
How To Play:
The dealer operates the Letter Getter by
sliding it back and forth. A pair of letters - one of each color -
is released. The letter tile on the left represents the START of a
single word. The letter tile on the right represents the END of
the same word.
Individual players or teams try to think
of a word that has at least five letters using the beginning and ending
letters from the Letter Getter. For example, if the letters M and
C are released, "Majestic" or "Magic" would be great answers. If C
and T are released, you could say "Count" or "Current".
The first player or team to shout out a
correct answer colle4cts both the tiles. (Shouting is not really
necessary. You can speak your answer in a civilized tone if you
prefer.)
But What If...What if two players shout
out valid words at the same time? What if no one can come up with
any word at all? What if there's a dispute and things are getting
nasty? In any of these situations, the dealer throws both tiles
into a Bonus Pile. The letters in the Bonus Pile are awarded to
the next player who is first to call out a valid answer to the next
challeng.
The winner is the person or team with the
most letter tiles after all 36 pairs have been used.
That's basic Smart Mouth, but here are
infinite ways to get creative with the format of the game. You can
come up with your own rules to make the game harder, easier, or just
more interesting (but stick to words in the English language dictionary
please, unless you decide on a variation like Bogus Bluff or another
laguage). For example, your gaming group could agree upon simple
limitations like these, or try some of the game variations that follow:
No plurals - which requires a little more
brainpower if the ending letter is S.
No proper nouns - "Kazoo" OK, "Kalamazoo"
uh-uh.
Limit words to a part of speech - nouns or
adjectives only (don't try adverbs - they're heavy on Y endings).
Limit play to another language - Remember
that high school Latin?
Game Variations:
Playing with Younger Kids (easier):
Lower the minimum letter requirement of the basic rules down to 4 (8 to
10 years) or even 3 (8 years and under). Team younger and older
kids, and hope that somebody knows how to spell.
Word War (a little more difficult):
Grab some paper and pencils. Two tiles are released from the
Letter Getter. Each player writes a list of as many words as they
can think of using the two tiles as beginning and ending letters.
For example, if the Letter Getter dispenses B and A, a list might
include "Banana," "Bandana," "Bonanza," and "Balsa." The player
with the longest list wins. This version works great for teams.
Trump Time (advanced): It's
not just speed that counts here. In this version, the first player to
call out a word does not automatically win BOTH of the tiles. The
player to initially call out a word does win ONE tile, but then the
heat's on the other players to trump the first winner with a longer
word. If the Letter Getter dispenses C and E, the first answer
might be "Cable." This player is then awarded one tile. In
order to win that coveted second tile, players must think of a word
longer than 5 letters - like "Coffee." But wait, it's not over
yet...Can someone think of an even longer word? "Convertible!" Beat
that! We're waiting... The Dealer states in advance how much time
players will have to call out a longer word. The Dealer awards the
second tile to the trump winner. Remember, players are rewarded
for both the first word and the longest word.
The Name Game (advanced):
Quick - think of a famous person with the same initials as the tiles.
C and R: Christopher Reeve; L and C: Lynda Carter (you must be a Smart
Mouth Superhero). How about H and A: Hank Aaron ( you hit a home
run with that one ). Let's try M and H: Merle Haggard, Monty
Hall, Marilu Henner or Martin Heidegger (deep!). Nobody's ever
heard of your answer? We suggest that at least one other player or
a reference must validate famous names. The Dealer referees
disputes.
Let's look at the letters H and P for the
Name Game. Would wisard-in-training Harry Potter be valid? Not if
you've agreed to eliminate fictitious folks. Would those famous
Americans, chess player Harry Nelson Pillsbury (1872 - 1906) or sculptor
Hiram Powers (1805 - 1873), be acceptable choices? They're both
real people, but have any of your fellow players ever heard of them?
Decide in advance if you can consult a reference book or the Internet.
If none of your fellow players can verify that your answer is an
honest-to-goodness living or dead famous person, prove your case with a
reference or let the Dealer act as referee. Just decide in
advance!
Geography (advanced): So you
think you're a world traveler, huh? Try to recall all those spots
on the globe. Players call out the name of a place using the
letter pair, which can represent either the first and last letters of
the place, OR initials. For example, L and A could be answered
with "Louisiana" OR "Los Angeles." Remember, decide in advance if
fictional places like "Shangri La," "Hogwarts," or "Tara" can be valid
answers.
Bogus Bluff (expert): Is that
a real word or not? You'll need a dictionary for this game.
The object is to A) win away tiles by exposing an answer as phony; or to
dupe your fellow-players into B) accepting a made-up word as real; or C)
challenging a real word as invented. For instance, the Letter
Getter dispenses W and L. Player ONE calls out "Wurzel."
Player Two says "Bogus." Dictionary is checked, and "Wurzel" is
revealed to be a real word ( a root vegetable). Player One gets
the two tiles PLUS one of Player Two's tiles. Now let's say Player
One calls out "Warfel" and Player Two says "Bogus." Dictionary is
checked, "Warfel" is revealed to be a fraud, and Player Two gets the two
tiles PLUS one of Player One's. If "Warfel" goes unchallenged
(because other players will fear losing a tile), Player One takes the W
and L tiles. Best Strategy is to mix obscure and bogus words in
with more recognizable words.
Smart Mouth as a Classroom Enrichment
Tool
Using the Smart Mouth game as a fun,
alernative teaching tool to build students' language skills and word
recognition.
Try these:
Spelling: Use the basic rules
we have provided, but when students call out words, have them all spell
their answers aloud or write them down on a piece of paper. The
student with the most correct words wins!
Quick Words: Be warned, this
can get noisy, but it involves the full class in quick thinking and
teamwork. The class is divided into teams (max. 10 to a team) and
arranged into rows. The blackboard is divided into the same number
of sections. The first student in each row will write answers on
the blackboard. Before the teacher calls out the first letter
pair, he or she will decide a time limit for each round (60-90 seconds
is recommended). Teacher calls out the first letter pair.
Students write as many words as they can thin of using the beginning and
ending letters (refer to original game play) in the alloacated time.
Teammates can call out answers, but of course they're sharing their
answers with the other team, too (no matter-the object is to practice
quick thinking, spelling and vocabulary).
Next, the second member of each team gets
the chalk and goes to the board while the teacher calls out a new letter
pair from the Letter Getter. This continues until all students
have a turn. The team with the most correct words is the winner.
For younger students, we suggest using just one letter tile that can be
used as either the start or end of a word, or allow children to write
words that contain at least one or both letters in the word.
|
