We continue our adventure into less common board games to use with our students. Unfamiliar games are fun and motivating for them (and you)! Our second game is called Duplik. The photos from our Instagram post are of the first publishing of this game, which was called Identik, but the rules are the same.
Duplik is like a talking version of Pictionary. It is designed for three or more players, but it can easily be adjusted to play with two people and instead of scoring against each other, you try to earn more points together. One player will be the Art Director who picks a card with a drawing (i.e., “a piece of art”) and must tell the other player(s), called Artists, how to draw this piece of art. The Artists cannot see the drawing. After the Art Director completes their description, the Art Director has to read ten different criteria that the Artist’s drawing needs to meet – these criteria are secret until the drawing is complete. If the Artist’s drawing meets the criteria, a point is earned.
We use this game to address all kinds of language skills such as following directions, applying auditory comprehension strategies, understanding complex sentences (from the criteria), using specific words, considering others’ perspectives, and language organization.
Let’s say we are addressing compensatory auditory comprehension strategies. We would start with a review of our student’s strategies. The student may write down a list of their strategies, which they can use as a reference for the rest of the session. Next, they would get some guided practice using these strategies, maybe with a worksheet or a barrier game. Finally, we would play Duplik. After their listening round as the Artist, we would have them identify what strategies they used, evaluate how they worked, and then plan for what to use in the next round.
Duplik is a wonderfully flexible game that can be used with a student, a group, or your family. Let us know what you think!