Board game for teaching a foreign language

Abstract

A game designed to teach foreign language to players. Students move around a game board and every time a student lands on a question space, the student must answer the question. Questions are stored on a removable disk and are removable in order to keep pace with the players' progress or level of understanding. This way one may interchange the disks for other question disks to relate the game more to a given topic. For Example if the topic is fruits, then a question disk pertaining to fruits is utilized. When players land on a picture of an apple they can do one of the following: (A) Simply say that particular picture they landed upon in the foreign language; (B) put the picture into a sentence using a foreign language; or (C) make a question out of the picture and ask it to another student using a foreign language. There are over sixty categories of questions, ranging from sports to animals, fruits, shops, clothing etc. Then there are also challenge disks and questions that require the student to come up with a translation from a first language to a second, foreign language. The first person to exactly reach the finish wins. The winner must land of the finish exactly. There is a penalty circle, with a spinner attached. Every time a player lands on the “FATE” space they have to spin the spinner and face whatever penalty the spinner lands on. The winner of the game is the first player to advance the full incremental distance from start to finish.

1 . An apparatus for playing a game comprising: 
 a planar rigid board having a front face, a rear face, and a rectangular configuration;    the front face having a playing surface subdivided into a plurality of adjacent spaces defining a track containing a start and finish point;    the track, in its progression from start to finish intersects with a plurality of locations where circular questions disks may be placed;    a set of playing markers for moving about the track;    means of generating a random number to move a playing marker;    a set of question disks that provide for the insertion of additional adjacent spaces where the adjacent spaces written on one face of the question disk create circular areas with the appearance of zones radially extending around the center;    arranging question disks to cover all locations where question disks may be placed; and    playing markers move around the game board track according to the agreed game play.    
   
   
       2 . The apparatus for playing a game as defined in  claim 1  wherein the means of generating a random number to move a playing marker is at least one die.  
   
   
       3 . The apparatus for playing a game as define in  claim 1  wherein means of generating a random number to move a playing marker is a spinner.  
   
   
       4 . (canceled)  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein; 
 the planar rigid board having on its front face a spinner attached;    the spinner having a circular spinning arrow rotating about a plurality of locations where the adjacent spaces are arranged in such a manner to create circular areas with the appearance of zones radially extending around the center that the spinner, once spun may stop and clearly indicate which space is selected; and    the track, in its progression from start to finish contains any number of spaces that, when reached by a playing marker, to spin a spinner and follow the instructions located on the space selected by the spinner as a result of the spin.    
   
   
       6 . A method for playing a game comprising the steps of: 
 providing a playing surface having a plurality of adjacent spaces;    a set of playing markers;    a means of generating a random number to move a playing marker;    each of said playing markers in turn, having moved one set of playing markers about the playing surface, following an instruction contained either on a game card or from the result of a spinner;    arranging question disks to cover all locations where question disks may be placed;    playing markers move around the game board track;    every time a playing marker lands on a question square, a question presented; and    depending on skill level a specific type of answer must be given by announcing aloud the answer in the target language by: 
 describing the meaning of a picture into the target language  
 translating the meaning of a word or picture from a native language into the target language;  
 making a question utilizing a provided sentence structure;  
 utilize a specific phrase with a picture card or any picture;  
 translating a set phrase into a target language;  
 making a suitable sentence in which to use a word determined by the space; or  
 providing examples of words contained in the word.  
   
   
   
       7 . The method of playing a game as define in  claim 6  wherein the questions squares may be defined as challenge squares which require a variety of answers based on skill level.  
   
   
       8 . The method of playing a game as defined in any one of claims  6 - 7  wherein the questions squares may be defined as expression squares which require translation from a native language into a target language or from the target language to the first native language.  
   
   
       9 . The method of playing a game as defined in  claim 6  in which the questions squares are phrase specific squares which require utilizing a provided sentence structure or specific phrase with a picture card or any picture.  
   
   
       10 . The method of playing a game as defined in  claim 6 , in which the questions squares may be defined as survival squares which require translating a set phrase into a target language.  
   
   
       11 . The method of playing a game as defined in  claim 6 , in which the questions squares require a suitable sentence in which to use a word determined by the space.  
   
   
       12 . The apparatus for playing a game as defined in  claim 3 , wherein; 
 the playing surface has a spinner attached;    said spinner having a circular spinning arrow rotating about a plurality of locations where the adjacent spaces are arranged in such a manner to create circular areas with the appearance of zones radially extending around the center that the spinner, once spun may stop and clearly indicate which space is selected.    
   
   
       13 . (canceled)  
   
   
       14 . (canceled)  
   
   
       15 . The method of playing a game of  claim 6  wherein picture cards, challenge spaces, expression spaces, phrase specific spaces, survival spaces, and talk about spaces are used to define the game board spaces.  
   
   
       16 . The method of playing a game of  claim 6  wherein the winner of the game is the first playing marker to advance the full incremental distance from start to finish, to return to the start, to reach a predetermined point on the progression of the game track or obtain a predetermined goal.  
   
   
       17 . A game play methodology for playing a game comprising the steps of: 
 distributing to each player a playing marker;    generating a random number to move a playing marker;    a set of question disks that provide for the insertion of additional adjacent spaces where the arranging question disks to cover all locations where question disks may be placed;    playing markers move around the game board track;    each of said playing markers in turn, having moved about the playing surface, following an instruction contained either on a game card, or from the result of a spinner;    arranging question disks to cover all locations where question disks may be placed;    playing markers move around the game board track;    every time a playing marker lands on a question square, a question must be answered;    depending on skill level a specific type of answer must be given;    every time a playing marker lands on a question square, a question must be answered by announcing aloud the answer in the target language;    said spinner having a circular spinning arrow rotating about a plurality of locations where the adjacent spaces are arranged in such a manner to create circular areas with the appearance of zones radially extending around the center that the spinner, once spun may stop and clearly indicate which space is selected; and    the track, in its progression from start to finish contains any number of spaces that, when reached by a playing marker, require the player to spin a spinner and follow the instructions located on the space selected by the spinner as a result of a spin.    
   
   
       18 . (canceled)  
   
   
       19 . The method of playing a game as defined in  claim 17  wherein the questions squares may be defined as any combination of; 
 challenge squares that require players to give a variety of answers based on their skill level;    expression squares require translating the meaning from a native language into the target language;    phrase specific squares that require making a question utilizing a provided sentence structure or utilize a specific phrase with a picture card or any picture;    survival squares that require translating a set phrase into a target language;    talk about squares that require a suitable sentence in which to use a word determined by the space.    
   
   
       20 . The method of game play as defined in any one of claims  17 - 19  in which; 
 the winner of the game is the first playing marker to advance the full incremental distance from start to finish, to return to the start, to reach a predetermined point on the progression of the game track, or obtain a predetermined goal; and    if a correct answer is given the playing marker may roll again and continue its progression along said playing surface to a finish.