What I really like about this game is that it actually provides the definitions for you.  This is particularly helpful if the students you are working with have problems with defining words.  If the students you are working with are readers, you can have them take turns reading the cards to each other.  In this way, they not only get to work on their reading fluency, but also are learning how good definitions are crafted.

The only challenge to this game is that if you are working with students who have extremely impoverished vocabularies, sometimes the definitions themselves may contain words that they won’t know.  However, because the game is so much fun to play, this problem does not usually cause anyone to want to quit playing!

For fluency students, it is usually easiest to model what you want them to do first by reading one of the definitions to them then letting them copy you.  Once you students understand what you want them to do, this game can provide hours of speech practice.  In fact, this game has proved to be so successful for getting my students to practice their tools, I often recommend that their parents buy a copy to help with home speech practice.    

As an alternative to the players or teams rotating turns to read the cards, either the SLP or a “neutral” student in a leadership role can read the definitions.   

The pressure to blurt out an answer can be removed by having one student answer at a time or having students or teams write the word down and then reveal them together. 

Random guessing can be reduced by playing “Hold that Thought” which eliminates the player or team from taking turns after an incorrect guess. 

Blurt! actually has two levels of play since every card has both a junior version (the blue side of the card) question and an advanced version (the red side of the card).  This feature makes this game ideal for using in group therapy when you have students of different ages or levels of ability.