Anomia is an enjoyable, fast-paced multi-player word game that fully engages all players throughout, but could be challenging for students with visual, speed, communication or attention weaknesses. The game is designed for three to six players and a single round lasts for an intense 30 minutes. Players may need several turns to fully understand the game. Players take turns flipping over cards that have both a symbol and a category (e.g. breakfast cereal, river). All players scan the cards for a matching symbols, and, if a match is found, try to be the first to shout out an example in the category on the card. The categories are simple where only a few will be unfamiliar to younger children, so the challenge and the fun is to be sufficiently quick to scan for a matching symbol, read the category, and shout out the answer. With an appropriately-matched group, this game can be fun, competitive, and develop a variety of skills including attention, visual scanning and flexible thinking. However, students who are weaker in these skills could easily feel discouraged, and the amount of shouting could be overwhelming for students who have weaker language skills. In addition, the game is rife for disagreement about who shouted first and if the answer fits the category. Anomia is fun and unique in that every player is fully involved and thinking at every moment, but this may be the same characteristic that makes it a poor fit for some students.

• Provides sufficient and varied types of practice problems to maximize understanding and generalization of the targeted skill/concept
• Manufacturer claims alignment with Common Core/Known Standards
• Presents educational concepts accurately
• Explains answers so students can learn from mistakes
• Better for teaching the skill to new or struggling learners
• Better for practicing or refreshing the skill
• Skills are practiced through authentic, meaningful problems (not just rote practice)

• Appropriate for a broad age range to use and enjoy
• Visually appealing to children in the target age range
• Adults would enjoy playing with a child
• For electronic games, gives positive or encouraging feedback
• Offers ongoing, progressive challenge
• Overall - Enjoyable. Given the option, students would choose this option

• Provides teaching guidance for adults to support the child and set appropriate goals
• Student should be able to use independently after first use
• Student graduates to the next level or topic only after meeting a benchmark
• Can effectively understand and monitor student's progress (email report or in product)
• Does not require excessive set-up time after first time use
• Can be fun as a single player game
• Multi-player game which fosters collaboration or cooperation
• Well-made for the cost
• For electronic games, can play without sound
• For electronic games, allows user to save work
• For electronic games, voice/sounds are appealing and pronounces words properly
• Provides options to play in languages other than English/Good for ELL
• Presents information in multiple formats (voice over, pictures and text, etc.)
• Overall - Easy to use

• Anxiety
• Multi-player activity with a clear 'winner' and 'loser'
• Age inappropriate amount of work which could overwhelm or discourage students
• A player's success depends on speed
• Turn or quiz abruptly ends when timer runs out
• Attention
• Has auditory distractions that cannot be silenced (background music, players shout answers, etc.)
• Age inappropriate amount of work which could overwhelm or discourage students
• Directions may be confusing for students using independently
• Visually distracting with too many pictures, problems or moving objects
• Auditory Processing
• Has auditory distractions that cannot be silenced (background music, players shout answers, etc.)
• A player's success depends on speed
• Turn or quiz abruptly ends when timer runs out
• Expressive Language
• Student must be able to speak clearly to be successful
• Organization
• Age inappropriate amount of work which could overwhelm or discourage students
• Directions may be confusing for students using independently
• Requires remembering and completing a sequence of visual steps
• Processing Speed
• Requires scanning in multiple places for words, objects or numbers
• A player's success depends on speed
• Turn or quiz abruptly ends when timer runs out
• Reading Basics
• Directions may be confusing for students using independently
• Self-regulation
• Multi-player activity that requires cooperation or has potential for disagreements
• Multi-player activity with a clear 'winner' and 'loser'
• A player's success depends on speed
• Turn or quiz abruptly ends when timer runs out
• Visual Discrimination
• Requires scanning in multiple places for words, objects or numbers
• Visually distracting with too many pictures, problems or moving objects
• Working Memory
• Requires scanning in multiple places for words, objects or numbers
• Directions may be confusing for students using independently
• Turn or quiz abruptly ends when timer runs out
• Requires remembering and completing a sequence of visual steps

Anomia: [uh-NO-mee-uh] - Noun - 1) A problem with word finding or recall. 2) Chaos. 3) The game where common knowledge becomes uncommonly fun! Anomia plays off the fact that our minds are positively brimming with all sorts of random information; things to eat, pop songs, websites, etc. Sure, under normal circumstances, it's easy enough to give an example of a frozen food, or a dog breed; but you will find that your brain works a little differently under pressure! The directions are simple. Draw a card from the center pile and flip it over. Does the symbol on your card match one on another player's card? If so, you must quickly face-off with the other player by giving an example of the person, place, or thing on their card before they can do the same for yours. If you blurt a correct answer out first, you win their card and drawing continues. Sounds simple, right? Wrong. Wild cards allow unlike symbols to match, increasing the number of things you must pay attention to. Cascading face-offs can occur when you hand over a lost card revealing a new top card on your play pile. All this adds up to a high-energy, hilarious play experience where everyone is involved at all times. Easy to learn, fun to play over and over again, Anomia will have any group of friends, family, even perfect strangers, shouting and laughing out loud as they try to beat each other to the punch! Players: 3-6 players, Ages 10 and up. Goal: To win the most cards by facing-off with other players. Cards: 2 decks. Each deck has 92 unique playing cards and 8 Wild Cards. Duration: One round lasts about 30 minutes. Two rounds are suggested. Vibe: It can be your turn at any time and anyone can be your opponent.