Note Sheet – Math Game Mania- afternoon
Prince George March 9th 2012
Presenter: Ann-Marie Hunter,
e-mail: ramhunter@telus.net
Motivate students through Math Games
Why use Games:








motivates students to use Math in different situations
encourages students to try new activities
offers repetitive practice of skills in an interesting format
allows early-finishers to get practice on related topics without feeling like
they’re doing more work
associates Math with fun
fosters Math talk and discovery
allows students to use their creativity and strategy to explore Math
journalling their discoveries with games fosters thoughtful growth/awareness
How to use Games and Math Journals:
 *Group students with Appointment Clocks or %, decimal, fraction groups, etc.
 plan special Math game sessions at a regular time each week
 arrange for game pairs/groups to change regularly
 ensure that some of the games played each week support the Math unit being taught
 set up a Games section of the classroom for select times/students
 give the students a special book for a Math journal with a section for Games
discoveries to be recorded
 Have students write about what they found out, discovered, or saw.
 encourage diagram use in journals
 when first starting Math journals, encourage students to write about their feelings
related to the game they played; be sure to point out how this type of journal entry is
different from one in which a student writes about a discovery
 consider not requiring journal entries for every game played; give students choice for
when they use the journal, but expect a certain number per term
 with permission, display journal entries that demonstrate discoveries/understanding well
 journalling is best done immediately after a games session; if some students have not
chosen to journal on a particular day, assign a different activity at that time
 limit the journalling time to 5 – 7 mins.
 On occasion, allow group journalling, where a game group writes about the game
experience together – writing the journal entry in one person’s journal, signed by all
 attempt to read journals on the same day that students write their entries
 if you wish, you could use prompts to help students with journal entries
 Focus a cooperative learning group: Have students explain in writing how they worked
together to solve a problem or discover an answer in a game.
 Have students choose a past journal entry and revise it, using new knowledge.
 Have students write about how the information is connected to the real world.
Some Games to use: - whole group explanations
 Fraction Kit games – make and take
________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
 Flip Games for multiplication review – student made (can use for any topic)
________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
 Pico, Fermi Bagels – logic
________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
 Four in a Row – multiplication/strategy
________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
 Triple M – mean, median, mode – statistics understanding
________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
 Target Addition/Subtraction + - and strategy
________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
 Forehead Card Game – multiplication/quick thinking practice
________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
Station Games:
(see files on the Wiki)
 Palindromes – repeated calculations
 Sudoku – encourage talk about choices - in groups
 Calendar Expressions – pairs devise entries for dates on the calendar, and partners cut
them out and glue them to their own calendar
 Balloon Ride – logic
 Toothpick games - recognizing shapes
 Digit Decide – place value
 Find the Digits – reverse addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
 How INTEGERS work – addition/subtraction/multiplication/division of integers
 Tangram Constructions
Math Games Journal Prompts Suggestions:









What do you like about this game? What don't you like about this game?
If I was asked to tell a friend how to win this game, I would say …
I wish I knew more about......
Was this game hard or easy? Why?
What would you like to do better next time you play this game?
Is this game fair?
Were you frustrated by this game? Why or why not?
What is the most important skill to have to play this game successfully?
What decisions had to be made when playing this game?
Games and Tricks Resources:
 You will find many games in your textbooks. Take the time to learn them and prepare
to give students time for playing during class time or when they are finished other
assignments. If you don’t have time to learn a game, assign the learning and teaching
of the game to one of your students!
 Secrets of Mental Math - Arthur Benjamin and Michael Shermer
 Mathemagic - Raymond Blum contains many that are like magic tricks.
 Family Math is an excellent resource for games that develop skills.
 Many, many websites - too numerous to list