The post This Division Golf Game Makes it FUN to Practice Division! appeared first on Shelley Gray.

In this example, we are practicing multiplying by 2. Students roll two dice and add them together, then multiply the sum by 2. In this example, we rolled 3 and 4. So we add that together to make 7, then multiply 7×2 to make 14 and cover the 14.

Now Player 2 takes a turn, rolling the dice, adding, and then multiplying. In this example, Player 2 rolled a 2 and 6, so she adds them together to make 8, and then multiplies by 2 to make 16. Player 2 covers the 16 with a chip.

If a player rolls and multiplies and the product is already covered by one of his OWN chips, he may put a second chip on that space. This locks that space, and the other player can no longer bump off his chip.

The cards include multiple representations of multiplication facts using equal groups, arrays, and dots inside ten frames. This takes traditional Bump and turns it into a game that reinforces conceptual understanding using visual models of multiplication!

This is played the same way as traditional Bump, but instead of rolling dice, students choose a card from the stack.

The post Here’s A Fun Multiplication Math Game Your Students Will Love appeared first on Shelley Gray.

1. Create a table on the board. Write “too low” on one side and “too high” on the other side. 

2.  Choose a number (without telling anyone what it is) and write it on a piece of paper so you don’t forget!

3. Have students raise their hands to guess a number. If the number is lower than the number you wrote down, write it on the “too low” side. If it is too high, write it on the “too high” side.

The post High, Low: A No-Prep Math Game (That Doesn’t Feel Like Math) appeared first on Shelley Gray.

Subitize comes from the Latin word “subit(us)”, which means “to appear suddenly.”  In my last post, we talked about the Early Number Sense Trajectory that was created from the work of John Van de Walle, Doug Clements, and Julie Sarama. According to the trajectory, subitizing is the first mathematical stage a learner experiences. Students who can subitize are able to visually recognize a quantity of five or less. However, there are multiple levels of subitizing, and recognizing the difference between 1, 2, or 3 objects happens as early as within the first few months of infancy! 

It’s important to note that when students call out these number names, they are only matching the number name to a visual pattern. In other words, students do not know what those number names mean as a quantity yet. For instance, suppose I show the following image to a young learner:

The learner yells “3!” Yes, the young mathematician knows the number name of the visual pattern but when asked to count how many, the learner may respond “1,3,5.” This is known as perceptual subitizing: the learner can state the number name of a visual pattern but cannot explain why. At this stage of learning, that is okay! We are working with learners who are beginning with perceptual subitizing.

The next stage is conceptual subitizing. This is a learner who can explain why a number name matches a visual pattern and recognizes subgroups that can be combined together to compose a whole. So for the image above, the student may explain that it’s 3 because 2 and 1 make 3.

With that said, there are many ways to support young learners at home during this stage of learning, and what better way to talk about math than through games! Below are three simple games you can play to practice the concept of subitizing. All you need is a deck of subitizing cards (find them for free down below)!

Subitizing Game #1: How Many?

• Two players split the deck and take turns flashing the top card from their pile to their playing partner for 1-3 seconds. 
•  If the player correctly identifies the quantity on the card they keep the card as a point. Otherwise, it goes to the discard pile.  
• The player with the most points/cards wins the game.

Subitizing Game #2: Memory

• Place all the cards face down and players alternate flipping over 2 cards to find a match. 
• If a player finds a match, they collect the cards as their points. The player with the most points/cards wins the game.

Note: You will have to make two copies of the subitizing cards to ensure that each card has a match. Mounting on colored paper or copying on cardstock may also be necessary so students can’t see through the paper.

Subitizing Game #3: How Many? War

• All the cards are kept in a single pile and one card is flipped over. 
• The first player to say the quantity on the card gets to keep the card as a point.
• The player with the most points/cards wins the game.

Related: Subitizing for Multiplication: Building Number Sense and Multiplicative Reasoning

Differentiation

There are many ways to differentiate these games to meet your learner where he/she is at.  If you have a young learner in Pre-K or Kindergarten, subitizing cards within 5, like five frame cards, would be more appropriate. For first and second graders, subitizing cards within 10 and 20, like ten frame and double ten frame cards, are a great fit! 

Do you have any subitizing games that you love? Share in the comments below! I’ll be sharing some more games for the next stages in the Early Number Sense Trajectory, so stay tuned! Always remember, we are better together.

Resources to Help

Grab and Go

Remember: Depending on what you are using the subitizing decks for, you may need to make multiple copies.

Five Frame Cards

Ten Frame Cards

Double Ten Frame Cards

K-2 Learning Trajectory Document

Deep Dive

Learning and Teaching with Learning Trajectories- This website will provide a wealth of information on specific learning trajectories for learners of all ages!

Learning and Teaching Early Math: The Learning Trajectories Approach by Clements & Sarama

The post How to Investigate Subitizing Through Games to Spark Early Number Sense appeared first on Shelley Gray.

Games are a great way to incorporate learning into the classroom. It’s easier to learn when you’re having fun! Here are three low-prep, fun math games that you can use with your students to practice a variety of math concepts.

Math Game #1: Four Corners

Four Corners is an interactive game that involves critical thinking and collaboration.

What you will need:
large die OR small die on a projector
labels for corners of room (i.e. paper, marker, tape, sticky notes)
music

Here’s how to play:

1. Label the four corners or four designated spots in the classroom with the numbers 1-4.
2. Divide your students into four small groups. Your students will be placed in the four corners of the classroom.
3. Play upbeat or seasonal music to start the game. Students will walk around the classroom while the music is playing. When the music stops playing, students go to the closest corner.
4. Roll a big die in the classroom, or roll a four-sided die on the projector to determine which corner answers the question. For example, if the die lands on number 2, that corner will have the chance to answer the question.
5. Ask students math-related questions. You might choose addition problems, subtraction problems, or any other math-related questions! Give your students some time to answer.
6. If the students in that corner answer the question correctly, they stay in the game. If they don’t answer it correctly, their corner will be eliminated.
7. Continue this same process until you get to the last student. The last student is the winner!

Tips: Give your students a practice round, so they will have an idea of how the game works. Advise your students to walk and not run in the classroom.

Math Game #2: Partner Back to Back Game

The Partner Back to Back Game is a game where students use problem-solving skills and compare their strategies to their partner’s strategy.

What you will need:
whiteboard
dry erase markers

Here’s how to play:

1. Group students into pairs. They should stand with their backs towards each other and each student should have a whiteboard.
2. Next, the teacher will ask a math-related question. Write the problem on the board for the students to see.
3. Give your students time to work on the problem. Once your students have solved their problems, have them hold and hide their whiteboards.
4. After everyone is finished, count down from 5 with your students. When everyone counts to 1, have your students turn to face each other and reveal their answers to one another.
5. Students should compare solutions and show each other how they worked on that math problem. There’s always more than one way to solve a problem!

Tip: After everyone answers, have one or two students volunteer to demonstrate how they solved their math problems. Let your students be the teacher!

Related: Five Games to Practice Multiplication Facts

Math Game #3: Spin and Build a Problem

This game is an excellent way to reinforce addition, subtraction, or multiplication fact fluency. Solving equations with a partner makes it more fun!

What you will need:
spinners
recording sheet
pencil

Here’s how to play:

1. Group students into pairs.
2. Distribute spinners, recording sheets, and pencils.
3. Depending on grade level, determine whether math problems will be addition, subtraction, or multiplication.
4. Students spin two numbers to generate a math problem. For example, if a student spins a 2 and 6 and multiplication is being used as an operation, the student should figure out the answer to 2×6 and record the answer.
5. Then their partner will repeat the same steps.
6. The two partners will repeat this process for several rounds.

Tip: Consider setting a timer for a certain number of minutes.

---

Looking for more fun math games? Revitalize your math classroom with these ten fun (and free) math games!

The post Three Fun Math Games Your Students Will Love appeared first on Shelley Gray.

The post 5 Fun Multiplication Games to Practice the Times Tables appeared first on Shelley Gray.

Race to 100 (also known as The Trading Game) is a fun, two-player game for reinforcing addition and subtraction within 100. Even upper-grade students will benefit from this game, particularly those who struggle with number sense. The concrete nature of this game helps students make important connections and enables them to SEE what regrouping really means.

HOW TO PLAY

To play Race to 100, each pair of students will need some base ten blocks and two dice (or one 12-sided die). 

Player one begins by rolling the dice and taking that number of base 10 blocks.

Player two then takes a turn.

Now player one rolls again and takes that number of blocks. If she has at least 10 ones blocks, she will trade them for a ten.

Play continues. Players keep trading ten ones for a ten block until one person has ten tens and can trade those for a hundred block.

BENEFITS

I love Race to 100 for several reasons. 

• It gives students the opportunity to work with concrete materials. We know the importance of concrete opportunities in math. Students naturally learn about regrouping when they trade tens ones for a ten. This allows them to construct their own understanding of regrouping.
• Students use the relationship between addition and subtraction to figure out how many more they need to win. For example, “I have 85! I only need 15 more to get to 100!” Being able to see the base tens helps them make these important connections.
• It’s fun! Kids (even older ones) love this game!

POSSIBLE ADAPTATIONS

• Play Race to 200 or 300 instead.
• Play using subtraction! Start with 100, subtract each dice roll, and try to be the first to get to 0.
• Flip cards instead of rolling dice.

If you’d like to try this game in your classroom, you can download and print the game instructions HERE.

PIN FOR LATER

The post Race to 100: A Hands-On Game for Addition to 100 appeared first on Shelley Gray.

Object: to be the first to spell the word “TARGET.”

Materials: a deck of cards with J, Q, and K’s removed

Instructions:

• Remove the Jacks, Queens, and Kings from a deck of cards and shuffle well.
• The dealer deals three cards to each player.
• The dealer then flips a card over and places it in the center. This is the target number.
• At the same time, players turn over their three cards and lie them face up on the table. The goal is to use those three cards to hit the target number.
• For example, if the target number is 10, and a player has a 4, 5, and 9, he could use the equation: “9+5-4.”
• If a player can make the target number, he writes a “T” on his paper.
• Both players then “sweep” their cards to the side, along with the target number card. The dealer then deals another hand and play continues.

If neither player can make the target number, a fourth card is dealt to each player. Now players can use 3 of the 4 cards to make the target number. Cards continue to be dealt until one player can make the target number.

The goal is to be the first player to spell TARGET.

Helpful Tip:

It is helpful to use two decks so that you have more cards to play with. Decks do not need to be complete.

Watch the video version of the game explanation here:

Download the printable game instructions HERE.

The post Target Number: A Card Game to Practice Math Facts appeared first on Shelley Gray.

This is a fun math game to use as a math warm up and to get adrenaline pumping at the beginning of math class! It is also useful to reinforce counting from 1-100. Because of the fast-paced, exciting nature of this game, it is great for a variety of ages.

My teacher community has come up with lots of ideas for how this game can be modified. Here are a few of those modification ideas:

• Rather than counting from 1-100, have students count backwards from 100-1 or skip-count (for example, skip-count by 5’s from 0-500).
• Use a 100 or 120 chart to help students keep their counting organized.
• Instead of counting to 100, have students fill in a blank multiplication chart each time they roll doubles.

Here’s the complete video explanation of this game. The downloadable instructions are available below.

Enjoy!

FREE PRINTABLE INSTRUCTIONS

If you’d like to download a printable version of the game instructions, please click HERE and the download will begin immediately.

The post Doubles Race to 100: A Dice Math Game appeared first on Shelley Gray.

I am a HUGE fan of using games to teach and reinforce math concepts. One of the biggest misconceptions that I hear is that math is boring. With the addition of math games into the regular classroom routine, math can be engaging, exciting, and fun.

With a simple deck of cards and a few dice, you can play many different kinds of games to reinforce many different topics. In the past I’ve even given students a few dice or a deck of cards and had them make up their own math game!

A few ways that you can use dice/cards quickly and easily in the classroom to reinforce basic math facts include:

• Have students roll two dice and add them up to make a sum (alternatively subtract to make a difference, or multiply to make a product). This is SO much more fun that simply completing a worksheet for basic facts, and can be done with no preparation. I like to have 20-sided dice on hand for higher level equations.
  • Here’s a little freebie that provides a graph that students can use during a roll and add activity.
• Practice Doubles facts with dice and have students graph their progress. I wrote a blog post about this activity HERE.
• Salute is a fantastic game that can be played with three people and a deck of cards. My students could never get enough of this game! Read more about it HERE.

When should Math games be used in the classroom?

I prefer to use games as reinforcement. For example, you could teach a mini-lesson, allow some guided and independent practice, and then have students play a game to reinforce their new learning. I also like to use Math games as a center. Students can play in pairs or groups of three. In this case, the game is always one that they have played before (because of the independent nature of centers).

Basic facts are an ideal skill to practice during math games, because it’s a way to reinforce those facts all year long, even while you are focusing on other concepts in your classroom.

Other Resources

All of my Math Stations and Mental Math Strategy Units also contain math games that are sure to engage even your most un-motivated students! Please click on the hyperlinks below to access these resources:

Math Stations

• Click here to access all self-paced, student-centered Math Stations for addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and fractions.

Mental Math Strategy Units

• Mental Math Strategy Units: the Complete Addition Collection
• Mental Math Strategy Units: the Complete Subtraction Collection

The post Games to Reinforce Math Concepts appeared first on Shelley Gray.