2008 ICTM Conference Let the Games Begin: Math Games and Other Fun Activities for Class Mike Dillon Postville Community Schools Postville, IA High School Math/Physics/TAG Teacher

2008 ICTM Conference Let the Games Begin: Math Games and Other Fun Activities for Class A little bit about myself… Teaching for 9 years Have taught most classes between 7 th grade math and Calculus Graduated from Luther College in 1999 Earned Master’s Degree from UOP Working on Ph.D. in Educational Technology

Philosophical Thoughts… Games and puzzles can be a great way to review problems and information. It can be a way to “trick” students into working on problems. It is important to think about the nature of the students in a class. Some games or variations of games are a better fit. Class SizeStudent Motivation/Attitude Student Ability How to group students

Philosophical Thoughts… Be creative. You can design games or use existing games as a guide. Technology… yes or no? You decide. Different games require different amounts of time to put together. Electronic templates work well to save time. Pace yourself. Let’s talk about the games…

and BINGO was his name-o! Create a paper with two columns…one column for the problem and one for the answer. Use as many problems as you like. I generally use about 40. I love math Bingo…or at least chewing up the paper it’s written on! Make an overhead that has just the answers on it. To create the game… Cut up a copy of the problems into strips and put them into an envelope.

and BINGO was his name-o! Give each student a blank BINGO card. Put the answers on the overhead and have them fill in the card with answers from the list. Randomly choose a problem from the envelope and write the problem on the board. The students solve the problem and mark their card if they have the answer. I love math Bingo…or at least chewing up the paper it’s written on! To play the game… If a student fills the card down, across, or diagonally, they yell BINGO and win.

and BINGO was his name-o! Write the problems on the board and leave them up so students who work slower can catch up. I will usually start putting answers on the board as students get BINGO and share their answers. I love math Bingo…or at least chewing up the paper it’s written on! Tips and Variations… Clear cards after a BINGO or not? Have the students fill their cards in using pen! Etc.

Let’s Play Millionaire! Decide what you want to use as “lifelines”. I usually use: 50/50, a teacher hint, and new question. To create the game… This game is great! Too bad teachers aren’t rich enough to actually give away a million bucks… Generate 15 questions (or 16 if you use the new question as a lifeline). Create the 50/50 options (1 correct and 1 incorrect answer), and the hints for each question. Put three to five questions on each page and make overheads of the pages.

Let’s Play Millionaire! Decide the point levels you want to use (100, 200, 300, 500, 1000…) To play the game… This game is great! Too bad teachers aren’t rich enough to actually give away a million bucks… Have the students work individually or in small groups. Reveal questions one at a time, ask if students want to use lifelines, and award points for each round. Keep track of the score on the board. The person with the most points at the end wins.

Let’s Play Millionaire! You can provide the students with multiple choice answers to pick from… or you can just ask them to answer the questions (but you will have to make answers for 50/50). Tips and Variations… This game is great! Too bad teachers aren’t rich enough to actually give away a million bucks… Instead of having students drop out of the game on an incorrect answer, you can either let them stay at the same point level or move them down. This helps keep things competitive. Etc.

JEOPARDY! Decide on 5 or 6 categories. Create 5 questions for each category. To create the game… So… do you really think that you are smarter than me? Decide if you want to designate any questions as a “Daily Double”. Write a final Jeopardy question. I usually type up the questions so that I have a template that I can work from in the future. Yes I do… Trebeck!

JEOPARDY! Draw a grid on the board with the categories and the point amounts (100, 200, 300, etc.) To play the game… So… do you really think that you are smarter than me? Choose a team to select the first category and point amount. Yes I do… Trebeck! After you read the question, any team can buzz in by slapping the desk.

JEOPARDY! If they answer correctly, they earn those points. If they answer incorrectly, they lose the points. Keep track of the score on the board. To play the game… So… do you really think that you are smarter than me? Yes I do… Trebeck! If a team answers incorrectly, reread the question to give other teams the chance to buzz in.

JEOPARDY! At the end of regular Jeopardy, the students can wager the points they have for the final Jeopardy question. To play the game… So… do you really think that you are smarter than me? Yes I do… Trebeck! The team with the most points is the winner.

JEOPARDY! Warn students about “obnoxious buzzing”. Tips and Variations… So… do you really think that you are smarter than me? You can make up little point rules to keep the game relatively close, if necessary. I always refer to the “Math Jeopardy Handbook.” Yes I do… Trebeck! Etc. The music is always fun!

WHEEL! Vanna… The puzzle please… OF!FORTUNE! The category is… PHRASE. L H I MA O O S T C

WHEEL OF FORTUNE Get your SPIN ID’s ready… Today…we’re in West Des Moines, Iowa! Decide on a word or phrase to use for the puzzle. To create the game… Create a problem for each letter that appears in the puzzle. For reference, you might want to write down letters that are not in the puzzle. It saves times in the game.

WHEEL OF FORTUNE Get your SPIN ID’s ready… Today…we’re in West Des Moines, Iowa! Split the class into groups. To play the game… Put blanks on the board for the letters in the puzzle. To start, one team chooses a letter (vowel or consonant). If the letter is in the puzzle, they have to solve the problem to get the letters placed.

WHEEL OF FORTUNE Get your SPIN ID’s ready… Today…we’re in West Des Moines, Iowa! For each letter placed, the team earns ten points and may guess at the puzzle. To play the game… Play then moves to the next team and the process is repeated. If a team guesses a letter that is not in the puzzle, they lose their turn.

WHEEL OF FORTUNE Get your SPIN ID’s ready… Today…we’re in West Des Moines, Iowa! If a team guesses a letter but incorrectly solves the problem, the other teams get a chance to steal the points. Come up with a creative way to decide which team gets the chance to steal first. To play the game… If a team steals, they can have a chance to guess the puzzle. Play resumes with the team that was next.

WHEEL OF FORTUNE Get your SPIN ID’s ready… Today…we’re in West Des Moines, Iowa! Teams earn 10 points for each letter placed and 100 points for solving the puzzle. To play the game… Teams lose 20 points for guessing a letter that is NOT in the puzzle and 50 points for making an incorrect guess at the puzzle.

WHEEL OF FORTUNE Get your SPIN ID’s ready… Today…we’re in West Des Moines, Iowa! There are MANY different variations on this game. Tips and Variations… It can be used as a short game or as an entire review activity. Be creative in your adaptations. Etc.

THE RACE GAME On one sheet of paper, create 4 or 5 problems of the same type. Make enough copies for the number of teams you will have. Make an overhead of the problems. To create the game… This is called the race game because I couldn’t come up with anything more creative! Create as many different problem sheets as you like. Write the answers for the problems on the overheads.

THE RACE GAME Each group gets a problem sheet placed face down. Have one person from the team write his or her name on the back. On go, the group turns the paper over and completes the problems. To play the game… The FIRST goal is do the problems accurately. The SECOND goal is to do them quickly. When a group is finished, one person “races” the answer sheet up to you. Once all of the sheets are turned in, check them with the overhead. This is called the race game because I couldn’t come up with anything more creative!

THE RACE GAME Arrange them in order. Accuracy determines the order first. Speed is used to break ties. To play the game… For example… Suppose Team 1 turns the sheet in first and had 1 wrong. Team 2 turned it in second and had 0 wrong, and Team 3 turned it in last and had 1 wrong. The order would be Team 2, Team 1, and Team 3. Points are awarded two ways: 5 points for each correct answer and points for place (25,20,15,…). This is called the race game because I couldn’t come up with anything more creative!

THE RACE GAME You can vary how the groups interact. The groups could work together on each problem. Each person could work on one problem. Etc. Tips and Variations… After checking the problems and awarding points, you could have groups make corrections for additional points. Remind the kids not to “damage” anything when they race the papers up to you… Etc. Move to different parts of the room so teams have to race to different places. This is called the race game because I couldn’t come up with anything more creative!

THE PUZZLE GAME Create a puzzle that is split into pieces. This might be a word scramble, a problem drawn on paper and cut into pieces, etc. To create the game… This game was inspired by watching “Survivor”… Based on the number of pieces the puzzle is cut into, come up with different problems. Put individual problems on a half sheet of paper. Make copies of the puzzle based on the number of teams the class will be split into. Make enough copies of the problems so each group will have one.

THE PUZZLE GAME Put each set of puzzles pieces into a separate envelope. Number or color code each envelope. To create the game… This game was inspired by watching “Survivor”… You will want to have an empty table near you where the puzzle envelopes can be placed during the game. Make an answer key of the problems that you can easily flip through.

THE PUZZLE GAME Split the class into teams of 2 (maybe 3). To play the game… This game was inspired by watching “Survivor”… Place the problems at various stations around the room. When the game begins, each team goes to a station. At that station, the team solves the problem. Once they have the answer, they bring the problem up to you. If they have it correct, they get to take one piece of the puzzle. Then the team goes to another station.

THE PUZZLE GAME If the problem is incorrect, you can give them a hint and have them try again until it is correct. To play the game… This game was inspired by watching “Survivor”… The teams move to each of the stations (in any order) until they have solved enough problems to get all of the puzzle pieces. Once a team has collected all of the pieces, they need to put the puzzle together and answer the question associated with it.

THE PUZZLE GAME The answer to the puzzle might be the letters unscrambled, solving the problem on the puzzle, etc. To play the game… This game was inspired by watching “Survivor”… The first team to solve the puzzle wins. If there are enough teams, you might have the teams compete for first, second, and third place.

THE PUZZLE GAME I don’t allow the teams to split up. The partners must always be together. Tips and Variations… This game was inspired by watching “Survivor”… I only allow teams to bring one answer up at a time. Generally, the teams will get backed up waiting to check their answers with you. Have them form an orderly line while they wait. I don’t allow the teams to start assembling the puzzle until they have all of the pieces.

THE PUZZLE GAME The teams cannot give you the answer to the puzzle unless they have collected all of the pieces. Tips and Variations… This game was inspired by watching “Survivor”… I usually only allow one team to be at a station at once. Depending on the type of puzzle, you can vary how many stations you need. For instance, if you use a word scramble with 20 letters, you might use ten problem stations and let them take 2 letters each time. Etc.

TOSS-UP BONUS GAME For each round, create a toss-up and a bonus question of the same type. The toss-up question is generally easier than the bonus. To create the game… This is another cleverly named game…it consists of a toss-up question and bonus question. Come up with as many questions as you like. Create a final bonus question.

TOSS-UP BONUS GAME Split the class into groups. For each team, draw an answer box on the board for the toss-up questions. To play the game… This is another cleverly named game…it consists of a toss-up question and bonus question. The toss-up question is solved by individuals. A person from each team goes to the board. Have them face away from the board and write the question on the board. On go, they try to solve the problem. They must write their answer in the answer box.

TOSS-UP BONUS GAME The first person to answer the question correctly earns 50 points for their team. They also give their team the chance to earn 50 additional points on the bonus question. To play the game… This is another cleverly named game…it consists of a toss-up question and bonus question. The teams that did not win the toss-up can also solve the bonus question for 25 points. Play as many rounds as you like. At the end of the game, there is a final bonus question worth 200 points.

TOSS-UP BONUS GAME You might change the point values as the game progresses (i.e. double or triple the points). Tips and Variations… This is another cleverly named game…it consists of a toss-up question and bonus question. If the individuals are not having any luck with the toss- up question, you might provide hints, or allow the teams to help their players. The final bonus question can be done in a variety of ways. Be creative. Etc.

PRESS YOUR LUCK The game consists or two parts: the question round and the “Press Your Luck” round. To create the game… Big Bucks! Be sure to avoid the WHAMMY ! For the question round, come up with 3 to 5 questions. Prepare three multiple choice answers for each question. For the “Press Your Luck” round, use the PowerPoint template for the points, whammys, prizes, etc. You will also need some type of spinner with numbers on it.

PRESS YOUR LUCK Split the class into teams. Depending on the size of the class, three or four teams generally works well. To play the game… Big Bucks! Be sure to avoid the WHAMMY ! The question round is first. This is where the students have the chance to earn “spins”.

PRESS YOUR LUCK To play the game… Big Bucks! Be sure to avoid the WHAMMY ! Ask the first question and wait for a team to buzz in with an answer. After they have given an answer, give the remaining teams the multiple choice answers (including the one the first team gave). If the teaming buzzing in gave the correct answer, the two other choices should be incorrect. If the team gave a wrong answer, the other choices should have the correct one and an incorrect one.

PRESS YOUR LUCK To play the game… Big Bucks! Be sure to avoid the WHAMMY ! If a team buzzed in with a correct answer, they earn three spins. If a team answered the multiple choice question correctly, they earn 1 spin. Repeat the process for the remaining questions. At the end of the question round, tally up the spins for each team and proceed to the “Press Your Luck” round.

PRESS YOUR LUCK To play the game… Big Bucks! Be sure to avoid the WHAMMY ! In the “Press Your Luck” round, the team with the fewest spins goes first. A member of the team spins the spinner. Using the PowerPoint template, advance through the number of slides equal to the number that was spun. The team earns the points or prizes on that slide. A WHAMMY takes away all of the team’s points. At any point, a team can elect to stop spinning and pass their remaining spins to another team.

PRESS YOUR LUCK To play the game… Big Bucks! Be sure to avoid the WHAMMY ! Passed spins always go to the team with the highest score. If there is a tie, passed spins go to the team with the most spins. If there is still a tie, the passing team can choose who gets them. Passed spins MUST be used. The only exception is if the team hits a WHAMMY, then the passed spins become earned spins. If a team gets 4 WHAMMYS, they are out of the game. The team with the most points wins.

PRESS YOUR LUCK The “Press Your Luck” round does not have any math problems associated with it. You could integrate problems into the slides. For example, if they land on a whammy, they could solve a problem to avoid losing their points. Tips and Variations… Big Bucks! Be sure to avoid the WHAMMY ! The “Press Your Luck” round can get a little long, so you do not need very many questions in the question round. Be creative in integrating problems into the game. Etc.

MEMORY/CONCENTRATION COOL MATCHMATCH

MEMORY/CONCENTRATION FUN MATCHMATCH

MEMORY/CONCENTRATION MATCHMATCH SMART

MEMORY/CONCENTRATION MATCHMATCH HAND- SOME

MEMORY/CONCENTRATION I LOVE MATH! (and apparently I love myself a lot as well! )

MEMORY/CONCENTRATION Design a picture puzzle and arrange it on a sheet of paper. To create the game… Now that I have that out of my system… Overlay a rectangular grid on the picture. Make enough rectangles to match the “pairs” from the problems. Create problems for the students to solve. Examples might include: equations and their answers; a quadratic problem with two factored sets of parentheses; etc. Put the problems on separate sheet of paper. The students will have to solve these problems first.

MEMORY/CONCENTRATION Make a copy of the rectangular grid on another sheet of paper. Randomly arrange the pairs in the rectangles. To create the game… Now that I have that out of my system… Cut and number sticky notes that will cover both the grid with the puzzle and the grid with the answer pairs. Make overheads of both the picture puzzle and the grid with the pairs. When the transparencies are on the projector, you will be able to see through them, but the students will not.

MEMORY/CONCENTRATION Arrange the class into groups of two or three. To play the game… Now that I have that out of my system… The second phase involves using the answers to the problems to play memory. The game is in two phases. The first phase involves solving the problems. Give each group a copy of the problems and give them time to solve them. One at a time, a group will try to find a match in the grid by choosing two of the squares.

MEMORY/CONCENTRATION If they find a match, those squares are removed from the puzzle, they can take a guess at the puzzle, and they get to choose again. To play the game… Now that I have that out of my system… As the game progresses, more matches will be found and the puzzle will gradually be revealed. If a team does not find a match, the revealed squares are covered back up, and play moves to the next team. The team that solves the picture puzzle is the winner.

MEMORY/CONCENTRATION The sticky notes can be a pain. I haven’t found an easier way to do it. Tips and Variations… Now that I have that out of my system… I have created an electronic version in INSPIRATION that allows you to move around the rectangles to uncover the puzzle. It’s not perfect, but it is a little less messy than the sticky notes. Depending on how many rectangles, you might allow the kids to write down what’s revealed. It speeds the game along. Etc.

2008 ICTM Conference Let the Games Begin: Math Games and Other Fun Activities for Class Check out my website for copies of templates, worksheets, etc. Follow the links for the High School, Faculty Websites, Mr. Dillon’s Website, ICTM info… Thanks for coming to the presentation. Feel free to if you have any questions, comments, ideas, etc.