Baggie Games For Fun

Haroula teaches a combined Grade 1/2.  Her and her teaching partner switch off so they are able to teach a straight grade in math.  This leaves her with just the Grade 1 students.  As we know, Grade 1 students are active little beings who need to move around and need to be able to have some one-on-one time with the teacher to not only express their answers orally, but also to help them gain a better understanding of the concepts that they are being taught.

Haroula made up several different "Baggie Games" for her students to use as part of their math centres, and also for when they were "done" their work.  She finds that letting them use the games as part of her math program has helped her to get some of that much needed one-on-one time, while still reinforcing the concepts she is teaching (or has taught) in the large group.

One of the games that she has created is using Dot Cards.  She used the pictures of the Dot Cards from the Guide To Effective Instruction in Mathematics:  Number Sense and Numeration (GTEI)and then cut the pictures out.  She then taped them onto blank playing cards.  She has the students play a matching game where they have to match the same numbers together.  This helps them work on subatizing and also one-to-one correspondence.

You can see the two different ways to make a dot arrangement to show the number 6.

Here are some of the pictures of the other cards.

A second game that she made was originally in the GTEI but in the Grade 2 section.  She modified it to meet the needs of her Grade 1 students.  She also included a number line as a tool to help them not only get more comfortable with counting backwards, but also just in using the tool.

Here are the instructions she included.  (She has played the game several times in the large group and in small groups)

Here is everything that is in the baggie.

The cards are in a different colour of card stock to help make them stand out.

These games (and others like them) would be a great addition to any math program.  You could also use them as part of a family math night, and also as part of a "Math Bag" program where you would send home games for students to play at home.



Blokus Tournament!

To end of their transformational geometry unit, Paul’s Grade 6 class participated in a Blokus tournament.  Blokus is a game that involves using problem solving skills, and strategies, to help you cover as much of the game board as possible.  One you select a piece you not only need to decide where you want to put it, but also how you are going to transform that shape into the space you have provided.  As the game goes on, students really need to use their knowledge and understanding of transformations to make the pieces fit, or else they’re out!

The class was divided into six teams of four.  Three teams were on each side of the classroom.  There was a scoreboard posted on the blackboard to help keep track of who was advancing to the semi-finals and what everyone’s score was.  For those that didn’t win at their game, the score was still important because the person on each side with the best score (who didn’t win the match at their table) got to be put into a “wild card” spot and advance to the semi’s.  After the semi-finals, the same process was repeated with two winners and two “wild cards” advancing onto the finals.

The final round was played on a giant Blokus board.  The whole class crowed around it to see the final match.  It was interesting to watch the spectators as they were so quiet!  Every now and then one of them would whisper to the person beside them and share what piece they would have used, or a move that they would have made if they made it to the finals.  What was even better to see was that once the “Blokus Champ” was named, all of the other players shook hands and congratulated each other on a game well played.

As an FOS we have a class set of Blokus games that you can borrow to use with your class.  If you are interested in using them, please e-mail me and we can make some arrangements.  As well, if you want to learn more about Blokus, or play an electronic version of Blokus on-line or on your mobile phone you can visit www.blokus.com