Comments on: What Are Some Warm Up Games to Start a Math Class? http://www.amusingmathpuzzles.com/math-games/what-are-some-warm-up-games-to-start-a-math-class Math Puzzles Keeps Your Mind Agile, Making Math Fun Fri, 03 Dec 2010 04:53:14 +0000 hourly 1 By: Doc B http://www.amusingmathpuzzles.com/math-games/what-are-some-warm-up-games-to-start-a-math-class/comment-page-1#comment-1186 Doc B Tue, 17 Feb 2009 02:54:59 +0000 http://www.amusingmathpuzzles.com/math-games/what-are-some-warm-up-games-to-start-a-math-class#comment-1186 I disagree with all the answers I've seen so far. I may be an idealist, but I believe it's harmful to convince children that they need to be rewarded in order to do math. I also feel that competitive games will encourage students who do well at them, but discourage weaker students. (It may be possible to use competition in a constructive way, but this needs careful handling.) One thing you could do before the lesson is have the students start with one three-digit number, and try to figure out how much to add in order to reach another (larger) three-digit number. Of course this *is* subtraction, but packaged differently. After they try this for a while, with an assortment of numbers, you can offer them a shortcut--namely, your lesson on subtraction. There's an old French math game: I thought it was called "Le Conte Es Bonne," but my web search turned up nothing useful. My spelling may be off, or the game may no longer exist. The players are shown 6 cards with numbers (selected from 1-10, 25, 50, 100) on them. The object is to combine some or all of those numbers, using the basic four operations, in order to reach a given 3-digit target number. As published, the game is competitive: the goal is to use the fewest possible number of cards, or the least amount of time, or...well, I haven't played it in a long time. But you could just as well tweak the goal of the game in order to celebrate diverse solutions. I found this game to be a great review of operations. Also, students respond very well to "magic tricks" or other surprising computations. I found one at Mudd Math that is much better *after* they know 3-digit subtraction than before; it's linked at bottom.<br><b>References : </b><br>http://www.engines4ed.org/hyperbook/nodes/NODE-148-pg.html Before: http://www.kidzone.ws/math/farm/t_math.asp?add_blank.asp?au=999&al=100&bu=999&bl=100&d=v After: http://www.kidzone.ws/math/summer/t_math.asp?gr2b-magicsub.html http://www.math.hmc.edu/funfacts/ffiles/10002.1-8.shtml I disagree with all the answers I've seen so far. I may be an idealist, but I believe it's harmful to convince children that they need to be rewarded in order to do math. I also feel that competitive games will encourage students who do well at them, but discourage weaker students. (It may be possible to use competition in a constructive way, but this needs careful handling.)

One thing you could do before the lesson is have the students start with one three-digit number, and try to figure out how much to add in order to reach another (larger) three-digit number. Of course this *is* subtraction, but packaged differently. After they try this for a while, with an assortment of numbers, you can offer them a shortcut–namely, your lesson on subtraction.

There's an old French math game: I thought it was called "Le Conte Es Bonne," but my web search turned up nothing useful. My spelling may be off, or the game may no longer exist. The players are shown 6 cards with numbers (selected from 1-10, 25, 50, 100) on them. The object is to combine some or all of those numbers, using the basic four operations, in order to reach a given 3-digit target number. As published, the game is competitive: the goal is to use the fewest possible number of cards, or the least amount of time, or…well, I haven't played it in a long time. But you could just as well tweak the goal of the game in order to celebrate diverse solutions. I found this game to be a great review of operations.

Also, students respond very well to "magic tricks" or other surprising computations. I found one at Mudd Math that is much better *after* they know 3-digit subtraction than before; it's linked at bottom.
References :
http://www.engines4ed.org/hyperbook/nodes/NODE-148-pg.html

Before:
http://www.kidzone.ws/math/farm/t_math.asp?add_blank.asp?au=999&al=100&bu=999&bl=100&d=v

After:
http://www.kidzone.ws/math/summer/t_math.asp?gr2b-magicsub.html
http://www.math.hmc.edu/funfacts/ffiles/10002.1-8.shtml

]]> By: Who Am I? http://www.amusingmathpuzzles.com/math-games/what-are-some-warm-up-games-to-start-a-math-class/comment-page-1#comment-1185 Who Am I? Tue, 17 Feb 2009 02:31:59 +0000 http://www.amusingmathpuzzles.com/math-games/what-are-some-warm-up-games-to-start-a-math-class#comment-1185 I loved this game when i was a kid... Around the world. a kid will go head to head with the kid sitting behind him... you give them a problem...say 213 - 100 the first kid to answer correctly moves on to the next kid and continues to move on until he/she is defeated...then the person who defeats the champion is the new champion and continues to move on until they are defeated... whoever stays on top the longest [answers the most questions correctly gets a candy] or you could use some thing dealing with money...<br><b>References : </b><br> I loved this game when i was a kid…

Around the world.

a kid will go head to head with the kid sitting behind him…

you give them a problem…say 213 – 100

the first kid to answer correctly moves on to the next kid and continues to move on until he/she is defeated…then the person who defeats the champion is the new champion and continues to move on until they are defeated…

whoever stays on top the longest [answers the most questions correctly gets a candy]

or you could use some thing dealing with money…
References :

]]> By: Em&M http://www.amusingmathpuzzles.com/math-games/what-are-some-warm-up-games-to-start-a-math-class/comment-page-1#comment-1184 Em&M Tue, 17 Feb 2009 01:51:59 +0000 http://www.amusingmathpuzzles.com/math-games/what-are-some-warm-up-games-to-start-a-math-class#comment-1184 Divide the class up into two (or three) even teams. Write a problem on the board in the front of the class and call 1 kid from each of the teams up to the board. When you say go, the first team to have the correct answer written gets a point. The team with the highest score gets a special treat. (A piece of candy or something.) Or do an around the world type of game. One kid against another. You show them a flashcard with a question on it, the first one to correctly tell you the answer gets to advance to the next kid. Whichever kid wins the next "round" goes on to the kids seat behind him to verse him. Make sure everyone gets at least one turn.<br><b>References : </b><br> Divide the class up into two (or three) even teams. Write a problem on the board in the front of the class and call 1 kid from each of the teams up to the board. When you say go, the first team to have the correct answer written gets a point.

The team with the highest score gets a special treat. (A piece of candy or something.)

Or do an around the world type of game. One kid against another. You show them a flashcard with a question on it, the first one to correctly tell you the answer gets to advance to the next kid. Whichever kid wins the next "round" goes on to the kids seat behind him to verse him. Make sure everyone gets at least one turn.
References :

]]> By: count http://www.amusingmathpuzzles.com/math-games/what-are-some-warm-up-games-to-start-a-math-class/comment-page-1#comment-1183 count Tue, 17 Feb 2009 01:35:59 +0000 http://www.amusingmathpuzzles.com/math-games/what-are-some-warm-up-games-to-start-a-math-class#comment-1183 When I was younger, games were never too much incentive to learn. If you could reward them, I think you might have more success in them learning the material. For instance, candy for whoever answers the "bell ringer" questions.<br><b>References : </b><br> When I was younger, games were never too much incentive to learn. If you could reward them, I think you might have more success in them learning the material. For instance, candy for whoever answers the "bell ringer" questions.
References :

]]> By: Clown http://www.amusingmathpuzzles.com/math-games/what-are-some-warm-up-games-to-start-a-math-class/comment-page-1#comment-1182 Clown Tue, 17 Feb 2009 01:29:59 +0000 http://www.amusingmathpuzzles.com/math-games/what-are-some-warm-up-games-to-start-a-math-class#comment-1182 If u and 2 of your friends rob a bank for $1million dollars, on the way out one of you got shot and die, how many survived to get the money. OMG lol i didnt see it was for the 3rd grade lol..... Okay heres another 1 If you're a pimp and have 5 hoes working for you... the next day 1 ho goes missing, so u decided to hire 5 more, how many hoes do u have in total? This is so much better<br><b>References : </b><br> If u and 2 of your friends rob a bank for $1million dollars, on the way out one of you got shot and die, how many survived to get the money.

OMG lol i didnt see it was for the 3rd grade lol…..

Okay heres another 1

If you're a pimp and have 5 hoes working for you… the next day 1 ho goes missing, so u decided to hire 5 more, how many hoes do u have in total?

This is so much better
References :

]]>