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Math Games
With Jane and Joanne

To Sum It Up

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LEVELS

Grades 3 and up

SKILLS

  • adding 3-digit numbers

PLAYERS

  • 2 or more, or teacher vs. the whole group

EQUIPMENT

  • playing cards Ace (=1) through 10 (10 = 0)
  • one gameboard for each player (follow the link to our printable gameboard, or have students create their own)

GETTING STARTED

The object of this game is to make the greatest sum.

Place the deck of cards face down in the middle of the playing area. A player draws a card from the deck and places the card face up. Each player selects a space on their gameboard and writes the number of this card in that space.

Eight more cards are drawn and players proceed to fill in their gameboards.

Once all gameboard spaces are filled in, players complete the addition. The player with the greatest sum is the winner of that round and scores 1 point.

Example
The first card turned over is a 5. The second card turned over is a 7. Seven more numbers [a 3, 4, 9, 8, 10 (=0), 6, and another 4] are drawn, which might reveal math problems such as these:
Player 1 Player 2 Player 3
354
798
+064
----		 870
543
+946
----		 904
645
+873
----
1,216 2,359 2,422
Player 3 has the greatest sum and is the winner of this round and earns 1 point.

In the event of a tie, each player receives 1 point.

The winner is the one with the most points after a set number of rounds or a set time limit.

As players gain more experience with this game, they will develop strategies to maximize their scores and their chances of winning.

VARIATION

Vary the number of cards to modify the level of difficulty.

Joanne Currah and Jane Felling have created two best-selling math game books -- Shuffling Into Math (for teachers of grades K-3) and All Hands on Deck (grades 1-9). Each book includes simple instructions for more than 100 math games that help children discover math concepts and reinforce math skills. Education World is pleased to present a selection of those activities in this series.

Click to learn more about these books and other exciting products and service from Joanne and Jane's Box Cars and One-Eyed Jacks.

More About Box Cars and One-Eyed Jacks

Joanne Currah and Jane Felling created their company, BOX CARS & ONE-EYED JACKS, for the sole purpose of making math fun -- not threatening or frustrating -- for children. Joanne and Jane spend many days each year on the road as they train teachers to make math fun for kids and run Family Math Nights at schools. To learn more about the authors, their books, and the services they provide, visit them at www.boxcarsandoneeyedjacks.com or email them at [email protected].

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