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Fact-O!

Subjects

  • Mathematics
    --Algebra
    --Arithmetic
    --Process Skills

Grade

  • K-2
  • 3-5
  • 6-8
  • 9-12

Brief Description

Students practice math facts as they play a game of chance and skill. (Game sheet included.)

Objectives

Students will

  • follow directions as they play the Fact-O game.
  • correctly create and calculate mathematical equations, using the numbers rolled on three dice.
  • earn points for marking adjacent numbers on the game sheet.

Keywords

add, addition, bingo, calculate, dice, equation, facts, game, math, multiply, multiplication, solve, subtract, subtraction

Materials Needed

Lesson Plan

Adapt the Game for any Grade
The Fact-O Game Card is designed to be used with students in grades 4 and up who have a grasp of addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts and processes. However, Fact-O can be adapted for any grade. A game sheet with fewer squares and a limited number of mathematical facts or responses could be created for use in lower grades. For example, a sheet with twelve squares numbered to follow the pattern below might be used with first graders who have learned their addition facts to 10:

1    2    3    4

5    6    7    8

9    10   5    6   

7    8    9    10   

The rules below relate to the version of the game that can be played with students in grades 4 and up. The rules can be easily adapted by

  • using a different game sheet, such as one for addition facts up to 10 (shown above)
  • using two dice instead of three
  • providing practice only in addition, only in subtraction, or in a combination of addition and subtraction
  • playing the game the way Bingo is played (first player to X a complete row of numbers is the winner) rather than awarding points for adjacent marked squares
  • any other variation a teacher might conjure up and introduce.

The Rules

  • Students can play the game with a partner or in small groups with up to five players.
  • Students roll the three dice to determine who will play the game first. The person who rolls the highest total goes first.
  • The first player rolls the three dice. He or she uses the numbers rolled to create a mathematical problem that employs at least two operations (addition and subtraction, addition and multiplication, or subtraction and multiplication). For example, if the player rolls a 2, a 5, and a 6, she or he could use those numbers to create a mathematical equation such as 2 x 5 + 6 = 16 or 5 x 6 - 2 = 28. In those cases, the student would write the mathematical equation and the answer, then put an X on the answer (16 or 28) on the Fact-O game card.
  • The first player passes the dice to the next player in the group; play moves in a clockwise direction.
  • As the game progresses, students check one another's math. If the first player writes an incorrect equation, then passes the dice, any of the other players can call out the error. (Note: An answer is not wrong until the player ends his or her turn by passing the dice to the next person.) The player who made the error must erase the X on his or her game sheet and forfeit the next turn; the player who was first to call out the error is allowed to put an X on his or her game card if that number is open. If a player calls out an error that later proves to be correct, the player who mistakenly called out the error loses his or her next turn.
  • Play resumes. The next player in the circle rolls the dice. (If the next player is a player who properly called out an error in the previous roll of the dice, then that player still gets his or her regular turn in rotation.)
  • When the first player gets a second turn, she or he should roll the dice and try to create a mathematical problem with an answer that appears on the game sheet adjacent to the answer on which she drew an X in the first round. For example, if the player put an X on the number 16 in the first round, he or she should try to create an equation that has an answer of 7, 8, 15, 23, or 24. (Those are the numbers adjacent to the number 16 on the game sheet.) If the player is able to X a number adjacent to 16, he or she earns a point. If the player is unable to mark a square adjacent to 16, she or he is free to create an equation with any other answer and to X the square that includes that answer, but no point is earned. Points accumulate as the game continues.
  • When a player rolls the dice but is not able to create a mathematical problem that enables her or him to X a number that has not yet been X'd on the game sheet, the player marks no X and passes the dice to the next player.
  • If a player is unable to X any numbered box on the game sheet for three consecutive turns, that player is eliminated from play.
  • Score is kept throughout the game. When time is called, the person with the most points earned is declared the winner of the game. (Remember: The person with the most X'd squares might not be the winner because the winner is determined by points earned for X'ing the most adjacent squares on the game sheet.)

Assessment

Check students' mathematical problems and equations.

Lesson Plan Source

Education World

Submitted By

Gary Hopkins

National Standards

MATHEMATICS: Number and Operations
GRADES Pre-K - 2
NM-NUM.PK-2.2 Understand Meanings of Operations and How They Relate to One Another
NM-NUM.PK-2.3 Compute Fluently and Make Reasonable Estimates
GRADES 3-5
NM-NUM.3-5.2 Understand Meanings of Operations and How They Relate to One Another
NM-NUM.3-5.3 Compute Fluently and Make Reasonable Estimates
GRADES 6 - 8
NM-NUM.6-8.2 Understand Meanings of Operations and How They Relate to One Another
NM-NUM.6-8.3 Compute Fluently and Make Reasonable Estimates
GRADES 9 - 12
NM-NUM.9-12.2 Understand Meanings of Operations and How They Relate to One Another
NM-NUM.9-12.3 Compute Fluently and Make Reasonable Estimates

MATHEMATICS: Algebra
GRADES Pre-K - 2
NM-ALG.PK-2.1 Understand Patterns, Relations, and Functions
GRADES 3 - 5
NM-ALG.3-5.1 Understand Patterns, Relations, and Functions
GRADES 6 - 8
NM-ALG.6-8.1 Understand Patterns, Relations, and Functions
GRADES 9 - 12
NM-ALG.9-12.1 Understand Patterns, Relations, and Functions

MATHEMATICS: Problem Solving
GRADES Pre-K - 12
NM-PROB.PK-12.2 Solve Problems That Arise in Mathematics and in Other Contexts
NM-PROB.PK-12.3 Apply and Adapt a Variety of Appropriate Strategies to Solve Problems

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