What?! Playing games at school?! That’s right! We have been playing math games to reinforce concepts that we’ve been working on. Playing games helps us to understand the concept because we have to follow the game rules, play fair, and defend our choices by explaining our thinking. Math games help us be problem-solvers as well as teach us skills to be good partners and teammates, like listening, sharing,and taking turns. Games help us learn from our mistakes, and develop strategies and to notice patterns.
Today a few students took home “Count by 5’s.” Their job is to teach someone at home how to play (the rules are on the back of the board). By teaching someone else, students really have to understand the concept. Math games are a “win-win” in our room.
Parent Tip: If a student is putting down a number, ask them “Why do you think that goes there?” whether they’re correct or not. By asking them that question, they have to think about their decision and explain it. Often they will catch themselves if they are making a mistake. If they don’t, suggest that they count by 5’s and see which number comes before or after. Students have the most difficult counting backwards by 5’s (or thinking about what number comes before). BTW… each row is a separate sequence. The board is not a continuous number pattern.