War on Numbers

By: Morina Ricablanca

BackgroundWar on Numbers was brought by my interest in Math. I was thinking of a game that I can also use in my class and at the same time transcends across age level.

What really inspired me to come up with this game are my EC (Exceptional Children) students who are having difficulty understanding the basic Math concepts and to think that they are in 8th Grade.

Goal The goal of this game is to increase the numeracy

and calculation skills of children including adults without using the calculator.

This will also increase their critical thinking skills because they have to device a plan in a way that they will be able to get the highest score possible.

This can also foster team work if your are going to let the children work with a partner or team.

This game will also provide a good way to teach Math skills without being too structured and allowing children to enjoy while learning.

Materials

Cardboard paper

And a

Marker

Construction1. Divide the cardboard

paper into two.2. One part will become

the board and the other half will become the number tiles and task tiles.

3. Create a set of number tiles. I made 3 sets.

4. Number the tiles from 0-9.

5. Create a task tile (Add, Subtract, Divide, Multiply)

Game Rules and Procedures1. Distribute the set of game

tiles to each player. This game can be played in pairs or individually.

2. Each player will pick one number from their set without looking at the numbers.

3. The person with the highest number is the game master and will start the game.

4. The person with the second highest is the next player.

Game Rules and Procedures5. The game master will pick the Math task without looking directly on the task tiles.6. He will announce the task.

Game Rules and Procedures8. The game master will start the game by picking a number in his set of number tiles and place it in the middle of the game board.9. He will then chart his score.

Game Rules and Procedures

10. The next player can now place his best number beside, under or above the first number. He has to make sure that he is looking at the other task embedded into the board game and position his number where he can get a bigger score.11. He then need to log the sum of the first two numbers.

Game Rules and Procedures12. If there is a third player, then the third player just need to position his best number tile in a place where he can get the most numbers and avoiding the tasks that says X 0 (Times Zero) because this will give him a zero.13. He then need to log his total as well.

Variations This game can be played by children starting from first

grade to third grade. One variation could be, just let the kids add and subtract their number tiles without using the game board. The adult can ask the children to pick two numbers from their number tile set and add or subtract them together. The child with the highest number wins.

As the children learns their multiplication and division, the adult can now add the divide and multiply tile tasks.

Older children (Middle School) can now play with the game board.

Where can his game be used or played?

This can be a good board game at home, in school and every where. This game transcends all age groups and gets complicated as the age group increases.