Archive for September 1st, 2010

5 Dice/Number Cubes Games and Guided Math

Posted on September 1, 2010. Filed under: Differentiated Instruction, virtual manipulatives | Tags: center boards, dice, virtual manipulatives |

Talk about a great manipulative with endless possibilities. Dice games are great because they can be based on skill, luck or planning (http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/dice_game_score_charts.htm). I am just going to discuss 5 great ways to use dice (or as many districts prefer  on calling them: number cubes).  I especially like dice games because you can differentiate the lessons by differentiating the dice.

1. Virtual Dice!!! This is soooo cool! You can roll them and play all kinds of games with your students. For example, roll them and ask for students to name all the different ways to make the sum that comes up. (You’re really playing the equivalent name game.)

http://www.curriculumbits.com/prodimages/details/maths/mat0005.html

http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks1/maths/dice/

http://dice.virtuworld.net/

http://www.random.org/dice/?num=2

Roll and Compare Sum or Product Template: http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/dice_game_score_charts.htm

3. Roll and make the biggest or lowest number you can http://www.unpracticalmath.com/applets/virtual_dice.html

4. Questions to think about:

A. What number did you roll?

B. Spell it.

C. Write a number that is one more (the number after)

D. One less (the number before)

E. Equal to ( 2 +3 = 4 +1)

F. Add Ten More. Spell that number.

G. What number is ten less? Spell that number.

H. Tell a number story about these dice/ this number

I. Is the number or sum odd or even and why?

J. If I was skip counting by 2’s, (or 5’s, or 10’s) would I say this number?

K. How far away from a ten is this number?

L. What happens if we double this number?

M. Add lucky 8 to this number (remember how to add 8’s quick)

N. Add lucky 9 to this number (remember how to add 9’s quick)

O. Add zero to this number. What happens anytime we add zero?

5. Fact Family Templates (Remember this is practice at the abstract level)

http://mathwire.com/strategies/matsff.html

http://mathwire.com/templates/factfamily.pdf

UEN also has a great fact family dice template.

Management Tip: Make a tumbler out of 2 plastic clear (see through) cups sealed with tape around the middle. Put the dice in the tumbler (I get foam dice to decrease noise level). NO MORE DICE ON THE FLOOR. Students look in the tumbler and read the number at the bottom or the number that is showing! Works like a charm everytime.
Resources: Favorite Dice Supplier: http://www.boxcarsandoneeyedjacks.com/

I also buy these large, foam, multicolored dice that have numbers up to at least 10 on them from the Oriental Trading Company.  They are great for differentiation.

Please write in about your favorite dice games!  The first 7 people to leave a comment about this post and dice games you use in the classroom will receive a packet of 10 really cool classroom dice:)