math games rule

After introducing some games into my math instructional routine, the kids are totally eating up my homemade math games. At first they resisted (what, you want us to do math for FUN?), but now they BEG to play the square roots game.

What is the square roots game, you ask?

Why nothing more than some totally ghetto flash cards that I made with cut up squares made out of recyled cereal boxes (lasts way longer than index cards, and free) with square roots written on the blank side. As long as everyone's done with their work and we have at least two players, it's on. Kids that aren't even in 8th grade math want to get in on it, so I give them calculators and show them how to get the answers so they can play too. (I figure the practice won't hurt the seventh graders a bit--and when they do it again next year, they oughta be champs). So whenever we finish work early, they start pleading to play the game.

The way it works is I put down a card, and the first kid who gets the right answer keeps the card (so you don't have to keep track of any points). If it's a tie, I keep the card, and shuffle it back in for later. At the end, we count up the cards, and whoever has the most gets to pick something out of the assorted candy stash as a prize. Then we play another round. Because it's SPED, I let them all use calculators because it levels the playing field for everyone, and not all the numbers are even, but they've played it enough that they're starting to memorize the ones that do come out even, so my goal (memorization and recognition) are being met...

I have another version of a square roots game where they roll my game dice and give me the square of the resulting number. This works nicely because the sum is usually a 7, 8, or 9, which are the numbers they have the most trouble with anyway. It's a bit harder, but they like that one too.

Either way, they are getting LOTS of practice with square roots and having a good time as well. Go figure.