WEEK EIGHT: 11/11

DIV I & DIV II had fun today with EARTHQUAKE play while DIV III students started learning their third game.

EARTHQUAKE play gives the kids ample opportunity to play all the games they have learned and with several different friends, by mixing the kids up among the various seats and tables mid-game. When the coach says “EARTHQUAKE” the children finish their turns and then move to a different table. Then they pick up where someone else’s game left off (a different game then the one they were just playing) and they resume that game with a new opponent.

This gives our students opportunities to play the games one-on-one (remember we have been learning these games with partners) without fear that they will lose every game to another student. During instruction we mix grades so older students can help younger students learn strategies, but during this exercise we match grade students so a 2nd grader plays a 2nd grader--just as it will be at tournament.

DIV I: EARTHQUAKE play with CALLA & HEX-A-GONE.

DIV II: EARTHQUAKE play with FIAR & PAR 55.

DIV III: The third game our 4th and 5th graders are learning is JUGGLE.
"In this game players “juggle” polyominoes in order to be the first to complete their 9x9 grid-like gameboards. The roll of two dice determines which pieces are selected from five different types of polyominoes, including pentomioes and tetrominoes. In the process of playing the game students develop a deeper understanding of mathematical relationships involving area, perimeter, and transformational geometry (flips, turns, and slides). Spatial and logical reasoning skills are enhanced as students try to balance probability and chance, as well as numerical and structural relationships." -- www.mathpentath.org