Tuesday, November 25, 2008
WEEK TEN: 11/25
This week Math Pentathlon students in all divisions spent the afternoon playing their current game for more hands-on experience. Have a super Thanksgiving Holiday!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
WEEK NINE: 11/18
REMINDER: There will be Math Pentathlon Class on 11/25.
DIV I: Started learning the third game, SHAPE UP.
"The game of Shape Up integrates fact families with geometric shape recognition, attributes, spatial visualization, and directionality. The former two abilities relate to the goal of Shape Up. The Shape Up game board is comprised of a connected network of circles which each contain a large or small version of a geometric shape. There are eight different shapes which are rotated and shaded in different ways. To win the game, students are to position one of their chips on the small version and the other chip on the large version of the same shape. What enriches this task is that in order to win students are to focus on the attributes of shape and size and disregard the rotation and shading of the shape. Chip movement is based on the roll of a die. Students choose to move one or both of their chips up or down on either side of the game board. Strategic play is based on using fact families effectively to determine better options." -- www.mathpentath.org
DIV II: Started learning the third game, KWATRO-SINKO.
"Both computational and spatial reasoning are required in this alignment game where chips are moved along the game board’s connected horizontal, vertical, and diagonal pathways. One player has five even numbered chips and the other, five odd-numbered chips. The goal of the game is to create a spatial and numerical alignment, which results in an answer of four or five. To play this game effectively students must know many number sentence combinations of adding two even chips and subtracting an odd numbered chip (or vise-versa) to get an answer of four or five." -- www.mathpentath.org
DIV III: Continued learning JUGGLE.
DIV I: Started learning the third game, SHAPE UP.
"The game of Shape Up integrates fact families with geometric shape recognition, attributes, spatial visualization, and directionality. The former two abilities relate to the goal of Shape Up. The Shape Up game board is comprised of a connected network of circles which each contain a large or small version of a geometric shape. There are eight different shapes which are rotated and shaded in different ways. To win the game, students are to position one of their chips on the small version and the other chip on the large version of the same shape. What enriches this task is that in order to win students are to focus on the attributes of shape and size and disregard the rotation and shading of the shape. Chip movement is based on the roll of a die. Students choose to move one or both of their chips up or down on either side of the game board. Strategic play is based on using fact families effectively to determine better options." -- www.mathpentath.org
DIV II: Started learning the third game, KWATRO-SINKO.
"Both computational and spatial reasoning are required in this alignment game where chips are moved along the game board’s connected horizontal, vertical, and diagonal pathways. One player has five even numbered chips and the other, five odd-numbered chips. The goal of the game is to create a spatial and numerical alignment, which results in an answer of four or five. To play this game effectively students must know many number sentence combinations of adding two even chips and subtracting an odd numbered chip (or vise-versa) to get an answer of four or five." -- www.mathpentath.org
DIV III: Continued learning JUGGLE.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
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
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
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
WEEK SEVEN: 11/4
Math Club T-Shirts were distributed today and they look AWESOME! Thanks again to Betsy Melton for submitting the winning design. FBE will definitely stand out at tournament.
DIV I: In Hex-a-Gone, strategy primarily comes into play when the game board is almost completely filled, at which time players must think a few turns ahead so that they can guarantee that they play the final piece for the win. Todays investigations helped kids focus on that strategy.
DIV II: PAR 55 is a race to 55 on the game board and the key is to determine where to place a block from the bank on the board so that you can maximize the number of spaces you are allowed to move. Exercises in class today focused on that as well as recognizing how to get a certain score that might be needed to win or "bump" an opponent.
DIV III: An EARTHQUAKE Game Play day, these students were able to play both CONTIG 60 and FAB-A-DIFFY to practice the games and have fun!
DIV I: In Hex-a-Gone, strategy primarily comes into play when the game board is almost completely filled, at which time players must think a few turns ahead so that they can guarantee that they play the final piece for the win. Todays investigations helped kids focus on that strategy.
DIV II: PAR 55 is a race to 55 on the game board and the key is to determine where to place a block from the bank on the board so that you can maximize the number of spaces you are allowed to move. Exercises in class today focused on that as well as recognizing how to get a certain score that might be needed to win or "bump" an opponent.
DIV III: An EARTHQUAKE Game Play day, these students were able to play both CONTIG 60 and FAB-A-DIFFY to practice the games and have fun!
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