Inspire Math

Target Number (Addition/Subtraction Game) April 8, 2009

●Each player needs two dice.

●Paper and pencil.

Leader rolls his two dice and this becomes the target number.  There are no turns in this game.  All players roll their dice as fast as possible.  The first player to get his sum to equal the target number wins one point.  Keep score on the paper.  First one to 5 or 10 points wins.

Variation #1: Leader rolls his two dice and uses the two numbers to count as a two-digit target number (for example, if the leader rolls a 3 and a 6, the target number could be 63 or 36.)  All players roll their dice as fast as possible.  Then each player will write down the number they get on the paper, then roll again.  The players add the next number to the first number and keep rolling until they get to the target number, without going over.  If the number you rolled will put you over the target number, you just roll again without adding anything.  If you have within one of the target number, you’re out and you can’t win.  For example, if the target number is 36 and you have 32 on your paper and you roll a 6, you just roll again.  If you roll a 3, you’ll have 35, and you’re out because you can’t roll a 1 with

Variation: Leader rolls one dice.  That is the target number.  Everyone else rolls three dice and then has to add and subtract the numbers to get the target number.  For example, if the target number is 2, and the player rolls a 6, 2 and 2, then the player could do this: 6-2=4 and 4-2=2.  Keep rolling all three dice until you can get to the target number.  The winner must explain how they got the target number.

Showdown (Addition/Subtraction Game) April 8, 2009

●4 to 6 sets of 0-9 cards

Deal cards so that each has an equal number in their decks.  All players turn their top card face up and whoever can call out the correct sum of the total of all turned up cards first wins all the cards.  If a player calls out the wrong sum, he must remain quiet while another player tries to give the right answer.  The winner of each play puts his cards on the bottom of the deck.  Game continues until time is called, or one player has all the cards.  This one can get pretty competitive, so watch out!

Variation: Subtraction Showdown.  Using two players, deal half the deck to each person.  Both turn their cards over at the same time.  First player to subtract one from the other and call out the correct difference, wins both cards.

War (Addition/Subtraction Game) April 7, 2009

●4 to 6 sets of 0-9 cards

Deal out an equal number of cards to each player.  Each player places his deck face down in front of him.  When someone says “go” each player takes two cards off their own deck and lays them down face up in front them.  Players should flip over cards at the same time.  Then each player adds the numbers together and calls out their sum.  The one with the highest number wins all the cards in play.  If two or more players have equal sums, those players put two more cards down face up in front of them and then they call out the sum of the two new cards.  The player with the highest sum from the second war wins all the cards in the play, including those from the first war.  If a player calls out the wrong answer, he can’t win, even if he had the highest number.  Play continues until one player captures all the cards on the table, or when time is called.

Variation #1: Use three cards instead of two, and add all of them together.
Variation #2: Instead of addition war, play subtraction war.  Each player subtracts their smaller number from the larger number and the person with the lowest number wins all the cards in play.

Capture (Addition/Subtraction Game) April 7, 2009

●Set of cards that includes a card with each addition or subtraction fact and a card with just the answers on it.

Two players face each other.  One player is the attacker and the other the defender.  Player #1 shows a fact card to player #2.  If player #2 gives the correct answer, he captures that fact card and adds it to his pile.  He keeps capturing cards as long as he can answer them correctly the first time.  When player #2 misses an answer, they switch.  Now player #2 will show the fact cards to player #1, who will answer until he misses.  Play keeps switching until someone captures all the cards.

Slapdown (Addition/Subtraction Game) April 6, 2009

●Set of cards that includes a card with each addition or subtraction fact and a card with just the answers on it.

This game is very similar to Math-It.  Select ten fact cards and their answer cards.  Place all the answer cards face up on the table/floor.  Hold the fact cards in your hand and slap them down onto the correct answer card as fast as possible.

Concentration (Addition/Subtraction Game) April 6, 2009

●Set of cards that includes a card with each addition or subtraction fact and a card with just the answers on it.

Separate the cards into two decks – facts and answers.

Variation 1: Place all the fact cards on the table face up and all the answer cards on the table face up.  Take turns finding matches.
Variation 2: Place all the fact cards face down on the left side and all the answer cards face down on the right side.  Take turns trying to find a match.
Person with most matches wins.

Cover Up (Addition/Subtraction Game) April 6, 2009

●3 dice
●Beans, bingo chips or squares of paper
●A piece of paper (or you can make these permanent) with one of each of the numbers from 1 to 18 written randomly all over the paper.

Taking turns, each player rolls two or three dice (depending on which numbers he has left to cover.)  The player can add or subtract the numbers to equal one of the numbers on the paper.  The player places a bean, bingo chip or square of paper to cover up the number on the paper.  If the player can’t cover a number on his roll, then he loses his turn and passes the dice to the next player.  The first player to cover up all the numbers wins.

Dominoes (Addition/Subtraction Game) April 5, 2009

● Set of dominoes
(Domino sets vary in how high the numbers are – you can get double 6 sets, double 9 and double 12 sets.  That just tells highest value of a domino in the set.   For example, the double 6 set’s highest value will be 6 dots on each side.)

Put the dominoes in a container.  The first player pulls a domino out and adds up the dots.  The next player does the same.  Keep a running score.  Play five rounds and see who gets the highest score.