Math Card Games

  As the end of the year approaches and its getting harder for students to sit still, this is a perfect time to integrate card games.  I admit, I don't know any good card games for high school students but there is the internet which has good information.

For students who are not good at their multiplication there is a variation on war that allows them to practice.  The variation is provided by Denise Gaskins in her blog.  She suggests giving each player a double deck with the aces, deuces and tens removed.   As each player turns over a card, the first person with the product gets the two cards.  Continue until done.

This 69 page pdf from The Positive Engagement Project  which has tons of mathematically based games for grades K to 8. I've included it because many times we get students who are not strong in certain basic skills that we have to find time to work on but can't always fit in the actual lesson.   There are several based on fractions, several that require the use of integers, several strategy games, and enough games for the 5 to 8 group that students will not be easily bored and have a chance to work on multiple skills.

This site offers several variations of war which can be used for students who need extra help. The variations focus on fractions, integers, absolute value, plus a few more that will help student practice their skills.  Although the directions tend to be short, they are enough to determine what should be done.

This is a list of 50 fun and interesting middle school games which covers games from apps, to dice, card, computer, or a variety of other forms.  I focused primarily on the card and dice games as those are the ones I am looking for right now.  One of the suggestions is the Algebra Tic-tac-toe game in which students must solve the two step equations before they can put a X or O in the grid. This is a way for them to practice solving two step equations instead of filling out worksheets.  I like many of the games suggested in the card and dice sections.  There is also an Algebra Taboo which focuses on mathematical vocabulary which is an area my students are weak in since they are classified as ELL.


Finally is this huge site of card games covering fractions, prime numbers, order of operations, exponents, and multiplication which can easily be used in a high school classroom.  There is one called exponent battle.  The players turn over the first card which represents the base and the second card is the exponent.  The idea is each student figures out the value of his/her base with exponent and the one with the highest value wins. 

Give the above a look.  Since the school year is coming to an end and many of us have to turn in our technology before the end of the year, some of these games might be fun to play.  I'm going to check out dice games next.