Yesterday, I ran a review for the upcoming test in my Algebra I class. I had 5 minutes left, so I divided students up into groups of two, scribbled equations on pieces of paper, crumbled them up and threw them at the students. Their job was to work the problems on the paper until they got an answer. When they brought the paper to me, I collected it and passed it out to a different student to check. All the students were involved and active.
I vaguely remember reading about this somewhere, sometime in the past and it worked. The students had a lot of fun. Another way I could have done this was to have each student find an equation from the book and write it on a sheet of paper. Then they could make a paper airplane from that paper and once everyone was done, they could fly the airplane to another person. When the person got the airplane, they could open it up, solve the problem, write a new problem on it, fold it back into an airplane and send it off to someone else. This could go on for several times so each student works a problem and adds to it.
I love keeping a set of index cards in my drawer for a couple of quick games. For the first one, I've written a problem on the front with an answer on the back. The answer does not go with the problem and I have just enough pairs for the students. The idea is that each student is given one index card and they have to solve the problem on the front. Once they have the answer, they have to find the person who has the answer. I usually set it up so the problems and answers are in pairs. For instance, on one I might have 2x + 1 = 7 one the front of one card with 5 on the back. On another card, the front has the equation 3x + 1 = 16 with 3 on the. back and they would pair up.
Another quick game is a math version of Tic-Tac-Toe. It doesn't take much to have a few grids set up and ready to go. The idea is that two students are given a Tic-Tac-Toe grid filled with problems. One student is designated as the starter and they choose a square to start such as the upper left corner. This student solves the equation and checks their answer to prove it is correct. Once they've proven it correct, they mark off the square with a circle or x. The second student takes a turn, choosing a square and solving the problem on the square. If they prove the answer is correct, they put down their mark and the students continue until they win or it's a draw.
There is also the QR code game which has a bunch of cards. Each card has an equation with two QR codes on it. One of the codes provides the answer and the other tells the students how many points they get if they got the correct answer. So students work in small groups and one student selects a card. They work the problem and once they have an answer, they check the answer. If their answer is correct, they check the points and add it to their total but if they are wrong, they have to put the card back in the stack and a different student selects a card and works the problem. They continue until they have finished all the cards or the teacher calls time. The winner is the one with the most points.
The last one provides a physical result that students can see. Create sheets of strips of paper with equations and cut them up. The first strip has a problem on it and the student works it to find the answer. They look for the answer on another strip, place it under the first strip and work the problem on the strip to find the answer. They again look for the matching answer, place it under the previous strip, complete the problem, and look for the answer on a different strip. The student continues working through all the strips until they reach the strip that says finish. When they have all the strips in order, they have the teacher check the work and if it ok'd as fully correct, they take the strips and make paper chains out of them. The chains can be put together with other student's chains, until it reaches around the room.
It is always nice to have a few quick games available to take care of those odd bits of time that pop up or you need something to get students engaged or liven class up. Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear. Have a great day.
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