Game Promotion

One of my treats the last few years has be to teach a section of a course originated by Char Beckman, a senior seminar to make classroom math games. We dig into examples, come up with criteria to evaluate them, design and playtest.

One of the assignments is to make a video for an existing math game which has no video that they can find. Here are the videos from last Winter's designers - after too long a delay for which I apologize. If you're interested in the course, here's the course page.

Upcoming posts will feature their original games - with a lot of amazing work.  Are there games for which you would like to see a video? Leave a comment! I've got another group this fall.

Caleb Anderson - Safe or Sorry

Safe or Sorry is a push your luck dice game that emphasizes multiples. He explains, "I would like people to know of this game because of the simplicity of the game and that this game requires no skill. I think teachers should use this game for those who need to learn how to skip count by 5’s and if teachers are using probability. Safe or sorry has little to no strategy, so students don’t have advantages. This way, one student cannot be particularly good at the game because it is all based on chance. I think this game would be beneficial to students for those struggling with addition and also skip counting. Plus, since there is no strategy the game is more fair." So there's *no* strategy? I also like how this can be adapted to other multiples.

Original post: Safe or Sorry

Heather Anderson - Bad Calculators

Heather Anderson made this video to explain the one person web-based math game Bad Calculators. She says, "‘Bad Calculators’ is a web game that is a really useful tool for developing arithmetic ability. Because the game uses specific operations and moves per level, players use arithmetic creatively which allows them to have unique practice with their skills. I feel this game is easily distinguishable from some other math games because it has obstacles players must work past, but also because it gets increasingly more difficult the longer a player plays. Another aspect of this game that caught my attention was the fact that players are able to use their possible moves in any combination and/or order they choose (for most levels) because there is no penalty for the number of steps it takes to complete a level. This game has a lot of factors that non-math games have, which makes it appealing to players. Yet, it includes a lot of crucial, foundational ideas in mathematics which makes it a very impactful math game as well." Play the game at https://www.badcalculators.com/

Arianna Ayers - Make and Take

Arianna Ayers made this video for an upper elementary/middle school math game on mixed operations. (It's the first of several games from Nicholas Smith on this list. He's a GVSU grad who was - and still is - always willing to make and playtest games.) She says, "Make and Take is a great game that incorporates using number operations to create combinations of playing cards. This game is fun, engaging, and requires strategy. There’s also an element of surprise because the players do not know which cards they will be dealt from the deck. In addition, the rules are simple and easy to understand. All you need is a deck of playing cards and at least two people, and you’ve got a recipe for a fun game night!"

Original blogpost: Make and Take

Danielle Jurcich - Card Catch

Danielle Jurcich shows how to play Card Catch, a number and operation math game with playing cards, another made with Nicholas Smith. She says, "I chose to make a video about Card Catch because I really liked the idea that a teacher could simply have playing cards in their classroom and be able to play this game. The game can be played with between four and six people, so it is very interactive. Plus, the team aspect gets students to work together and even be able to devise a strategy for each card they lay down." Rules handout: Card Catch Handout

Cameron Morgan - Treasure Hunt

Cameron Morgan demonstrates Treasure Hunt, a Battleship style math game for integers. She says, "Treasure hunt is a math game that only requires the downloadable game sheet. This game allows students to use addition and subtraction while also practicing the number line model. Treasure Hunt is a great game to play in the classroom because it has many aspects that make a good game some examples being good interaction, good rules, and inertia. There is plenty of interaction between player 1 and 2 such that their moves against each other affect the game. The rules are not too easy or hard and if one was to think they were too easy there is also an accelerated version. The game does not last two long and would make students want to keep playing to see if they can win the next time. Overall this is a great game that helps students with addition or subtraction without being super overwhelming or competitive for them."

Gameboard is here: Treasure Hunt Gameboard (but it is easily played with pen and paper)

Olivia Sassanelli - Tug of War

Olivia Sassanelli started out making a video for a math game by me, but ended up making her own twist on it. She notes, "This game is a good game for younger students who are learning basic addition and subtraction of whole numbers (both positive and negative). For the content of this game, the students can focus on whether or not they want to add or subtract. This game also focuses on using strategy depending on which variation the students decide to play. This game is a super basic and simple game to play at the end of a lesson or to even play during class a few times. This game is quick to play so it works as a game students can play if there is time at the end of a lesson as well. The set up is very simple and the supplies are typically supplies you have laying around the classroom. Overall, this game has good content for the students with practicing basic addition and subtraction and also a super basic set up. I highly recommend this game because the feedback I received from students as well was very positive and the students generally enjoyed the game too!"

Original game: Tug of War (original) (Has a bit more interaction and back and forth.)

Kayla Shirah - Honeycomb

Kayla Shirah demonstrates Honeycomb, another Nick Smith math game collaboration on integer operations. She explains, "Honestly, reading the instructions I was a little confused. The visuals on the game instructions on what to do if you rolled a negative number was helpful but it was confusing to remember to flip the sign of the number you are multiplying by and by how ever many of the number you rolled. It made sense once I played the game with my fiance. With this being confusing at first to me as a college student, I thought well there isn’t a video on this game so I’ll make one. It had materials that I knew I had in my house, two different colored dice, a coin, the game board. Which this would be ideal for a student or teacher to play as well. I liked how the game wasn’t too long in playing time as well. I loved playing this game, it was fun and interactive for both players the whole time. It also had an element of catch up if a player rolls a high number due to chance. I thought it would be helpful to show an example of game play when you first start out because you can only add a number onto the board. As well as show an example of multiplying by an existing number on the board, since that is what I think the reader of the instructions needed clarity on. I also wanted to visually show that you can only multiply in a straight line if possible. This game is a great simple material math game that can be played many times by lots of students. This game gives students an opportunity to make choices during each turn even though they have the chance of rolling the dice as well. Overall, honeycomb is an awesome game to get students to remember how fun it is to use positive and negative numbers in addition and multiplication." Handout with rules and gameboard: Honeycomb Gameboard and Rules. Nick says about this one - "This is the game I'm most proud of. I'd love to see this developed as an app. My original intent was to make it a 3d stacking game where the tiles flip black/white."