Math can be a hard buy-in for students. That’s why having fun activities like math games to engage students can be just what your classroom needs! Today, I’m going to tell you how you can use the card game “War” to help students with number sense as well as their math facts.
Using Math Games to Teach Number Sense
To teach number sense with this math game, all you need to do is have students play traditional “War.” When I give students a deck of cards, I typically take out the face cards and sometimes I take out the 10 as well. Students are put into pairs and given a premade deck of cards. One student divides the deck in half and the other student chooses which half they want. Then they start to play “War.”
What Traditional War Looks Like
Each student has half the deck of cards. They flip over the top card and whoever has the largest number wins both cards. If both players flip over the same card, that means war! There are two ways this can be handled. The first way is to flip the next card and whoever has the biggest number gets all four cards. Otherwise, students can put down three cards face down and flip the next card. Whoever has the largest number flipped, gets all the cards.
The game ends when time is up or when one person has the entire deck of cards in his/her hands. This method is great for reinforcing number sense because students have to know which numbers are higher and which are lower. Obviously, this starts with recognizing what the number is. What I love about using cards is students can always count how many symbols are on the card to help them. This means there is simple differentiation built into the game.
Add with the Math Game: War
Another way to use the math game “War” in your classroom is to have students do some adding. Instead of having students flip a card and take the card if his/her card is higher, students have to add. In this, both students flip over their card and whoever adds them up faster wins. In this version of the game, there isn’t an opportunity for “war” to happen because even if there are doubles, students just say whatever the sum is.
If you have students who are at different levels, you can have students flip over two cards and add them together. Then, whoever has the largest sum, wins the round. During this math game, it’s important for students to practice their oral language and talk it out. This would mean saying what the sum is and which sum has the higher value.
This addition game is so fun and can be paired with regrouping to help students practice a variety of strategies.
Multiplication War
Multiplication War is a great game to play to challenge students who are ready to move forward with their math facts. Much like the addition math game, students will flip over two cards and multiply the numbers together. This can take more time and might be for higher level students.
Math can be a difficult for students to conquer. Using math games to help students practice their skills can be a great way to get some extra practice in and have some fun while doing it! Plus, you can use these games in a variety of ways in your classroom like in your centers. Try these War games to challenge your students and differentiate instruction.
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