Games and Puzzles that Reach the Kids and Teach the Standards
The title of this post is from a conference session at the California Math Council conference at Asilomar in December, 2009. You may download the handout, with instructions for some activities, through the following link: Games and Puzzles that Reach the Kids and Teach the Standards – download file Puzzles and Games are a great [...]
The Game of Hex – an Online Resource
Here’s a nice online version of the popular strategy game Hex. It’s one of the this collection of 100 JavaScript games to play online. The MathsClass blog mentions it in an April 2009 blog entry. It’s possible to demonstrate how to play Hex to a class if you have an LCD projector, and you can [...]
What Are the Odds of Losing Your Lunch? – A Probability Adventure
Here’s a neat problem recently under discussion in our school district: “Four kids, each with their own lunch, go on a trip. When it’s time to eat, the four identical-looking lunches are mixed up and the kids randomly choose one. what is the probability that exactly one kid gets his own lunch?” This problem is [...]
Friday Afternoon Lifesavers – the Teacher’s Best Friend; Part 6, The Game of Hex
Friday Afternoon Lifesavers are exactly what they sound like: at the end of the week when you and your students are running out of gas, these activities come to the rescue. They are mathematical, engaging, fun, and give the teacher a much-needed break. INTRODUCTION: Hex is a board game played on a grid made of [...]
Friday Afternoon Lifesavers – the Teacher’s Best Friend; Part 5, Leonhard Euler’s 8×8 Knight’s Tour
Friday Afternoon Lifesavers are exactly what they sound like: at the end of the week when you and your students are running out of gas, these activities come to the rescue. They are mathematical, engaging, fun, and give the teacher a much-needed break. Here’s another Knight’s Tour; this one was created by the famous Swiss [...]
KenKen Puzzles – Six New Puzzles for You Each Day from 4×4 to 9×9
I just received word that new daily KenKen puzzles are now available at this kenken.com website. You can choose from small puzzles, such as the 4×4, all the way to the mega-size 9×9 for real KenKen enthusiasts. All the puzzles are rated Medium. This serves as a nice companion to the New York Times KenKen [...]
Friday Afternoon Lifesavers – the Teacher’s Best Friend; Part 2, The Tax Collector
Friday Afternoon Lifesavers are exactly what they sound like: at the end of the week when you and your students are running out of gas, these activities come to the rescue. They are mathematical, engaging, fun, and give the teacher a much-needed break. The Tax Collector is an activity that reinforces the concepts of prime [...]
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