Free Game Spinner (1-8)
Odd Bods!
Game Set-Up:
Spinners at the ready!
Decide How Many Rounds Will Be Played
What You Need:
A game spinner
2 or more players
How to Play:
- Player One spins the spinner twice. If a resulting number is EVEN take it at face value. If the number is ODD then multiply it by 10 (e.g. if they threw a 2 & a 5 the 2 would stay 2 but the 5 would become 50).
- Next Player One multiplies the two numbers to get their product.
- Player 2 Repeats step 1 and 2.
How to Win a Round:
The player’s score for the round is the product. The highest number wins.
How to Win the Game:
- The player with the most points at the end of a set number of rounds wins.
Tips:
- Students will find multiplying two multiples of ten trickiest. Encourage them to begin with the times table fact, then make one of the units ten times bigger, and then the other (i.e. 2 x 3 = 6, 2 x 30 = 60, 20 x 30 = 600). Understanding is more important than speed!
- Use ten sticks as a kinesthetic and visual means of representing calculations during the game.
- Begin with a 1-5 spinner to limit the need for times tables knowledge and increase focus on place value understanding. Alternatively, extend to a 1-12 spinner for more challenges in both departments.
Variations:
- Play by multiplying odd numbers by 100.
- Play by multiplying even numbers by 10 and odd numbers by 100.
- Have a target for players to aim for e.g. 10 000. Players keep a running total of their scores at the end of each round, and the first to reach the target wins.
- Add calculators to the game as a way of confirming the answer, not as a crutch.
