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Goal

Create an interactive tabletop game to teach math standards, probability, and critical thinking 

 

Category

Learning Aids - Sunshine state book sets, robotics kits, puzzle boards, science models, engineering supplies, etc. 

 

What will be done with my students

Students will compete together in a tabletop game of storytelling and strategy. Players will go on an adventure while assuming the role of different unique characters like powerful warriors or clever wizards. Each character will have different strengths and abilities, but ultimately their success depends on accurately performing math equations. The teacher will introduce the rules and expectations each session with a group of 7-8 students. The game can be played at a large table with a playing mat, dice, action cards and plastic miniatures. Students will receive a character sheet which displays statistics and unique multistep math expressions. The dice are used to randomly generate numbers which the students must then accurately add, subtract, multiply or divide. As players progress through the campaign, the monsters they face become more ferocious and their math equations become more challenging. Fluency, accuracy, mathematical reasoning, and teamwork are key to survive each campaign!

Initially, the teacher will act as the “gamemaster” while teaching students the rules and procedures but eventually each session can be entirely student-led. Sessions can be interspersed in 20min small-group activities throughout the week as a form of math enrichment.
 

 

Benefits to my students

The curriculum and problems attached to each adventure are based on specific math standards. Campaigns align to 4th and 5th grade Number Sense and Operations standards:
4.NSO 1.1 Express how values change as they move left/right on the place value chart
4.NSO 2.1 Recall multiplication factors up to 12
4.NSO 2.3 Multiply multidigit whole numbers (2-digits)
5.NSO 2.1 Multiply multidigit whole numbers (3-digits)
5.NSO. 2.4 Explore the effect of multiplying or dividing numbers with decimals.
5.AR 2.1 Translate mathematical descriptions into numerical expressions
5.AR 2.2 Use order of operations to evaluate multistep expressions

Students will solve multistep math problems to perform actions within the game. They will use sets of whiteboards to record their algorithms and share the final answers with the party. Progress through each campaign is also tracked on their own character details sheet. This provides students with a fun form of record-keeping and displays their mastery of each standard. The game might be full of exciting fantasy elements, but their mathematical progress is real. This game is an adventurous way to engage some of our higher-performing groups of students without burdening them with extra busy-work. We expect to see a measured increase from the aforementioned math standards on the FAST PM2 and PM3 tests. The biggest focus within the game is to improve procedural reliability when performing multistep math equations. Students must be certain to check their work so their in-game characters can finish their quest.

I will purchase materials to build campaign kits which can be reused with new players over the years. Each kit will include the playing mat, sets of dice, whiteboards, setting pieces, miniature character pieces, action cards and character sheets. (The curriculum, scenario, setting and character sheets are homemade and do not need to be purchased- just printed. I have completed a small-scale version of this activity with groups of students, but I would like to increase the depth and complexity to reach a larger audience.  

 

Budget Narrative

This grant will be used to purchase materials to build reusable game kits for 5-6 separate campaigns. Each kit will include sets of dice, dry-erase game boards, plastic miniatures for characters, monsters and terrain. Each game kit will also include printed character sheets, game tokens, story cards, dry-erase boards and markers (enough for a group of about 7-8 players.)

Item Groups Breakdown:
Board Game Hex and Square Dry Erase Grid Maps ≈ $200.00
Polyhedral Dice Sets (40 bags) ≈ $46.00
2D-Miniature plastic game pieces ≈ $250.00
Dry Erase Boards (set of 25) ≈ $40.00
Heavy Duty Sheet Protectors ≈ $24.00
Cardstock for printing reusable game assets ≈ $60.00
Plastic Storage Bins ≈ $40.00 

 

Items