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Goal

My goal is to enhance learning, increase engagement, and make math more enjoyable by incorporating math-based games into my daily lessons. 

What will be done with my students

The grant materials will be used to create innovative and collaborate math games and activities that will be used to increase student participation, engagement, and learning.

Here are some of the unlimited ways I plan to use these items to create excitement and enhance learning:

The potato stress toy would be the perfect item to use to play a variation of the game Hot Potato. Students would quickly pass around the potato stress toy. When a student drops the potato, they would solve a math problem.
Many games involve the creation of task cards. There are also many games that can be created from card stock and a printer, such as Bingo. To create these items, I am asking for a thermal laminator. This will preserve the items so they can be used time after time.
A prize wheel could be used for the obvious purpose of choosing prizes for game winners, but I can think of many other uses as well. One of the 6th grade benchmarks is multiplying decimals. Various numbers containing decimals could be written on each section of the prize wheel. Students could spin the wheel to determine the factors they would multiply.
The dart board, with sticky balls instead of darts, is a fun way to determine points awarded in various math games. We could also use the numbers on the board as factors or divisors in math problems.
The plastic jewels and mini treasure chests can be used in a pirate themed game where students earn jewels by completing math problems and store them in the treasure chests.
One way I would like to use mini beanbags involves the sixth-grade skill of comparing rational numbers. On the floor would be three mats, one with the less than symbol, one with the greater than symbol, and one with the equal sign. Students would be given two numbers and would toss the beanbag onto the symbol that correctly compares the numbers.
Magnetic blocks would enhance a current favorite game of my students called Attack! In this game students are divided in groups to complete math problems. Each group draws a castle on the whiteboard. If a group gets an answer correct they get to attack another group’s castle by marking it with an X. After a predetermined number of attacks on their castle, a group is eliminated. They can no longer win the game, but they can still get revenge by attacking other group’s castles. Blocks would provide an extra level of excitement by allowing students to quickly build their group’s castle out of blocks rather than simply drawing it.
Fly swatters can be used for Math Smackdown. In this game, students use the flyswatters to swat the correct answers, which would be posted around the room.
The rubber chicken would be used for a game called Pass the Chicken. In this game, students would be arranged in a circle and a student would be asked a math question. The other students would pass the chicken. The goal is to answer the math questions correctly before the chicken is passed back to the original student.
Sticky hands provide a fun way to grab task cards. Instead of choosing a math problem or task card off the top of a stack, students can spread them out and use a sticky hand to grab one.
Dry erase paddles would be valuable additions to many math games and activities. Students can use the paddle boards to show math work and answers. They can hold up the paddles when it is time to share answers.
Acrylic paint pens (to write on the dice), blank white dice, blank colored dice, and blank dry erase blocks could be used to create customized math dice to be used in a multitude of ways. My first thought is to create dice that include both positive and negative numbers. These dice could then be used to roll the numbers used in an expression to be solved by the students.
The treasure chest with a lock would be a great addition to an escape room. In an escape room, students solve various math tasks to “escape” a fictional scenario. Many times, this involves finding a key. The treasure chest is perfect because it includes a working lock and key.
The gold coins, bingo counting chips, mini pigs, and rubber ducks would be great for adding novelty to math tasks such as ordering rational numbers and solving problems involving ratios. Various numbers could be written on the objects and students would be tasked with placing them in order from least to greatest. To add extra difficulty, students could do this task in groups without any talking. The ducks and pigs could be used in various quantities to set up ratios.
The wireless game buzzer would allow students to participate in game show variations. Groups would press the buzzer when they want to answer a question.
A game my students love is Flip the Frog. In this game, students are in small groups. They practice solving math problems and checking their answers with the group. When it is a student’s turn, they have the opportunity to “flip the frog” and take the frog toy away from its current holder. The student with the frog at the end of the game is the winner.

Lastly, to fit all of these exciting new items and keep them organized, I am asking for storage totes and bags.
 

Benefits to my students

This grant will benefit my students in unlimited ways. Not only will these games allow students opportunities for collaboration, they offer unique and engaging ways to do math which will strengthen mathematical knowledge and understanding. The potential to create various games and activities with these items is unlimited and will affect every standard taught. Students will show growth on the Math FAST from PM1 to PM3.

The items I plan to purchase are rubber pig toys, a potato stress toy, rubber ducks, plastic frogs, a prize wheel, a dart board, fake plastic jewels, pirate treasure chests, bean bags, magnetic blocks, fly swatters, a rubber chicken, sticky hands, dry erase paddles, acrylic paint pens, scratch off stickers, storage bags and totes, a storage cart with drawers, blank dice, transparent bingo chips, mini suction cup balls, a wireless game buzzer, gold coins, and a laminator. 

Budget Narrative

1 - Rubber Pig Toys ($15.95)
1 - Potato Stress Toy ($8.11)
1 - Rubber Ducks ($42.99)
1 - Plastic Frogs ($7.99)
1 - Prize Wheel ($39.95)
1 - Dart Board with Sticky Balls ($16.99)
1 - Fake Plastic Jewels ($12.99)
1 - Miniature Treasure Chests ($13.99)
1 - Mini Bean Bags ($23.99)
2 - Magnetic Blocks ($27.99 each)
4 - Hand Shaped Fly Swatters ($5.99 each)
1 - Rubber Chicken ($4.96)
1 - Dry Erase Paddles ($47.99)
1 - Acrylic Paint Pens ($13.99)
2 - Rectangle Scratch Off Labels ($17.99 each)
1 - Small Mesh Zipper Bags ($17.99)
1 - Large Mesh Zipper Bags ($21.99)
1 - Dry Erase Blocks ($25.99)
1 - Blank White Dice ($10.49)
1 - Blank Colored Dice ($14.99)
1 - Transparent Bingo Chips ($10.99)
1 - Mini Suction Cup Ball Toys ($14.99)
1 - Wireless Quiz Buzzer System ($215.99)
1 - Pirate Chest with Lock ($27.99)
1 - Scotch Pro Thermal Laminator ($50.15)
1 - 20 Drawer Storage Cart ($79.99)
1 - Deep Storage Container ($31.97)
1 - 2.7 Qt Stacking Storage Bins ($29.99)
1 - 6 Quart Storage Bins ($38.46) 

Items