Script for Bingo Investigation
(Stage directions are given in italics)

Part 1

Narrator - Once upon a time, Jamie and Lucy were sitting in their granny's front room. Their parents had gone to Spain on holiday, and had left the two children behind.

Jamie - I'm REEAALLY fed up. There's nothing to do here.
Lucy - Yeah, I wish that Mum and Dad were home.
Jamie - Yeah, then we could play on the PC. I could beat you at Tomb Raider again!
Lucy (argues) - Oh no you couldn't. I always beat you.
Jamie - Don't!
Lucy - Do!
Jamie - Don't, Don't, Don't!
Lucy - Do, Do, Do!
Narrator - The children start to fight and Granny comes in to see what is the matter.

(Granny enters the room)

Granny - I do wish you children would be quiet. What's the matter now?
Jamie - She started it.
Lucy - Didn't!
Jamie - Did!
Lucy - Didn't, Didn't, Didn't!
Jamie - Did, Did, Did!
Granny (angry) - SHUT UP! If you can't play quietly, then you can do some cleaning for me.
Jamie - No! We'll be alright now Granny. You get back to your knitting.

(Granny leaves. The children wait for a few moments and look bored)

Lucy - There's nothing to do.
Jamie - Let's see what's on the telly.
Lucy - There won't be anything on. It's Sunday afternoon. There's never any children's programmes on, on a Sunday afternoon.

(Jamie switches on the TV)

Lucy - See. I told you. You never listen to me.
Jamie - That's because you never have anything good to say.
Lucy - Do!
Jamie - Don't!
Lucy - Do!
Jamie - Oh, let's not get into another argument. I don't want to do any cleaning for Granny.
Lucy - Alright, but what can we do. There's nothing on TV and the weather outside is horrible, so we can't play in the garden. Granny hasn't got any toys to play with either.

(Granny comes in)

Jamie - Granny.
Granny - Yes Jamie.
Jamie - Can you get us a Playstation?
Jamie and Lucy (together) - PPPLLLEEEAAASSSEEE!
Granny - No I can't. When I was a little girl, we didn't have any Play-wotsits or Nintendo sixty-thingamajigs. We had to make up our own games.
Jamie - Like what?
Granny - We used to sing songs together.
Jamie and Lucy (together) - SING! We can't sing!
Granny - Why don't you look in that cupboard over there. I think there's a few old games in there that you might be able to play with.

(Granny leaves)

Jamie - Come on then, let's have a look.

(They walk over to the cupboard)

Narrator - Lucy opens the door and finds a dusty old box.
Lucy - Hey, look. Here's a really old game of Bingo.
Jamie - Bingo? What's that?
Lucy - It's a game. There are 99 balls, and on each ball there is a number from 1 to 99. Someone picks out a ball, calls out the number, and the other players see of they have got it written down on their cards. If they have, they can cover the number up. When they have covered up a line, they have to shout BINGO and they win.
Jamie - That sounds really boring.
Lucy - Well it must be better than sitting here moaning.
Jamie - Alright then, open the box and let's see what's inside.
Lucy - Oh No! Most of the balls are missing. There are only balls 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 here.
Jamie - Oh well, we won't be able to play that silly game then.
Lucy (calls out to Granny) - Granny, do you know where the rest of the Bingo balls are?

(Granny enters the room)

Granny - No, I don't . Why don't you make some more?
Lucy - But we haven't got any balls to write the numbers on.

(Pause for a few seconds while Granny thinks)

Granny - Oh I know. Why don't you do a Maths investigation. See if you can make the numbers on the missing balls from the numbers on the balls you do have.
Jamie and Lucy (together) - Yeah. Thanks Granny.

(Granny leaves the room)

Jamie - Right, let's start at 1 and see if we can find all of the numbers up to 99. Let's think of some rules first. (Pauses and thinks). I know - You can only use adding, taking away, multiplying and dividing and...
Lucy - You can only use each number once.
Jamie - Yeah. That should make it a little harder.

(Lucy and Jamie write the numbers 1 to 10 in a vertical line on the board)

Lucy - O.K. We have got numbers 1 to 5 already so we can tick them (Ticks numbers 1 to 5)
Jamie - How can we make 6? (Pauses) I know - 5 add 1 is 6 (Writes 6 = 5 add 1 on board) That was easy!
Lucy - 7? - 5 add 2. 8 is 5 add 3, and 9 is 5 add 4. 10 is 5 add 5 (Writes these sums on board).
Jamie - NO - You can only use each number once remember. 10 can be 5 add 4 add 1.
Lucy - This is going to take ages. We need some help.

(Jamie and Lucy turn to the class)

Jamie and Lucy (together) - Will you help us? (Wait for the class to answer)
Jamie and Lucy (together) - I didn't hear anything. Did you? (look at each other). We said WILL YOU HELP US?

(Hopefully, the class will shout out YES!)

Part 2

Narrator - It is later in the day, and Jamie is going to the kitchen to get a packet of crisps.

(Jamie steps on something and screams in pain)

Jamie - OOOOWWWWW!!! What was that?
Lucy - Oh, well done! You've found balls number 6, 7 and 8. That should help us a lot. Let's see if we can fill in the gaps we have, and try to find the bigger numbers.
Jamie (crying) - Oh alright then. Granny, can you kiss my foot better?

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Created by Mark Warner - Teaching Ideas for Primary Teachers - http://www.teachingideas.co.uk