Contributor:
Roger Rooke
This is a place value game which can be played with a whole class.
In pairs (to develop social / speaking-listening skills), pupils draw four joined boxes in a horizontal line. Squared paper will help. The teacher has a standard pack of playing cards with the court cards removed. The teacher shuffles them, turns the top card and calls out the number. The pupils must choose a box to write this number in. The teacher also does this in secret. The cards are turned and called until all four boxes are filled.
Pupils and teacher then display / say their number. Pupils who get a higher number than the teacher get 5 points. Equal to the teacher gets 3 points. Lower than the teacher 1 point. The teacher gets 10 points if he / she beats all the pupils!
Note – a ten playing card is called as a zero.
This game can be adapted to higher numbers by increasing the number of boxes, or a decimal point can be added to change the numbers into pounds and pence.
A further twist with 5/6 figure numbers is to offer pupils the option of switching round two of the numbers to increase their total.
A visitor has suggested this variation:
You can also play this with the greater and less than signs. Children write down two sets of boxes with a greater or less than sign in the middle, eg.
[ ][ ][ ] < [ ][ ][ ]
You then generate your numbers. I use a 10-sided dice, and children have to fill in the boxes so the final statement is correct. Again points can be awarded for correct statements.
Another suggestion from a visitor:
You can also play by having the students in pairs with their own deck of cards “compete” to create the highest or lowest number possible. As a card is drawn, the student places it on their place value chart, and then the next person goes. By eliminating cards, it also creates an opportunity to address probability and the “likelihood” that they will draw a better number to put in a better place value spot. Once a card is laid, they can’t change their mind.