The Math Behind the Fun and Games ~ Lessons for Masterminds Who Love Wordle

You may have noticed a cultural phenomenon taking place – a guessing game craze. Wordle is everywhere, sparking interest in similar games such as Mastermind, Oodle, and Mathler. If you and your students enjoy any of these games, this would be a great time to introduce them to a branch of mathematics called combinatorics and help them make the connection between math patterns and these guessing games.

I’ve created two lessons – one for students in lower grades (GT K-2) and another for older students (GT grades 3- 6). Both lead students to discover math patterns that influence the design of many games.

THE MATH BEHIND THE GAMES (Grades 3-6)

This video lesson below will (1) introduce combinatorics as a branch of math, (2) introduce or review combinations and permutations, (3) present problems that will lead students to discover patterns in these calculations, and (4) connect this learning to the games mentioned above and other applications all around us. If your students are already familiar with combinations and permutations, you might still like to share how this math is applied not only in games, but in phone numbers, passwords, license plates- even musical composition!

Here is a TEACHER PAGE with a little more information. You can use the video below as a model or starting place for your own lesson, or you can share it directly with students. The video link is also available HERE.

THE FUNDAMENTALS (K-2)

In primary grades, students typically explore patterns of all kinds, especially in math. Connecting those patterns to games they have played is a wonderful extension of these lessons.

The video lesson below presents simpler combinations and permutations and then makes a connection to guessing games such as Mastermind and Wordle (see links below for simpler versions of these games). You can use all or parts of the video, depending on the level of your students. There is a TEACHER PAGE HERE and you can also view the lesson HERE. Teacher Stacy Zanine has shared a student page you can use with this lesson as well. Thank you, Stacy!

“Aces, Jumble, Zilch” is a guessing game from the Primary Education Thinking Skills curriculum (P.E.T.S.). Students play in pairs. One student guesses a 3-digit number selected by the other and then is given clues that inform the next guess. Pico, Fermi Bagels is an online version that allows you to choose the number of digits (from 2 to 6) that you’d like to include in your game. I’ve also shared beginner versions of Mastermind HERE and there is a Wordle for Kids game HERE. Many other related activities and resources are listed below.

Another lesson in the early P.E.T.S. program is “How many different outfits can Teddy wear?” in which students explore different types of combinations. You can find a sample of this type of lesson HERE that includes coloring pages. HERE is an online version.

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RELATED RESOURCES

Combinations and Permutations Calculator – so helpful for creating your own problems

Combinations and Permutations ~ simple explanations (Math is Fun)

Wordle for Kids ~ adjust the number of letters to guess in settings to make it easier or more difficult (from 3 to 11 letters). It also has a setting for color-blind players!

Nerdle / Oodle / Mathler – all are similar to Wordle but use digits and operations

Mindware Deducibles (Level B) – a paper-and-pencil Wordle-like game. Also Level A.

CowBull (online word game) – based on the pencil-and-paper game “Bulls and Cows”

Learn About Combinations in Mathematics – ice cream and toppings

How Many Ways Can You Arrange a Deck of Cards? (TED-Ed ~5th and up)

Ways to Arrange Colors (Khan Academy)

Introduction to Factorials – upper elementary students can easily grasp this math function

Facts About Cryptocurrency for Kids

Bitcoin Made Simple (preview this video before sharing with students)

Cracking the Code ~ a lesson about the effectiveness of barcodes from TryEngineering

Discrete Mathematics (article ~ Academic Kids)