Here are some games to present to your students in a new way. Rather than teaching the game or activity, challenge students to figure out what’s happening. Let them determine the rules or guidelines being followed.
The game Dotty Six would be easy to teach students, and it’s appropriate for players of all ages. However, by presenting it the way it is shown here, rather than just teaching the game, you will generate much more brainpower! This approach is an example of the creative problem-solving that has made NRICH Maths one of my favorite websites!
Begin by showing your students the video below. Have them explain how the game is played. Ask them how many players are playing and have them articulate the rules. Consider having students write the rules or, as they are agreed upon, write them on the board. Many students intuitively see what is happening, but putting the rules into words is more difficult and an essential skill, one we need to incorporate into as many lessons and activities as we can. Students may need some prompting in order to correctly state all of the rules to the game.
You can find more information about how to elicit the game rules and extend the learning HERE. There are many variations of the game as well.
Here’s another one to try. Below are some pictures of cubes joined together in a certain way. Ask your students if they can determine the rules for creating these models. Be sure to elicit more than just one or two rules. Once students have correctly articulated the rules for creating these models, challenge them to see how many more they can build that follow the same rules. HERE is the link to this activity.
Totality is another game you can present in this way. Prior to showing the video below, explain to students that TWO PLAYERS are playing the game and the video does not include sound. Again, challenge students to correctly determine and state the rules.
The gameboard and everything else needed to teach your students Totality can be found HERE. Again, you can certainly adapt this in many ways depending on your students’ levels.
Determining attributes and articulating the rules of a game are skills that require similar types of thinking. The key to increasing the challenge is to present games and models that incorporate more than just one or two rules. You can create similar experiences for your students using the strategy games found HERE.
Find Part Two of this topic HERE. If you know of activities similar to the above, or if you try any of these and can share your experience, please leave a comment below! Also, we share many ideas and have great discussions in our GT teacher PLN – our Facebook group– and we’d love to have you join us there. You can also subscribe on the Welcome page to be in on any updates to this site.