From August 1999 to February 2000, Laura Kondek, of The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ and Leslie Kahn, of Mary Louise Robbins Elementary School, Tucson, AZ, worked on a mathematical games unit in a fourth and fifth grade classroom. This unit had the students analyze games for their mathematical content and then create their own mathematical games. The goals of the unit were threefold:

· To increase parental and familial involvement in the students' mathematical learning

· To broaden the students' views and awareness of mathematics

· To foster and develop the students' critical-thinking skills

During the 2001 NCTM National Conference held in Orlando, Florida, Ms. Kondek and Ms. Kahn gave a presentation, entitled "Using Games in the Mathematics Classroom". This presentation was a detailed account of what they did to create the unit, what the students' created and what they and the students' learned.

The following pages are the overheads that were used during the presentation.

OUTLINE

I. INTRODUCTION

II. STUDENT-WRITEN STANDARDS

a. Development

b. Familiarizing the Students

III. WHAT IS MATHEMATICS?

IV. STUDENT-GENERATED GAMES

a. Game Proposals

b. Creating the Games

c. Grading the Games

V. WHAT DID WE LEARN?

VI. QUESTIONS

· To increase parental and familial involvement in the students' mathematical learning

· To broaden the students' views of mathematics

· To foster the students' critical-thinking skills

· Mathematics is a logical progression of thought

· Thoughts are intrinsic; information is implied

· Students have a hard time expressing themselves

· "Hit the Fraction" Game – Object: Four fractions are written on the chalk board. Throw an eraser at two fractions in order from least to greatest.
This was a game designed by Leslie to model how to create a game using mathematics. We also looked through the standards to see where the game met the curriculum.

· Analyzed different types of mathematics needed to win a game – We looked at Connect 4 because the students voted that as their favorite game. As a class, we discussed how people could increase their chance of winning by where they placed the game pieces.

· Classroom discussions on fairness and other issues related to games

· Student presentations on their ideas on the different strands of mathematics - These presentations were video-taped.

· Art Visualization Activity – Through the help of an art teacher, the students were asked to imagine walking through a toy store and picking out their favorites games. After discussing why they picked the games they did, they were asked to draw a picture of a game they would like to create.

· Creating a "model" game – Using the game "Honeycomb", taken from Design a Board Game by Shell Centre of Learning, the students watched as a game was created and a proposal was written.

· Mathematics Poster – A poster was created that illustrated each of the different strands along with examples of things they could use in their games.

EXCERPT #1

1. As the game designer, what mathematical strands does your game involve?

The mathematical strands for my game include number sense and geometry. Players will need to solve math problems.

2. Specifically, what mathematical ideas will the players need in order to be successful at your game?

My math game will have problems such as asking a player to round numbers to the nearest thousand. Also, multiplying numbers in 2 digits. In geometry, I plan to have geometry shapes and the players will have to name them correctly.

EXCERPT #2

This game is an exciting example of fun and challenging methods that will make you think! In this game, you can play for hours and it will never get old.

If you like to think and train your brain mathematically, then you're going to love this game!

In this game, the math strands you will be using are patterns in the way you jump and in the strategy you use. This game also contains logic because you have to solve problems.

· Students have an idea about a lot of mathematics; however, they are not familiar with the terminology

· The students were more engaged when we connected the mathematics they were going to learn with something that excited them (e.g., games).

· To foster critical-thinking skills, present many different avenues to the students to explore