The Greatest Sum - an Addition Game with Strategy and Fun!

Here's a game my students have been playing for years called The Greatest Sum! I've put it together with lots of variations!

 

The basic game is played with two 2-digit numbers. The children choose one number square at a time, and decide where to place it on their boards. It takes them only a short time to figure out they should put the greater numbers in the tens column, and the lower numbers in the ones column. You can use the numbers included in this package, or you can use tiles, cubes, or other interesting manipulatives and write the numerals 0-9 on them, as I have done in these pictures.

Here's how to play:

1. Place the tiles (or number squares) face down between 2 "Greatest Sum" boards.

 

2. The first player takes a tile and places it in one of the squares on his board. That player should think about which square might bring them the greatest sum, since he isn't allowed to move it once he lets go!

 

3. Play continues between the two players until all squares on both boards are filled.

 

4. Which player has the greatest sum? Players may use paper & pencil, whiteboards, number grids, a calculator, or mental math to determine each round's winner. (Teacher's choice!)

As you can see in this preview, there are plenty of variations to this game!

Explore the image or explore this link: The Greatest Sum

Which player had the greatest sum?

Golfing for Tens

Thursday, I had three doctor's appointments—not one, not two, but three. (I'm fine; I just happened to schedule them on the same day!) I also went to the dentist on Tuesday and had my flu shot on Wednesday, so I should be all set for a while!

Since 2 of the 3 doctors are a half-hour away, I was looking to fill time between appointments, so I went to the local dollar store.

I'm always looking for cute school ideas at the dollar store. I'm either looking for organizational ideas or game ideas. As I was browsing through the toy section, I saw the perfect game for my sports-themed classroom: golf sets!
I was planning the math game I would make while standing in line to purchase. (Do all teachers do this sort of thing when they take a day for doctors' appointments?)

We've been working on adding single-digit numbers in our new math pilot program, enVisions. The math part was so easy that I wanted to bump it up to adding tens. I figured they could work in teams, working on adding tens. I set up three lines, each a foot apart, and decided they could take a few shots from different levels.

As you might have guessed, the kids loved it! They were even good about working quietly while the other groups did their "sitting down" work, which is not easy for adults, never mind second graders! However, they knew they'd lose the privilege, so they worked hard to golf quietly!

The only problem? Those plastic golf balls were so light that the kids had trouble aiming them. Therefore, hardly any balls went into the cup, so they didn't get much practice adding up points. I will bring in actual golf balls tomorrow, and I'm sure the extra weight will help them have more real "adding tens" practice. In the meantime, it was a great lesson on adding zeroes, and the kids really enjoyed it!

See the picture or HERE for your "golfing for tens" resource. I'm sure they have the golf sets in the toy section of most dollar stores!  

 Enjoy your golfing!