Math Investigations - It's My Choice

After several math lessons, students have the opportunity to revisit what was learned through practice in what is called "Math Choice Time." Today was a "Choice Day." Students were invited to choose an activity that has been taught in the past week and work with a partner on this math activity. These Math "games" included: Counters in a Cup, Combinations of 10, Off/On, and Double Compare. All of these "games" are used to teach while having some fun with a partner. Students have the opportunity to play the game, discuss their strategies, and share their findings with the class.
In the game "Counters in a Cup" partners are given ten chips, a plastic cup and a sheet to log information. One student hides some of the 10 chips under a cup. The other student counts the chips that he/she sees and the figures out how many are under the cup. The data is entered on the sheet. In Combinations of Ten, students had the opportunity to make up their own word problems and figure out the answer. For instance, Carson's problem read, "I have 10 suns and moons. How many of each could I have?" In this way, many of the combinations of ten are discovered. The game On/Off is similar to Counters in a Cup. Ten chips are given to each partner group. They take turns tossing some counters on the paper and some fall off the paper. They add the number that is on and off the paper and log it on the sheet. Finally, the game of "Double Compare." Each partner group is given a about 20 number cards, they flip two over at the same time. The person who has more (or less depending on the game) says, "Me".
Math Choice Centers are a way that students have the opportunity to choose an activity, get lots of hands on practice, and have fun with a friend. A whole new world of numbers is being explored.