Table Of ContentWELL
PL AYED
Building Mathematical Thinking Through
Number Games and Puzzles
GRADES K–2
Linda Dacey, Karen Gartland,
and Jayne Bamford Lynch
Foreword by Kassia Omohundro Wedekind
Portland, Maine
Well Played: Building Mathematical Thinking Through Number Games and Puzzles, Grades K-2 by Linda Dacey, Karen Gartland, and Jayne Bamford Lynch. (c) 2015 Stenhouse Publishers.
No reproduction without written permission from the publisher.
Stenhouse Publishers
www.stenhouse.com
Copyright © 2016 by Linda Dacey, Karen Includes bibliographical references.
Gartland, and Jayne Bamford Lynch
ISBN 978-1-62531-034-7 (pbk. : alk. paper) — ISBN
All rights reserved. This e-book is intended for 978-1-62531-077-4 (ebook) 1. Arithmetic—Study
individual use only. You can print a copy for your and teaching (Primary) 2. Counting. 3.
own personal use and you can access this e-book Mathematics—Study and teaching (Primary) I.
on multiple personal devices (i.e. computer, Gartland, Karen. II. Lynch, Jayne Bamford. III. Title.
e-reader, smartphone). You may not reproduce
digital copies to share with others, post a digital QA135.6.D3325 2016
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372.7’044—dc23
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Publication Data
Dacey, Linda Schulman, 1949–
Well played: building mathematical thinking
through number games and puzzles, grades K–2 /
Linda Dacey, Karen Gartland, and Jayne Bamford
Lynch ; foreword by Kassia Omohundro Wedekind.
pages cm
Well Played: Building Mathematical Thinking Through Number Games and Puzzles, Grades K-2 by Linda Dacey, Karen Gartland, and Jayne Bamford Lynch. (c) 2015 Stenhouse Publishers.
No reproduction without written permission from the publisher.
Thank you for purchasing this Stenhouse e-book; we appreciate the
opportunity to help you become an even more effective teacher. This
e-book is for your own individual use: you may print one copy for your
own personal use and you can access your e-book on multiple person-
al devices, including computers, e-readers, and smartphones. However,
you cannot make print or digital copies to share with others, nor may
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Well Played: Building Mathematical Thinking Through Number Games and Puzzles, Grades K-2 by Linda Dacey, Karen Gartland, and Jayne Bamford Lynch. (c) 2015 Stenhouse Publishers.
No reproduction without written permission from the publisher.
Foreword by Kassia Omohundro Wedekind vi
Acknowledgments viii
ONTENTS Chapter 1: Introduction 1
Why This Book? 2
Is It a Game or a Puzzle or an Activity? 3
How Is This Book Organized? 3
Chapter 2: S upporting Learning Through
Games and Puzzles 5
Using Games and Puzzles in the Classroom 6
Setting Expectations and Sharing
Responsibilities with Students 7
Assessing Learning and Setting Goals 13
Fostering Productive Discussions 18
Meeting Individual Differences 19
Organizing Students for Success 19
Organizing Materials for Success 22
Working with Families 23
Conclusion 25
Chapter 3: Counting and Ordering 27
What’s the Math? 27
Count 20 28
Number Jigsaw 32
Nim 35
Mystery Number 37
Order Up 41
Online Games and Apps 44
Chapter 4: Base Ten Numeration 47
What’s the Math? 47
Win 1,000 48
Number Sort 52
Go Number Fish 57
The Number Is/What Number Is? 60
Number Touch 64
Online Games and Apps 67
Well Played: Building Mathematical Thinking Through Number Games and Puzzles, Grades K-2 by Linda Dacey, Karen Gartland, and Jayne Bamford Lynch. (c) 2015 Stenhouse Publishers.
No reproduction without written permission from the publisher.
iv WELL PLAYED
Building Mathematical Thinking Through Number Games and Puzzles Grades K–2
Chapter 5: Addition 69
What’s the Math? 69
Make a Pair 70
Equal Values 73
Triangle Totals 77
Yahoo! 100 81
On Target 84
Online Games and Apps 88
Chapter 6: Subtraction 91
What’s the Math? 91
How Many Are in the Cup? 92
Move Along 95
Take the Numbers 98
Name That Number 102
Subtraction Tic-Tac-Toe 105
Online Games and Apps 108
Chapter 7: Addition and Subtraction 111
What’s the Math? 111
Word Problem Bingo 112
Four of a Kind 116
It’s Greater 119
Meet the Rules 122
Make Sense 125
Online Games and Apps 128
Appendix A-1
Puzzle Answer Key A-79
References A-81
Well Played: Building Mathematical Thinking Through Number Games and Puzzles, Grades K-2 by Linda Dacey, Karen Gartland, and Jayne Bamford Lynch. (c) 2015 Stenhouse Publishers.
No reproduction without written permission from the publisher.
Games and Puzzles Listed
in Alphabetical Order
Description Appendix
Count 20 28 A-4
Equal Values 73 A-35
Four of a Kind 116 A-68
Go Number Fish 57 A-21
How Many Are in the Cup? 92 A-48
It’s Greater 119 A-71
Make a Pair 70 A-32
Make Sense 125 A-76
Meet the Rules 122 A-74
Move Along 95 A-50
Mystery Number 37 A-11
Name That Number 102 A-56
Nim 35 A-9
The Number Is/What Number Is? 60 A-25
Number Jigsaw 32 A-6
Number Sort 52 A-19
Number Touch 64 A-28
On Target 84 A-46
Order Up 41 A-13
Subtraction Tic-Tac-Toe 105 A-60
Take the Numbers 98 A-53
Triangle Totals 77 A-40
Win 1,000 48 A-17
Word Problem Bingo 112 A-64
Yahoo! 100 81 A-43
Well Played: Building Mathematical Thinking Through Number Games and Puzzles, Grades K-2 by Linda Dacey, Karen Gartland, and Jayne Bamford Lynch. (c) 2015 Stenhouse Publishers.
No reproduction without written permission from the publisher.
When I first opened this book, I remember thinking, “How will
this book about math games and puzzles be different from the
countless other resources on the topic?” Only a few pages in, I re-
alized that Well Played is very different. This is a book about math
games and puzzles, but it is also a book about building communi-
ties of mathematicians who work together to problem solve, talk
about math, and figure things out. This is a book full of thought-
OREWORD
ful and well-chosen games and puzzles, but it is also a book that
offers a lens into how we might include this kind of play in our
own classrooms in ways that are deeply meaningful and engaging
for our students. It is a book truly rooted in the realities and pos-
sibilities of the classroom, which is what makes it such a valuable
resource for teachers.
Well Played includes games and puzzles that check all the boxes
for inclusion in the classroom: simple to learn but mathematically
meaningful, with variations that allow for differentiation within
the classroom, and nuanced enough to allow students to expand
upon and deepen thinking through multiple experiences with the
game over time.
There are several parts of each game or puzzle’s description
to which readers will want to pay special attention. Each game
or puzzle’s “How It Looks in the Classroom” section offers a
glimpse into a classroom in which the game or puzzle is being in-
troduced or played. Going beyond “how to play the game,” these
sections offer teachers ideas for launching the game or puzzle
in ways that encourage curiosity, collaboration, math talk, and
productive struggle.
Each “What to Look For” section offers several questions for
teachers to consider as they work with students. I can imagine
keeping these questions on my clipboard as I observe and con-
fer with students as a way of guiding my instructional moves and
helping me take useful anecdotal notes on students’ strategies and
understandings.
Each game or puzzle includes several exit question choices to
use for student reflection. These questions offer an opportuni-
ty for students to synthesize and solidify understandings, either
in the form of productive group discussion or individual jour-
naling. The exit questions also offer teachers the opportunity to
Well Played: Building Mathematical Thinking Through Number Games and Puzzles, Grades K-2 by Linda Dacey, Karen Gartland, and Jayne Bamford Lynch. (c) 2015 Stenhouse Publishers.
No reproduction without written permission from the publisher.
FOREWORD vii
assess students’ understanding and use this knowledge to plan next steps for
instruction. Carefully chosen student work examples provide a reference point
for teachers as they analyze and respond to student thinking.
One of my favorite games in this book is “Yahoo! 100,” from Chapter 5: Addi-
tion. Too often math games focused on computation emphasize rote procedural
practice over sense-making and thoughtful use of strategies. This game is dif-
ferent. In “Yahoo! 100,” students turn over cards, adding multiples of ten and
single-digit numbers. The goal is to get the greatest number of cards with a sum
less than or equal to 100. This game supports students’ development of efficient
mental math strategies for addition, but it also focuses on building number sense
as students consider their sum’s distance from 100 and whether it makes sense to
flip another card. Additionally, the authors’ purposeful decision to include only
cards that are multiples of ten or single-digit numbers allows students to devel-
op addition strategies based on an understanding of decomposing numbers by
place value.
Well Played also acknowledges the powerful potential of online math play,
offering suggestions for games, puzzles, and apps at the end of each chapter.
Though many online games focus on skill-and-drill and fluency practice, the au-
thors have chosen games and puzzles that emphasize problem solving and offer
students opportunities to model with mathematics.
While this book will be a prized resource of classroom teachers, as a blend of
professional development and practical resources, this book will also be valued by
coaches as they work with teachers to deepen content understanding and guide
instructional practices.
As I read this book I kept thinking, “I can’t wait to see what students will do
with this game!” and “I know a teacher who will love using this puzzle with her
class!” My copy of this book will soon be full of sticky notes and dog-eared pages,
and a list of people with whom I want to share it. I know teachers will love this
book as much as I do—thank you Linda, Karen, and Jayne for writing it!
Kassia Omohundro Wedekind, author of Math Exchanges:
Guiding Young Mathematicians in Small-Group Meetings
Well Played: Building Mathematical Thinking Through Number Games and Puzzles, Grades K-2 by Linda Dacey, Karen Gartland, and Jayne Bamford Lynch. (c) 2015 Stenhouse Publishers.
No reproduction without written permission from the publisher.
A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
We are deeply indebted to the teachers and students who col-
laborated with us during the development of this project. We
explored each game and puzzle within a classroom, and teach-
er and student insights permeate this book. We are particularly
grateful to students for serving as our consumer experts. Their
feedback helped us fine-tune our thinking and play more with
ways to embed key mathematical ideas into our discussions of
the games and puzzles.
We are grateful to everyone at Stenhouse, but most particu-
larly Toby Gordon, who showed such early faith in us. Her words
“Write about what matters most to you” gave us the freedom to
explore, reflect, play, and puzzle. And then, of course, she gave
us such valuable and timely feedback all along the way. We are
also grateful to our outstanding outside reviewer, who probed our
thinking with important insights and intriguing questions. Thank
you also to Chris Downey, Elizabeth Tripp, and Jay Kilburn for
their care and expertise. All of you added greatly to the quality
of our work.
Well Played: Building Mathematical Thinking Through Number Games and Puzzles, Grades K-2 by Linda Dacey, Karen Gartland, and Jayne Bamford Lynch. (c) 2015 Stenhouse Publishers.
No reproduction without written permission from the publisher.
