Exploration Stations: Basic Facts

·  With your partner, visit each of the different stations. Play each game & explore each activity. Put a check mark next to each station as you complete it.

·  Record ideas, extensions and additional explanations that you want to remember about each of the stations.

·  Be prepared to share your thoughts & experiences at the end of the session.

P / Station / Things I Want to Remember
Build a Floor
Grab Bag Subtraction
Is—Is Not
Jewels
Near Double Facts
One-/Two-More-Than Dice
Plus & Minus Train
Spinner Frenzy
Tricky Treasure
Walk the Line

Exploration Stations: Basic Facts

Build a Floor: Your Goal Number is 7. Part One: Choose one color of cubes. Taking turns with your partner, Partner A rolls a die. Partner A connects that amount of cubes together and places the train down on the first row of the Build a Floor game board. Partner B rolls and builds on his/her game board. Partner A rolls, and connects that amount of cubes together and places the train in the second column. Continue until all 6 columns are filled. Part Two: Choose a second color of cubes. Taking turns, roll a die. The number rolled must combine exactly with a train already on the board to make 7 (Ex: “I rolled a four. I can put it with this 3 to make seven.”). If a combination can be made, then count out that number of cubes & hook together with the other train. If a combination is not available, then you lose your turn. Continue play until one player completes the entire game board floor. Record the combinations on the Recording Sheet.

Grab Bag Subtraction: Partner A fills the bag with 3-9 counters. Partner B reach into the bag and takes out some counters, showing them to his/her partner. Together, the partners predict how many counters are still left in the bag (Ex: “I put 6 in, you pulled 3 out. Hmm, I think there are still 3 in the bag.”). Check & record.

Variation: Each partner puts some 0-5 counters in the bag, telling his/her partner how many. The partners work together to predict the total amount in the bag and record their number sentence prediction on the recording sheet. They then pour out the counters to count and check their prediction.

Is—Is Not! Mix up the cards and place them in a stack face down. Player A picks a card and makes a prediction: is the equation on the card correct or is it not? Player A places the card until the word Yes/No based on the prediction. Player B “tests out” the prediction by using a number balance to “prove” whether the sentence is correct or not. If the prediction was correct, then Player A earns a point (tally). If the prediction was incorrect, then Player B earns a point (tally). Continue playing until the first player reaches 10.

Variation: Play is the same, but the pair work together to score 10 points as a team.

Jewels: Using the jewels, place your number of jewels in a cup. Continue to search for a variety of ways to make your number. Record your jewel combinations on the recording sheet and describe each with numerals.

Near Double Facts: Put the near-double card on the double fact that helps to solve that equation.

One-/Two-More-Than Dice: Use a die labeled +1, +2, + 1, + 2, “one more”, & “two more”. Use with another die labeled 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, & 9. After each roll of the dice, say the complete fact (Ex: “Four and two more is six.”) & record.

Plus & Minus Train: Each player gets a game board. Players take turns rolling the number cube and spinning the spinner to see whether to add counters or to take them off their game board. (Ex: “I rolled a minus six. I took 6 off.”) If a player’s roll and spin calls for adding more counters that there are spaces available, then that player loses a turn. The first player to clear a game board completely is the winner.

Spinner Frenzy: Have each partner choose one side of the number balance. Student A spins the spinner and places a number weight on that number on Student A’s side of the balance. Then, Student B spins the spinner and places a number weight on that number on Student B’s side of the balance. Then, the partners must work together to make the scale balance by adding one weight to either side. Repeat!

Variation: Each student must place one additional weight on each side in order to make it balance (eg: 2 + 4 = 5 + 1).

Tricky Treasure: Player A Spins. Player A places that number of counters into the treasure chest. Player B then places additional counters in the chest until the total amount in the chest is 6. Remove the counters from the chest and put them to the side. Continue playing until one player runs out of counters.

Variation: Adapt the spinner and the target number (e.g., 6) to play with numbers 3-9.

Walk the Line Have students work on “their” particular number from 3-9 (see Math Their Way and/or Developing Number Concepts for a detailed explanation). Using pom-poms of one color in the chosen amount, place them in the cup and spill onto the plate that has a line drawn down the middle. Record the number of pom-poms to the left of the line and the number of chips to the right of the line. Describe it with numbers. Repeat with the same number of pom-poms. After many opportunities to record combinations of “their number”, have students discuss what they notice about their number and the combinations discovered.