Random-Number Generators

Dice: Use a regular die to generate numbers up to 6. A polyhedral die (die that has 8, 10, 12, etc. sides) can be used to extend the range of numbers to be generated.
   Egg cartons: Label each cup with a number. For example, you might label the cups 0-11. Place one or more pennies or other small objects inside the carton, close the lid, shake the carton and open the carton to see in which cups the objects landed.

Disappearing Train (K)

Concept: Number operations ( + and -)
Players: 2 or more
Materials: Blank die (or cube) with the sides marked -1, -2, -3, -1, -2, +3 At least 24 cubes, pennies, or other small objects to make trains.
Directions: Explain the ( -) and ( + ) signs on the cube: the minus sign before a number means "take away" (or subtract) that many objects and the plus sign before the one number means "put together" or add that many objects.

Players make trains of cubes ( or blocks, bottle caps, buttons, etc.) equal in number. They take turns rolling the die (or cube) and removing (or adding) as many cars from their train as the number on the cube indicates.
   

The game ends when the first train disappears. Players must roll the exact number needed to make the train disappear. If one car is left, the player needs to roll a -1 to finish.

Option: A non-competitive version of this game might be to work together on one train, (alternating turns rolling the die) to make it disappear.

One and Only (K)

Concept: Numeration; Counting
Players: 3-5
Materials: N umber Cards ( 1-10) Allow one set of ten cards for each player.
Directions: Mix up a deck of number cards and pullout one card. The unpaired card is the "One and Only:' (Adults may remember "Old Maid" as a similar game.)

Deal out all the cards. Players look at their hands and put down any pairs. 

The first player then draws a card from the person on the right. All subsequent pairs are laid down. The next player (to the right of the first player) then gets to pick a card from the person on his or her right, and so on. The game ends when one player puts down all his or her cards.. The player who has the "odd" card at the end of the game is the "One and Only:"

Top-It Games (K-6)

Addition Top-It (1-3)
Concept: Number Operations; Basic Facts Players: 2 or 3
Materials: Deck of cards: 4 each 0-10 and 1 each
11-20
Directions: A player shuffles the cards and places the deck number-side down on the playing surface. Each player turns over two cards and calls out their sum. The player with the largest sum wins the
round and takes all the cards.
   In case of a tie for the largest sum, each tied player turns over two more cards and calls out their sum. The player with the largest sum takes all the cards of both plays.
   Play ends when not enough cards are left for each player to have another turn. The player with the most cards wins. 

Or players may toss a penny to determine whether the player with the most or the fewest cards wins.

Option 1: Use a set of double-nine dominoes instead of a set of number cards. Place the domi- noes face down on the playing surface. Each player turns over a domino and calls out the sum of the dots on the two halves. The winner of a round takes all the dominoes in play.

Option 2: To practice addition with three addends, use three cards or three dice.

Subtraction Top-It (1-3)
Concept: Number Operations; Basic Facts 
Players: 2 or 3
Materials: Deck of cards: 4 each 0-10 and 1 each 11-20
Directions: This game is played the same way as Addition Top-It. Use the cards to generate subtraction problems. The player with the largest (or smallest) difference wins the round.

Multiplication Top-It (3-6)
Concept: Number Operations; Basic Facts 
Players: 2-4
Materials: Deck of cards: 4 each 0-10
Directions: This game is played just like Addition Top-It only multiplication problems are generated from the 2 cards. The player with the largest product wins the round.

Name that Number (2-6)

Concept: Number Operations; Basic Facts
Players: 2 or 3
Materials: Deck of cards: 4 each 0-10, 1 each of 11-20
Directions: Shuffle the deck of cards and deal 5 cards to each player. Turn over the top card. This is the target number for the round.
    Players try to name the target number by adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing the numbers on as many of their cards as possible. A card may only be used once. They write their solutions on a sheet of paper or slate. Then the players set aside the cards they used to name the target number and replace them with new cards from the top of the deck. They put the target number on the bottom of the deck and turn over the top card. This is the new target number.
     Play continues until there are not enough cards left in the deck to replace the players' cards. The player who sets aside more cards wins the game.
  

Sample turn:

Player's numbers: 7,5,8,2, 10

Target number: 16

Some possible solutions:

7*2 = 14 g14/10 = 24 g24-8= 16
   (four cards used)

8/2 = 4 g4+ 10 = 14 g14+7 = 21
   g21 -5 = 16
    (all five cards used)

Subtraction Pole Vault (4-5)

Concept: Number Operations; Basic Facts Players: l or more
Materials: Deck of cards: 4 each of 0-9
Scratch paper or slate to record results
Calculator to check answers
Directions: Shuffle the cards and place the deck face down on the playing surface. Each player starts at 250. They take turns doing the following:
1. Turn over the top 2 cards and make a 2-digit number. (There are 2 possible numbers.) Subtract this number from 250 on scratch paper. Check the answer on a calculator.
2. Turn over the next 2 cards and make another 2-digit number. Subtract it from the result in step 1. Check the answer on a calculator.
3. Do this 3 more times: (Take 2 cards, make a 2-digit number, subtract it from the last result and check the answer on a calculator.)
   The object is to get as close to 0 as possible, without going below 0. The closer to 0, the higher the pole-vault jump. If a result is below 0, the player knocks off the bar; the jump does not count.

Sample jump:

Turn 1: Draw 4 and 5
            Subtract 45 (or 54)
            250 -45 = 205
Turn 2: Draw 0 and 6
            Subtract 60 (or 6)
            205- 60 =145
Turn 3: Draw 4 and 1
            Subtract 41 (or 14)
            145- 41 =104
Turn 4: Draw 3 and 2
            Subtract 23 (or 32)
            104-23=81
Turn 5  Draw 6 and 9
            Subtract 69 (or 96)
             81- 69 = 12

Option 1: Players start by subtracting from 1000 and the target number could be -10 rather than 0.

Baseball Multiplication (3-6)

Concept: Number Operations; Basic Facts Players: 2
Materials: 2 regular dice, 4 pennies
Multiplication table or a calculator
Directions: Take turns being the "pitcher" and the "batter"
1. Draw a diamond and label "home plate;" "first base;" "second base;" and "third base."
2. Make a score sheet that looks like the following:

3. At the start of the inning. the batter puts a penny on home plate.
4. The pitcher rolls the 2 dice. The batter multi- plies the 2 numbers that come up and tells the answer. The pitcher checks the answer in a multiplication table or on a calculator.
5. The batter looks up the product in the Hitting Table. If it is a hit, the batter moves all pennies on base as follows:
Single           1 base
Double         2 bases
Triple           3 bases
Home          Run 4 bases or across home plate
6. A run is scored each time a penny crosses home plate. If a play is not a hit. it is an out.
7. A player remains the batter for 3 outs. Then players switch roles. The inning is over when both players have made 3 outs.
8. After making the third out, a batter records the number of runs scored in that inning on the scoreboard.
9. The player who has more runs at the end of 4 innings wins the game. If the game is tied at the end of 4 innings, play continues into extra innings until one player wins.

10. If, at the end of the first half of the last inning, the second player is ahead, there is no need to play the second half of the inning. The player who is ahead wins.

Hitting Tables
1 to 6 Facts
1 to 9 Out
10 to 19 Single (1 base)
20 to 29 Double (2 bases)
30 to 35 Triple (3 bases)
36 Home Run (4 bases)

1 to 10 Facts
1 to 21 Out
22 to 45 Single
46 to 70 Double
71 to 89 Triple
90 to l00 Home Run

1 to 12 Facts
1 to 24 Out
25 to 49 Single
50 to 64 Double
65 to 79 Triple
80 to 144 Home Run

Option 1: 1 to 10 Facts Game
Use a number card deck with 4 each of the numbers 1 to 10 instead of dice. At each turn, draw 2 cards from the deck and find the product of the numbers. Use the 1 to 10 Facts Hitting Table to find out how to move the pennies.

Option 2: 1 to 12 Facts Game
At each turn, roll 4 regular dice. Separate them into 2 pairs. Add the numbers in each pair and multiply the sums.

For example, suppose you roll a 2, 3, 5, and 6. You could separate them as follows:

2+3=5	2+5=7	2+6=8
5+6=11	3+6=9	3+5=8
5 * 11 = 55	7 * 9 = 63	8 * 8 = 64

How you pair the numbers can make a
difference in whether you make a base or an out.

High-Number Toss (4- 6)

Concept: Numeration; Comparing Decimals
Players: 2 
Materials: Number cards, 4 each of the numbers 0 through 9 
Directions: Begin by making a score card. See the example below: 

Shuffle the cards and place the deck face down on the playing surface. Each player has a score card on which to record his or her results. 

In each round:

• Player A draws the top card from the deck and writes that number on anyone of the three blanks on the score card. 
  It need not be the first blank -it can be anyone of them. 
  

• Player B draws the next card from the deck and writes the number on one of his or her blanks. 

• Players take turns doing this two more times. The player with the larger number wins the round.

Scoring: The winner's score for a round is the difference between the two players' scores. The loser scores 0 for the round. 

Example:

Player A:   0.654           Player B: 0.753 Player B has the larger number and wins the   round. Since 0.753 - 0.654 = 0.099, Player B scores 0.099 points and Player A scores 0 points for the round.

Players take turns starting a round. At the end of 4 rounds, they find their total scores. The player with the larger total score wins the game.

Game 1
Round 1 0.____ ____ ____	Score _____________
Round 2 0.____ ____ ____	Score _____________
Round 3 0.____ ____ ____	Score _____________
Round 4 0.____ ____ ____	Score _____________
Total:	_____________

Doggone Decimal (6)

Concept: Estimation; Numeration
Players: 2
Materials: 1 deck of cards with 4 each of the numbers 0 through 9.
2 counters or coins per player (to use as decimal points)
4 index cards labeled 0.1,1,10, or 100 Calculator
Directions: One player shuffles the number cards and deals 4 cards face down to each player. The other player shuffles the index cards, places them face down, and turns over the top card. The number that appears (0.1, 1,10, or 100) is the Target Number.

1. Using 4 number cards and 2 decimal-point counters, each player forms two numbers, each with two digits and a decimal point:

Each player tries to form numbers whose product is as close as possible to the Target Number.

.The decimal point can go anywhere in a number.

2. Players compute the product of their numbers using a calculator to verify the correct answer.

3. The player whose product is closer to the Target Number wins all 8 number cards.

4. Four new number cards are dealt to each player, and a new Target Number is turned over.

5. The game ends when all four Target Numbers have been turned over.

6. The player with the most number cards wins the game. In the case of a tie, one tie-breaking round is played.

Example :

The index card turned over is 10, so the Target Number is 10.

Briana is dealt 1, 4, 8, and 8. She forms the numbers 8.8 and 1.4.

Evelyn is dealt 2, 3, 6, and 9. She forms the numbers 6.9 and 3.2

Briana's products is 12.32 and Evelyn's is 22.08. Briana's product is closer to 10. She wins the round and the cards.

Fraction Action, Fraction Fiction (5-6)

Concept: Number Sense, Estimation; Players: 2 or 3
Materials: calculator

Make one set of 16 Fraction Action. Fraction Friction cards. The suggested set includes a card for each of the following fractions (for several fractions there are 2 cards): 1/2, 1/3, 2/3, 1/4, 3/4, 1/6. 1/6, 5/6, 1/12, 1/12, 5/12, 5/12, 7/12, 7/12, 11/12, 11/12.

Directions: Shuffle the Fraction Action, Fraction Friction cards. Deal one card to each player. The player with the fraction closest to 1/2 begins the game. Players take turns. At each turn:

1. The player takes a card from the top of the pile and places it face up on the playing surface.

2. At each turn. the player must announce one of the following:

"Action!"
This means that the player wants an additional card. The player believes that the sum of the cards is not close enough to 2 to win the hand and that with an additional card, there is a good chance that the sum of the cards will not go over 2.

"Friction!"
This means that the player does not want an additional card. The player believes that the sum of the cards is close enough to 2 to win the hand and that with an additional card, there is a good chance that the sum of the cards will go over 2.

Play continues until all players have announced, ."Friction!" or have a set of cards whose sum is greater than 2. The player whose sum is closest to 2 without going over is the winner of the hand. Players may check each others sums on their calculators.

Reshuffle the cards and begin again. The winner of the game is the first player to win 5 hands