Games for Educators

Math Concepts:

Addition of 1 through 6 to double-digit numbers

Materials:

Scavenger hunt cards

Players:

Small groups of 2 or 3

Set up

Make up a stack of scavenger hunt cards in advance. Put the students in small groups of 2 to 3 each.

There are many properties that you can use to make a scavenger hunt card. For example, you could simply ask for a set of three similar objects. You can make that more complex by asking for a set of three similar objects, two of which have red and one has no blue on it.

Examples

Here are some example properties to use and combine in creating your cards. There may be some unusual things that you’ve covered in class or that you happen to have in your classroom.

• Colors
• Bulk-bigger than a shoe box, smaller than a pencil
• 2-Dimensional Shapes- name of shape e.g. triangle, circle, …, number of sides
• 3-Dimensional Shapes- sphere, cylinder, cone, cube, box, number of faces
• Groupsize- two, three, four, dozen, …
• Agroupthat has a repeating pattern- A B A B
• Numbers-numerals explicitly or that are the value of an expression: 2 + 3
• Position relative to other things- under, over, next to, …
• Texture- smooth, rough, bumpy, pointy
• Uses-for writing, for erasing, for sitting, …

Play

Randomly distribute three cards to each group of two or three students. Their challenge is to be the first group to find all the objects described on their cards. When they are done, they should be able to tell you what each object is and where it is located.

Goal

The first group to find all their items wins.