Ways I use dice in my classroom

Sarah H. recently posted a photo of some items she got from a colleague, mostly large foam dice.  She asked how she can use the dice in her trig class.  I thought that was a great question and I decided to write about several ways I use dice in my class.

1. Teaching probability.  Duh.

2. Using this game board.  I can turn a set of questions into a deck of cards and students can play the game.  Everyone in the group does the problem individually, they discuss as a group, anyone with a correct answer rolls.  I'm always amazed at how much more willing kids are to do the same work when I disguise it as a game.  There are 4 versions of the board in this file: with or without directions and either in color or black and white. 



3. Assign meaning to each side of the die by typing up a key.  Students roll the dice and do the associated action.  Examples: operations on polynomials (add, subtract, multiply, divide, classify, factor, etc), trig functions (sin, cos, tan, sec, csc, cot). Here's one I used for quadratic functions that uses 6- and 12-sided dice (though you can easily change it so as not to need 12-sided dice).  Thanks to my best friend for a donation of cool dice from her Dungeons and Dragons days. 


4. This one is still not classroom-tested, so proceed carefully.  I tested it at home and I think it's a green light.  Mailing labels (like Avery 5160) are able to stick to the foam dice I bought at Dollar Tree and also unstick neatly.  That means I could write questions, equations, terms, etc. and print them on labels to stick to the dice.  At the end of the activity, I can remove the labels (possibly stick them back on the sheet for next year) and reuse the dice for a later activity.

5. As a French teacher, I've made a class set of subject pronoun dice by taking a Sharpie to some foam dice.  These big dice (roughly 2.5") are in two-packs at Dollar Tree.  I've seen red, blue, black, and yellow.

Do you use dice in your classroom?  How?

Mathematically yours,
Miss B

K'Nex Linear Programming

I love linear programming.  It's actually applicable to the real world (huzzah!) and it's multifaceted enough to keep my interest.  I get bored of math problems that I can solve mentally without much thought.  Linear programming presents something with enough layers that I have to get out pencil and paper (or Desmos!) to do some of the calculations. 

The problem with linear programming is that my students don't appreciate the layers of the problem.  They view linear programming as too many steps and too much work.  They may not fully appreciate how useful it can be, even though they can completely understand that a business would like to maximize profit or minimize cost.

I tried to address this problem today with a small K'Nex experiment.  Essentially, I wanted to give the kids the resources of a linear programming situation and ask them to solve it without the system of inequalities.  The handouts I used are embedded.  They're sized for composition books. 



First, I had students attach the scenario to their notebooks and create a table.  You can see this in the photo below. 

I gave each group a bag with the amount of K'Nex specified in the question and asked them to build combinations of "bots" and "quarks" based on the restrictions in the scenario.  Most groups latched on to the idea of needing to use as many pieces as possible, so they didn't record many pairs that had lots of left over pieces.  After about 15 minutes of building and recording, I had groups report out.  There were a couple of cases where students didn't agree about the maximum profit, but in every case they were able to find their error.  Either they used more pieces than they were given because they didn't physically build the models, or they made a simple calculation error. 

A hint if you try this: organize your bags so that a group has only one length rod and one shape connector.  I had some students who were trying to make "different bots" by connecting the pieces in different ways.  I had to review the definition of a bot with them and explain that the construction didn't make a difference as long as the materials were consistent.  I think this issue would be muddled by offering different shapes and sizes of K'Nex to one group.  It's also helpful when a piece ends up on the floor as you can more easily glance around and see which group it might have come from. 

I heard many students say they enjoyed the activity and from listening to discussions around the room, I feel like I introduced this in a way that was concrete enough that most of my students grasped the concept of linear programming before we got to the algorithm.  Yes!

Tomorrow we'll use the other pages from the embedded file to take some notes of all the steps of a different example and we'll use that process to verify our solution from today's exploration.   In my experience, the hardest part for students is choosing the variables and writing the inequalities for the constraints. 

What's your favorite toy to bring into the classroom?

Mathematically yours,
Miss B

Makeover- Quadratic Bridge

Mr. Stadel posted a challenge on his blog today asking us to remake a quadratic bridge problem. Sure, I thought, how hard can this be?  I've never done a makeover, but I teach this stuff!

That was about two hours ago.  That's right, I spent about two hours tinkering with ideas, doing Google image searches, revising ideas, scouring Google again, putting the document together, choosing a video clip, and having all those internal dialogues I have when I'm planning.  For one problem.

My thought process went somewhat like this.  Please excuse the disorder of my thoughts!
1.  I need a problem with multiple solutions.  Not something where anyone can say, "Yes, 8 feet 3 inches is correct."  Let's make this an open-ended question. 
2. I need a problem that makes students feel like the answer is important.  I live close to a very large bridge that is frequently the subject of controversy because of tolls, heavy traffic, accidents, and the like.  The students I teach often have parents who commute across this bridge daily.  My community is also very fortunate to have abundant water access, so lots of kids spend time with their families out on the water.  Therefore, my students would be at least somewhat invested in the idea of having a safe bridge and safe boating practices.  I also expect they'll have a good bit of background knowledge to bring to this scenario. 
3. Time to find images.  Lots of Google searching until I found pictures I liked.
4. I wanted the bridge picture to be straight on so the kids could do measurements with it (and maybe superimpose a graph on it with our TI-Nspires if I'm feeling super tech-savvy and manage to be free from crazy glitches).  I ended up choosing the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy because the picture was workable and I've been there so I can add a few fun anecdotes in, possibly even a personal picture if I have one. 
5. Tides?  Yikes, I do not really know much about them other than that locally we have two high and low tides each day.  But...I'm pretty sure that they learn at least a bit about them in science class.   Something we can explore together and a good place for data collection.  This is the bit that will give us some variations in our answers.
6. What's an appropriate clearance?  The video shows that ship coming closer than I could imagine. 

All that thinking, and here's what I ended up with.  Like I said, this is my first "makeover," so I'd love to know what you think!





Mathematically yours,
Miss B

And with that, I'm closing up shop!

Let me preface this whole post by saying that I have nothing against the teachers who sell their work on Teachers Pay Teachers.   I've just come to realize it's not for me.

In what might be the quickest 180 of my recent life, I "opened" a TPT shop last night and within 10 hours decided to close it.  Here's why:

1. I want to be a better teacher.  I don't know any teachers who wouldn't agree with this statement.  One of the best ways to get better is to receive honest, unbiased feedback from knowledgeable people and use it to make changes.  I have a better opportunity to get feedback and engage in dialogue through this blog and Twitter than I do an online store. 
2. I want ALL students to have a great math experience.  If I make something awesome, I should share it so that other students (and teachers) can benefit.  There's no joy in keeping the "secrets of success" sequestered in my four classroom walls.  I share freely with my colleagues in my building and district, so why not my colleagues in other buildings?  We're all in this together, friends.  I wouldn't let the math teacher next door buy a worksheet I made, so why should I let any other math teacher buy it? 
3. Generosity begets generosity. You know, "pay it forward" and all that jazz!  If I give something useful, it might encourage another teacher to share their good stuff.  I'm also indebted to the scores of teachers whose blogs I've read over the past several years and I need to share now that I feel I might have something worthy.
4. It's not (and never was) about the money.  I really just want feedback (see #1) so I can improve my teaching.  Save your dollar, buy yourself a drink from the vending machine, and leave me a comment when you download something.  Cheers!  :)

Special thanks to @druinok for sending me a tweet that got me started on my 180.

And, without further ado, here's the Families of Functions file that I mentioned yesterday. The first one is a Word doc but the font changed (from Noteworthy to ?), so it's formatted strangely.  Still, if you want to edit it, that would be the best one to use.  The pdf is second and it seems perfect, so use that one if you don't want to make any changes.  Download, share, and don't forget to comment! 



Mathematically yours,
Miss B

Solving Equations Pinch Cards

First of all, thanks to @druinok who blogs at statteacher.blogspot.com for motivating me to write this post (and being such a good encouragement on Twitter as well).  Follow me if you like; there's a button to the right now. -->

There was some discussion on Twitter tonight about response cards.  I can't stand fumbling and missing pieces, so individual cards are not for me!  I prefer a pinch card.  If you're not familiar with them, they are long thin strips of paper (like cutting an 8.5x11" into three vertical strips).  Answers are located along the strip.  These are general usually, such as A-D for multiple choice, True and False, etc. 

Last school year, one of my favorite uses for pinch cards was solving equations.  My kids were Struggling (yes, with a capital "s") with understanding which operation to do when.  I made simple pinch cards with the four basic operations, combining like terms (now "collecting" like terms for CCSS), and distributive property.  We would look at equations and decide which step to do first.  One or more students would explain their answers and we would reach a consensus.  Then we would work together to solve that step and use the pinch cards again for subsequent steps.  I kept it to the four basic operations at first and it worked well.  Then we added in the CLT and distributive property.  We had 100% engagement (and even if at first they were copying their response from a friend, at least they were putting effort into getting the right answer)!

Here's the file.  I recommend printing it double sided so you and the kids can both see what was selected.  Laminated cardstock would be your best choice for durability. I kept them in table bins but you could also punch holes and keep them in students' binders if you'll be using them frequently.




How have you used pinch cards or response cards in your lessons?

Mathematically yours,
Miss B
 

Systems of Equations Mystery Bags

The pre-testing crunch time is stressing out my poor Algebra I class.  After quite a miserable day on Tuesday, I knew I needed a different approach to our lesson for today.

I started the lesson with yet another example of a systems of linear equations word problem.  Cars and motorcycles were the topic for my male-heavy class.  I could see the boys' expressions change when it finally "clicked" for them since we were talking about a topic many of them care about.

Then I brought out the "mystery bags."  Outside each brown paper bag was a systems word problem.  Inside the bag was the answer to the question comprised of real objects that the kids could count out in many cases.  We worked through them as stations and the children found more success than they had been finding previously.  Hooray!

Here's a document with the problems we used and clipart of the answers.  For the candy, pencils, and yarn questions, I used real objects, but I've included the clip art for all of the questions.   Sorry if the pagination is a little off in this file.  You might need to add or delete some spaces to get the problems on their own pages.  Box isn't being friendly, but I know Word works better for most people than PDFs since you can edit as needed. 

Download here: https://app.box.com/s/muyaycbisot41wqa5l6j


Mathematically yours,
Miss B

Problem Master: Graphing Linear Equations

A few months ago, I did a "Problem Master" activity with my Algebra I class focusing on probability.  They handled the activity really well and wanted to do it again.  I threw together this activity last night in one of those I-hate-tomorrow's-lesson-plan-and-need-something-that-will-work moments.  Our schedule has been modified for the past two weeks due to state testing, so the kids are unsettled and this got them moving around and talking in a productive way.

The steps are simple:

• Each student gets a different problem to solve
• The teacher checks the problems and coaches as needed.  I tend to complete this during the warm-up time we have but longer more involved problems could be completed the day prior to the activity and checked outside of class.
• Students pair off, solve each other's problems, and check to make sure they are right.  They continue to pair off until they've paired off with everyone OR a set number of partners OR time is called.  (I prefer the time method because some students will take longer than others and you can end up with a bottleneck at the end if 4 people just need to work with Mary to have finished.)

Management tips:

• Arrange furniture in twos if at all possible to facilitate pairing.
• Write or print each problem and its corresponding number on a card.  Students can trade these cards when they partner off.  Long problems (word problems in particular) or problems with diagrams can be typed up several to a sheet.  The Problem Master would have a class set of small slips of paper with his question to pass out to partners who would glue them into books.  It sounds complicated, but my kids managed just fine with the probability questions done this way.  Just remind students to only cut one question off each time they meet a new partner so you don't have confetti all over the room!
• Designate a "waiting room" where students look for new partners.  No one may stay there when they find partners.  Depending on the length of the problem that your students are asked to solve, you may need a filler activity (24 cards, etc) in this space for kids who need to wait longer than a few seconds before a new partner is available.  This is also a great place for you to check in with kids on any questions they're having. 
• Either create a worksheet with areas for each problem ahead of time or instruct students how to number their papers prior to starting.  This helps them to keep track of which problems they haven't completed yet.   For today's activity, we stapled three sheets of graph paper together, numbered from 1-19 (one question per student present), and just copied the questions onto the answer packet since they were short equations. 
• Differentiate problems where needed.  I give my strongest coaches and "explainers" the hardest problems because I know they will give their classmates a good push towards getting the questions right. 

If you hung around this long, you deserve a freebie.  Here are the equations we practiced today.  They are all horizontal, vertical, or in slope-intercept form.  I loved overhearing discussions of "HOY VUX," slope, intercepts, and the like. 


Mathematically yours,
Miss B

Slope-Intercept Form Battleship

I've seen a few variations of using the famous game Battleship in math class.  Who among us hasn't used it (or at least the concept) when reinforcing graphing coordinate pairs?

Taking it in a slightly more advanced direction, let's make a 4 quadrant Battleship grid.  And let's require kids to write equations in slope-intercept form, graph them, and develop a strategy for this process. (Putting equations in point-slope would be a great substitute if you want one.)

Here's how it works:

Materials (for each team of two students):
1 paper Battleship board (or graph paper with axes drawn and labeled)
1 Record sheet (or notebook paper)
2 different colored pencils or markers
1 ruler

Procedure:
1. Place students in pairs and distribute materials.   Depending on the level of your students and their experience with slope-intercept form, you might consider doing one round as a whole class activity, as a "beat the teacher" sort of thing before you pair off.
2. Students take turns placing their ships.  Ensure that the dots are placed on integer ordered pairs.
3. Students take turns writing and graphing equations that hit their opponents ships.  They should record the equation they choose and the point or points the line hits on the ships. 
4. Encourage students to look for lines that will result in more than one hit at a time.  These spice up the game.
5. The first player to hit all nine coordinates occupied by his opponent's ships wins.  Prizes are always welcome!
6. I'm photocopying the board double sided so that my students can do a rematch and refine their strategies.  The graded portion of this activity include reflection on strategy.
7. Complete reflection activity independently (as HW, perhaps).


Here are some photos of my sample.  I'll share this with my class so they can see what I'm looking for.

Game Board filled in

Record sheet- I won't plan to grade this, but it keeps kids accountable and will help if they have a question or dispute to bring to me

Want to try this in your classroom?  If I did it right, the file should show up below. I just got box.com, yay!



Or try this link: Battleship PDF

I'm posting to Made 4 Math Monday because I made it and it's Monday!

Mathematically yours,
Miss B

Functions, Domain, and Range Foldable

Recently, I've gotten pretty excited about foldables.  I'm not using them exclusively for notes, but I'm using them to summarize big topics here and there.  Pretty colored just makes me happy (after all, my other blog is all about paper crafting) and I love that foldables keep students from being overwhelmed by having too much information on a page.

I went crazy today and made two three foldables for use in the upcoming days.  This one summarizes functions, domain, and range.  I've dabbled briefly in these topics before, but this is the first time I'm teaching it full-out since this is my first year teaching Algebra I.   

The completed foldable will be stapled to notebook paper so students can store it in their binders.

To make your own foldable like this, you need three sheets of paper.  I chose to use different colors but you could easily use white for everything.  Hold all three sheets in the portrait orientation.  On one sheet, measure 3" from the top and fold (green paper).  On the next, measure 4" from the top and fold (white paper).  On the last, measure 5" from the top and fold (blue paper).  Nest these sheets together so you have six flaps sticking up.  Secure with staples along the fold.

Want this file?  Or a blank template perfect for any subject?  Just click the links to download them and be sure to print them two-sided with short edge binding.  If your printer can't print two sided, you want the dotted lines to match up when you copy the sheets.  The blank template includes my notes to help you fill it in right the first time; we don't need to be frustrated! 

Happy folding!  If you find this helpful or have any suggestions, please let me know!  I love to hear about what other teachers are doing.  

Mathematically yours, 

Miss B 

P.S. - Better late than never, I'm linking up to #Made4Math even though it's not Monday.  

If Barbie were as tall as me- Update

Over the past week, my students worked on the group portion of their Barbie proportion project.  Here are a few shots of the works in progress!  Please forgive the photo quality; I think I left the flash off. 

Now, students are beginning their letters to Mattel.  They're surprised I actually offered to mail them and they don't think the letters will really be read.  I am crossing my fingers that the good people at Mattel will reply (even with a form letter) so my kids can understand that their views matter and their correspondence is read.  Despite their disbelief in corporate American, I barely heard any grumbles from students about having to write in math class once they realized their letter was for more than just my eyes. 

I had a comment asking for the files I used.  Get them here.  If you make any modifications to suit your class or find these files useful, I'd love to hear about it! 

If Barbie Were as Tall as Me- A Lesson in Proportional Reasoning

This lesson idea isn't new; it's easy to find many versions of it all over the internet. In fact, I was inspired by a post from fellow teacher Fawn Nguyen.  Here's my spin on it.  My students need to review proportional reasoning this year, so I wanted to focus on application since they got the basics of how to cross multiply and solve last year.

I started by collecting some Barbies and Kens.  Thank goodness for generous teachers in my district and our fabulous e-mail network!  I got 5 Barbies and Kens in no time.  I bought one more at Goodwill for $1 and now I have enough for each table in my classroom to have one.  I'll try to pick up a few more when I can find them (clothed) for $1 or so.  :)

Students will work in their table groups of four on this project.  They'll need to select one student in their group to serve as the human reference.  That student's height will be used and their silhouette will be traced on bulletin board paper.

Next, students will carefully measure and record data on Barbie's body measurements.  I selected six data points I'd like them to collect and superimposed them on a coloring page of a Barbie doll.  They'll write proportions to find out how large these body parts would be if Barbie were enlarged to their height.  Then, they need to work as a group to make a scale drawing on chart paper.  I'm planning to have them place their scale drawings next to the silhouettes to show off how unreasonable Barbie is.  I'm also curious to see if this pans out in a similar way with Ken or if he's more reasonably made.  His abs are unusual, that's for sure!

A screenshot of a portion of the diagram students will use. 

The individual portion of the project asks students to write a letter to Mattel explaining their findings and requesting changes in Barbie's physique so that it will be more true to life.

Since it's Monday, I'm posting to made 4 math.

EDIT: There's a follow-up to this post here that contains files you can download.  

Laws of Exponents Foldable

We've been working on radicals in Intermediate Algebra since before Christmas.  The next item on the agenda is making the connection to rational exponents (and thereby also reviewing the Laws of Exponents).  My students are fairly confident with Laws of Exponents, but I thought they might like a foldable to summarize everything in one place once we add in the rules for rational exponents and have to apply all the old rules.

If you'd like a copy of the foldable I made, click here for a pdf download.  There is a small 2x2 area on each flap where you can include extra notes or an additional example problem of your own.  The inside lists a synopsis of the rules and at least one example for each type of problem.  If you use it, I'd love to hear your comments!

I submitted this as my first entry to http://made4math.blogspot.com/.  Go over and check out the other great resources linked there if you haven't already done so. 

Mathematically yours,
Miss B

Problem Master and Mountain Climber

My Facebook status this evening sums it up: "That was the kind of awesome day of teaching that will get me through until Christmas."

Have you ever had a day like mine when the lesson goes seamlessly (or nearly so), the kids enjoy what they're doing, you enjoy what you're doing, behavior problems are non-existent, and the learning conversations are rich.  

The best compliment I got from a kid today, "You know, Miss B, this is the highest class but we do the most fun stuff." ("highest class" = most advanced class offered to 8th grade)

So, what caused this awesome day?  Two new activities.  

The first activity was for my Algebra I class.  We have been studying probability for several weeks and it's been slow going.  Many of my students are struggling readers, so the questions are difficult for them to answer independently.  I decided to use an activity that I adapted from a math blog (I think it was ispeakmath but I cannot find the post now for anything and would love to give credit if anyone knows).  We'll call it Problem Master.

Problem Master Directions

1. Create one problem per student on the topic you're studying. (I used a mix of all the kinds of probability questions we're responsible for in 8th grade: simple, independent, dependent, sample space, permutations, and predictions from experimental probability.)
2. Assign each child a different problem.  Have them work out this problem (I used scrap paper for this step) and check the answer with you.  They need to understand and be able to explain how they arrived at that answer.  
3. Create a packet (or use notebook paper) with a numbered space for each problem.  I have 21 students in Algebra I, so I had 21 problems and a packet with that many spaces.  
4. The "Master" of the problem gets a copy of the question in green.  They glue it into the packet and show the work needed to solve the problem.  They also get a yellow sheet with 20 copies of their problem to give to classmates when they pair up.  You'll need to print one page with all of the questions once on green paper and then make a yellow sheet for each child with their problem duplicated enough times for everyone else in the class.
5. Each child then pairs up with another member of the class, they trade problems to solve, work independently to solve the problem, check their partner's answers, and they coach as needed.  
6. I had students grade each other with smiley faces for how much help they required.  
7. When a pair is finished, they return to a designated area to meet a new partner.  (Rarely was anyone waiting for more than 1 minute.  You could choose to have a secondary assignment for anyone waiting or call out switching times, but my kids were able to handle this bit of freedom because they could work at their own pace.) 
8. I had students carry their glue stick and scissors around with them.  We only cut out one problem each time we paired up instead of cutting them all apart at the beginning because I wanted to avoid them losing a pile of little yellow papers!  Envelopes or baggies would also work, but giving them an entire sheet limited my prep significantly and made it easy when we realized we would like to finish the activity in the next class period.  

We worked on this activity for almost an hour of our 90-minute block.  The kids were engaged the whole time and were taking their responsibility seriously.  They weren't happy that we didn't have enough time to finish and begged to get more time next class.  I'll happily oblige because they were doing an awesome job!  
---

With my morning class going so well, I worried some about the potential of my afternoon class.  After all, could I manage two new group activities in one day without pulling out my graying hairs?

This activity probably exists out there in one form or another, but I invented it last night without any direct inspiration.  It's called Mountain Climber. 

My students were very complimentary of my artwork.  Bless them for loving my scribbles!  Coming soon, there will be a picture of the poster we used to track our progress in the "game."  For now, just picture a crude half-mountain drawn on poster paper.  Starting at the bottom and going up the side, there are labels reading "level 1,"  "level 2," all the way to "level 10" and the groups all have a little mountain climber clip art icon colored a different color that they move up the poster.  

Mountain Climber Directions

1. Each group is assigned a different colored marker.  My grouping scheme is discussed here.  I used groups of 3. 
2. Create a variety of problems/tasks related to the topic you're working on and level them from easiest to hardest.  Put each problem on a separate page (half page, etc) and make enough copies for the number of groups you'll have.  I chose to make 10 problems, but this can be adapted to the difficulty level of the topic and the amount of time you have. 
3. Students provide notebook paper.  Pass out one record sheet per group and one copy of the level 1 problem to each team. 
4. Students work in their groups to solve the problem.   Group roles are recorder (writes on record sheet discussed below), messenger (delivers paper for corrections), and scorekeeper (keeps track of group progress).  
5. As the students work on a problem and reach a consensus, the recorder fills in the record sheet, the messenger brings it to the teacher for checking, and the scorekeeper moves the mountain climber up a level when they get a problem correct. Give them the next level of problem when they get a correct answer.
6. I emphasize accuracy over speed in this exercise.  You can see there are three columns on the right of the record sheet.  The first time the group gives me their paper, they get 3 points for a correct answer.  Each subsequent time, they earn less points.  This is a good motivator to help them reach a consensus before bringing me the paper!   The team with the highest point total at the end is declared the winner.  I do not care who finishes the 10 problems first.  

The kids were very excited to play Mountain Climber.  I teach a competitive group in Intermediate Algebra, so they all wanted to be fastest.  Some groups started to realize that they needed to slow down and read the questions carefully so they could get their points.  I had one instance of a team that tried to "divide and conquer" on a problem.  I marked an X in their first box for that problem, and they went back to helping and coaching each other as I'd asked.  Despite that one very minor incident, the activity went well and the kids again begged me to let them finish next class. 

My students want to do math problems.  That's my definition of winning! 

Mathematically yours, 
Miss B

Measures of Central Tendency Cootie Catcher or Fortune Teller

First, a PSA: Tomorrow is the first day of school!  Hooray!

Back to your regular programming...

I've seen some academic uses of the so called "cootie catcher" or "fortune teller" and I decided to make one for my kids to use this week as we review measures of central tendency in Algebra I.

Here's the basic template I made in Word.  If you want the file, please just leave me a comment and I'll be happy to share   download the PDF from Google Docs.  Obviously, you could just have your kids fold a plain one and write things on it.  I don't know my clientele yet, so I'm doing most of the work for them this time. 

The four corner squares are labeled mean, median, mode, and range.  These are the measures of central tendency and variation that my students should have mastered in 7th grade.  Generally, they come in pretty well prepared on this topic, with some of them mixing up the "m" words.

I filled in everything but the solutions and definitions for them.  There are 8 data sets given and there are places for the kids to write in the mean, median, mode, and range for each of the sets.  My plan is for them to work in partners to "play the game" and collaborate on finding the answers for each data set, only recording their work if they both agree.  They can then take this home as a study guide/review game.   The colors on the words are just pretty.  The colors around the data sets and answers are there to keep the kids from getting switched around. 

Again, you can download the blank template here if you missed the link above!  If you'd like the filled in copy (in my lovely handwriting, sorry), you can get it from my updated post.

How do you make review activities fun and unique to keep kids motivated?