Let’s Play Percent Bingo!

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One of the most favorite games of my former students was Percent Bingo. This is a game that can be played several times (especially if your classroom routines are well established) as a warm up and activating activity. Percent Bingo is designed to build fluency and number sense between decimals, percents, and fractions. One of the primary reasons I liked using this game is that it helps the students become comfortable dealing with fractions.

The game was primarily used with seventh graders (12-13 year old), although the standards for converting between decimal-fraction-percents were in the 5th and 6th grade. However, the game is not only beneficial for fraction practice, it is also helpful in solving percentage problems (example– What is 35% of 180, or What percent is 35 out of 50?). Not only that, through repetition, students will begin to move percents such as 3/5 or 16/20 into long term memory.

The game is played as a standard bingo game, (except using a 4×4 board), with one free space. Players fill in their board with the percent values– Using the percents from 5% to 150% which are also divisible by 5. Using percents over 100% introduces improper and mixed numbers in the game (3/2 = 150% or 1 ¼ = 125%).

Download the Percent Bingo Board and Teacher Resources here.

The teacher calls out a number in fraction or decimal form, and the students convert the value into percent form. It’s perfectly fine for the students to use paper-and-pencil to do any calculations– We are not trying to get the students to memorize anything except how to convert between the different forms.

When a player has four-in-a-row, they call out “Bingo!” The teacher should pause, and ask if there are any other “Bingos”. This prevents a student changing any answers when other players read out their answers. For each player who has a Bingo, they read their percent and then tell the correct fraction/decimal that has been called.

Once my classroom routines had been well-established, the class could play 2 or 3 games in the first 10 minutes of the period. After this, the class is relaxed and their math brains have been activated. And we have practiced converting decimals and fractions to percents, reducing fractions, mixed numbers and improper forms!

Of course, always have candy ready for those who gets a bingo!

The next post will discuss more of the mechanics of using Percent Bingo in your class.

Teaching with Blocks

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Using Addition Blocks and Multiplication Blocks to Teach Facts

I have always preached and told anyone interested that Addition Blocks and Multiplication Blocks are used to build fluency. While that is the primary purpose, these games can also be used to actually teach facts as well– As long as there is an understanding of what the apps are actually doing…And a willingness to work with you child one-on-one. Additionally, Addition Blocks/Multiplication Blocks should not and can not be the sole instrument to teach your child to add or multiply. The games can be/should be one tool in your toolbox.

(If you are not familiar with the game play, please watch the videos here and here).

The goal for fluency is ‘knowing’ over ‘constructing’. That is, we want the kids to have  instant recall (subconscious) with their addition and multiplication facts, rather than counting on their fingers or skip counting. With repetition and feedback, children will move (that is, the neural connections will be strengthened) facts into long-term memory. So, we can use the apps to help move those facts into long-term memory through simply giving them the answers as they play.

Using the game to teach facts requires one-on-one instruction time. Play the game on ‘easy’ difficulty and ‘slow’ speed, sit with your child or student, and let them tap the blocks while you tell them the answers on the board: “Seven is four plus three…Six is three plus three… 5 is four plus one.” Just through the repetition, the kids (especially the really young ones, whose brains are sponges) will begin to memorize their facts. Not only that, younger children will also be building their number sense.

Finally, have realistic expectations. Don’t expect your child to know their facts after one week. Building fluency takes time. Keep in mind how long their attention span. Playing the game in short sessions, 3-5 minutes at a time, one-to-two times a week, will be enough. Keep the time with your child fun. Kids love playing the game!

Again, I stress the fact that children need to learn how and why ‘addition’ or ‘multiplication’ works. That requires time and teaching the underlying concepts. But for merely the memorization of facts, playing the games will be a lot more fun than using lots of worksheets!

How do you use the games in your classroom or at home? Leave a comment and share with others!