Hello and welcome to our math game tutorial! Today, we’ll be introducing you to a fun and interactive game called Fraction Relay. This game is perfect for reinforcing students’ understanding of fractions, place value, and the use of manipulatives to represent place value. Plus, it encourages teamwork and nonverbal communication skills as students work to build fractions more quickly and accurately than their opponents.
To play Fraction Relay, you’ll need a small set of base ten blocks for each team, a set of hi/lo cards, and a set of fraction cards. The hi/lo cards are simply index cards with the words “too high” on one side and “too low” on the other. The fraction cards are index cards with a fraction written on one side. Fractions should be of the form x/1000, for example 156/1000 or 24/1000.
Before the game can be played, these materials must be prepared. Once everything is set up, one member of each team is appointed to start. This person comes to the front of the class with the other starters from each team. The teacher shows these players the first fraction card simultaneously.
These players then return to their teams and help their teammates build this fraction using the base ten blocks. This player may not talk, but may only give clues by showing either side of the hi/lo card while the other teammates work with the base ten blocks. The leadership role is crucial in this game – a clear and effective leader helps their team stay on track and build the fraction more efficiently.
Once the team has built the fraction, another player comes to the front and tells the teacher the fraction built. If correct, they are told the next fraction to be built. This player now takes the hi/lo card and provides clues to their team. In this way, the team that first works its way through the whole set of fraction cards wins.
As an added challenge, you can have teams find the sum or difference of their fractions after they build two fractions. The first team to get the correct sum or difference wins that particular relay.
This game aligns with the Common Core Mathematical Standard of developing an understanding of fractions and the practice of modeling with mathematics. It’s a great way to help students represent and describe proper fractions, as well as understand fractional equivalence and ordering.
We hope you enjoy playing Fraction Relay in your own classroom! It’s a fun and engaging way to reinforce important math skills and encourage teamwork.