How to Introduce Figurd to your Class

My favorite part of my job is visiting a class for the first time and introducing kids to FIGURD. I will put this in some easy-to-follow steps for you:

1) I put a hand of the game up on a whiteboard with a projector using one of the download and print games available on the Figurd.it site. For example Game 1 2 3 4 with + - x /

2) I tell the class I will go first by making an equation that = 1. So, I say 2-1 = 1. To give the class confidence they can do this I then ask the whole class a question," What comes after 1?" Usually they all shout out," 2" and I tell them they are going to be great this game.

3) I then ask that when they have an equation that equals 2 they raise their hand. I choose a raised hand and ask for their equation.

4) Then I ask what comes after 2. They tell me 3 and I solve for three. 4-3+2=3. This lets them know they can use as many of the numbers as they want.

5) Keep taking turns back and forth and after a few more turns I will play against them as a group to speed up this process.

6) As we play I explain the only rule is you can not use any number twice in one equation.

7) When we finish this hand, they know how to play and have the rules down pat.

8) I then break the class up into small groups of ~4 and assign another hand of the game i.e. 2 3 4 5 ( face down). I use a timer and give them 15 minutes (or what time best works for your schedule) to work on it as a group. Start the timer, tell them to begin and then see which group gets the farthest on a copy of the worksheet when the timer stops.

9) The kids have great fun and the peer-to-peer learning is a powerful tool. The kids wind up working a huge number of mental math problems in a short amount of time through play! All of this is a strong reinforcement for fact fluency and so much more!

It is a win-win for the students and the teachers. 15 minutes 3x a week will show in your test scores! Figurd can even turn homework into playtime!

Enjoy