CIESE Math Activities List

Activity				Description		Grades		Topics		Software
		Billiard paths		Here you will find an unusual billiard table. The dimensions are determined by the numbers on the sliders. Your Challenge: See if you can come up with a way to predict (1) what the number of touches will be for any given size billiard table and (2) which corner the ball will end up in.		6		Number Sense, Numerical operations		Applet, MW*
		Broken Calculator		In this game you have to get as close as possible to a given number, by using the still working buttons of a broken calculator. Challenge: make your computation come out to 25 if the 5 key is disabled.		6, 7		Number Sense, Numerical operations		Applet, MW*
		Bus Problem		You are about to go on a field trip with the entire school. There are 438 teachers, students, and administrators in your building. Everyone will be traveling by school bus. If each bus (excluding the bus driver) can seat a maximum of 30 people, how many buses will you need to transport everyone?		6		Number Sense, Numerical operations		None
		Factor Game – Microworld Version		Two players compete for high score by picking numbers from a board (screen) which are then added to their score. There is a catch though. Whenever Player A picks a number, the total of every factor of that number still showing on the screen is added to the opponent's score. When the opponent, Player B, chooses a number, that number is added to his/her score, but Player A gets the total of all remaining factors of the number B chose. Game continues until all numbers have been picked. High score wins.		6		Number Sense, Numerical operations		MW*
		Factor Game – NCTM Version		Two players compete for high score by picking numbers from a screen which are then added to their score. There is a catch though. Whenever Player A picks a number, the total of every factor of that number still showing on the screen is added to the opponent's score. When the opponent, Player B, chooses a number, that number is added to his/her score, but Player A gets the total of all remaining factors of the number that B chose.		7		Number Sense, Numerical operations		Applet
		Game of Number Guess – Decimal version		The assumption of this number guess game is that the mystery number will be a whole number. But what if 4 is too big and 3 is too small? What would be your next guess?		6		Number Sense, Numerical operations		MW
		Hundred Board		NCTM version. Very clever way to do times tables!		6		Number Sense, Numerical operations
		Power of 2		Paper folding problem: How many times would you need to fold a piece of paper (assuming its possible so that the number of sheets would pile high enough to reach the moon?		7		Number Sense, Patterns (Pre Algebra)		SS
		Repeating and terminating Decimals		Can every fraction be written as a decimal? This spreadsheet activity will help you to find out.		7		Number Sense, Numerical operations		SS
		Road Sign		What’s wrong with the sign?		6		Number Sense, Numerical operations		None