Math for Love

3rd Grade

1 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Dan Finkel and Katherine Cook

Copyright 2021 Math for Love
mathforlove.com

2 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

3 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com
A word about using this book
This book was designed to support a summer math program
lasting sixteen 75 - 90-minute days. With minimal adjustment it
can be used for longer programs, programs with shorter classes,
or other variations.

You can also use these activities to supplement a normal math

class. There are enough activities to do something from this book
1-2 times a week for an entire school year. Most of the games can
be played many times. Openers can be used in the first ten
minutes of class. Games can be played for 5 - 30 minutes. Deeper
tasks might be good for sparking your students’ curiosity and
digging in on a multi-day project. Use these in the way that works
for you and your students.

The introduction in the following pages is worth reading, and can

help get you started. We also have a video PD series to support
this curriculum that should be helpful: mathforlove.com/video/
math-for-love-video-pd.

Enjoy!

A word about the copyright

We want this book to be used by teachers to help students explore
math in a positive way. Feel free to make photocopies, share ideas
with parents and colleagues, and use this as a resource draw on.
In general, we support this kind of fair use of our materials.
Please don’t post elements from this book online without citing
the source, share large chunks of the book electronically, or sell
parts of the book anyone.

4 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

5 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com
 Table of Activities
Where to find each activity the FIRST time it's used in this curriculum

Introduction 10
Day 1 17
Mingle 18
Pico Fermi Bagels 19
Preassessment 20
Forty Faces 30
Fill the Stairs 32
Day 2 34
Counterexamples 35
Square Building 37
Mini-Lesson: What is Multiplication? 40
Blockout 44
Day 3 49
Unit Chats 50
Pattern Block Multiplication 1 52
Pig 54
Times Table Counting Challenge 1 57
Times Table Counting Challenge 2 58
Day 4 59
Penny, Nickel, Dime 60
The Ant and the Grasshopper 63
Big Blockout 65
Day 5 68
Pattern Block Multiplication 2 69
Odd Pig Out 71

6 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Day 6 74
Don’t Break the Bank! 75
Pattern Block Sunflowers 77
Bowling 81
Day 7 84
Fair Share 85
Day 8 89
Pattern Block Division 1 90
Prime Climb 92
Day 9 94
Cuisenaire Rod Multiplication 95
Multiplication Table Tic-Tac-Toe 97
Day 10 101
Target Number 102
Cuisenaire Rod Division 104
Salute 106
Day 11 108
Mini-lesson: Cuisenaire rods and the area model of multiplication 109
Damult Dice 1-digit by 2-digit version 114
Day 12 117
Broken Calculator Warmup 118
The Monster 120
Half squares and quarter squares 122
Day 13 125
Pirate Treasure 126
Horseshoes 128
Day 14 130
Subtracting Reverses 132

7 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Day 15 135
Cuisenaire Rod Challenges 139
Don’t Break the Bank! Pattern Block Fraction Variation 140
Day 16 144
Postassessment 145

Appendix 1: Games to go Home 155

Appendix 2: Math Games and Movement Breaks 165
Appendix 3: Challenge Problems 169
Dice Patterns 170
Count the Dots 172
Counting in the Classroom 177
Spending Spree 178
Number Search 182

Appendix 4: Unit Chats 187

8 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

9 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com
 Introduction
Welcome to the Math for Love curriculum! We are thrilled to have you on board. We’ve
seen this program make a meaningful difference in the lives of the students who have
used it as a summer or supplemental curriculum. We hope it will do so for your students
too.

Goals of the Math For Love Curriculum

We wrote this program to be both play-based and rigorous. The goals of the program
are two-fold:

• Improve conceptual understanding of and fluency in mathematics

• Give everyone an opportunity to have fun and enjoy math

Many students haven’t had enough time working with conceptual models of
mathematics before being pushed into abstraction. To remedy this, the curriculum
spends ample time exploring conceptual models, giving students opportunities to work
concretely and pictorially while making connections to abstract reasoning.

Program Values
The goals are to strengthen student understanding and deepen their enjoyment of math.
The values of the program help work toward those goals:

• Students should play, with both games and ideas

• Students should have hands-on experiences, exploring math with manipulatives
• Students should experience math as a meaningful, compelling activity, with multiple
ways to approach solving a problem, representing a situation, and developing a
strategy.
• Students should have time to think deeply about mathematics.

In short, this curriculum is designed to help you build a classroom where students are
doing math and thinking math.

Teacher’s Responsibility
As a teacher in the program, you are tasked with establishing a healthy and dynamic
classroom environment where these values are expressed. Your responsibilities are:

1. Engagement. Create a classroom where your students spend the bulk of their class
time actively engaged in mathematical play and problem-solving.
2. Differentiation. Help students encounter problems, games, and activities of the
right level of difficulty to create engagement.

10 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

3. Thinking. Get students thinking as soon as possible every day, and help keep them
productively stuck, actively working to understand, make meaning, and develop
ownership of mathematical problems as they think through problems.
4. Positive Environment. Help the classroom be a place where students trust
themselves, their teacher, and each other, and can make mistakes, ask questions,
and grow.

The curriculum is designed to help you in these tasks, and your students and you will get
the most out of it if you tackle these responsibilities head on. Here are some concrete
ideas on how to go about it.

★ Be ready with questions

Rather than simply telling students whether their answers are correct or not, ask
them what they did to solve the problem. Ask them what they think the answer is
and why. Invite them to share their thinking with you and their classmates. This
shows them that you value their thinking and contributions, not just the answer.

★ Model how to play games, and teach how to win and lose
Students can sometimes get overly attached to winning, and take their wins and
losses as deeper signs about themselves. It’s best to get ahead of this right away. Talk
about how the players of a game are working together to learn about the game, and
every loss is a chance to get more information about how to win. Rather than
thinking about the other player as your rival, think of them as your collaborator,
there to help you learn. You can also adjust many of the games to be collaborative
rather than competitive.

★ Avoid what doesn’t involve math; get students into actual, active thinking
situations about mathematics as fast as you can
Our goal is to make the most of classroom time, and avoid things that use up too
much time without much gain in mathematical understanding. Start class right away
with a Unit Chat or opening game (see the Opener in the daily plan). Use the Math
Games and Station Breaks for transitions between Activities. Establish the classroom
as a place where we all are committed to working on improving our understanding of
math.

★ Have a growth mindset classroom

Some of your students will believe that they are just bad at math. They will think this
is an unchangeable personality trait. The truth is that every student can succeed in
mathematics, regardless of how they’ve done in the past. Convey to your students,
early and often, that math is something you learn to be good at, not something you
just know; how making and learning from mistakes is the key to improving; and how
everyone can be good at math if they put in the time and the energy.

★ Encourage conjectures and counterexamples

Establish a habit of supporting students’ conjectures, hypotheses and predictions,
and students will learn more and commit to the thinking process. Help them use

11 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 counterexamples as a tool to break and improve conjectures (see the
Counterexamples lesson plan on Day 2), and they'll begin behaving like true
mathematicians. Making conjectures and counterexamples normalizes mistakes as
part of the learning process, and gives students a practical way to learn from them. It
also makes doing and thinking mathematics the central activity of your class.

★ Give your students time to think and explore

Many students are not given enough time to establish solid conceptual models. Don’t
feel like you need to rush in order to get through the entire curriculum, if pausing
and doing less in more depth would serve your students better. Make sure you don’t
push students to stop using blocks or pictures too quickly, either. Also note that a
central place in the curriculum to practice fluency is in the games. The goal is for the
practice and experience of growing mastery to be tied to the experience of playing.

★ Give your students the right amount of struggle

We want the students to be ‘productively stuck’, i.e. we want them to be working on
material they haven’t mastered yet but not material that is so hard they can’t get
started. Most of the lessons in the curriculum start easy, so make sure everyone is
able to begin, and help students get started on problems with support when
necessary. But don’t offer so much help that you take away their opportunity to
learn. Learning happens when we are trying to do something we know how to begin
and don’t know how to finish. Keep in mind that many students will be more familiar
with the “stuck” part, so try to start them with successes, and then move them slowly
toward greater problem-solving stamina.

★ Value play
It’s easy to feel like students have to suffer to learn math. In fact, the opposite is true.
Approach math in a playful way, and you’ll see students more willing to struggle and
persevere, more willing to take risks and learn from mistakes, and more able to
absorb new ideas and put them into practice.

12 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Using this curriculum
If you use this curriculum to supplement math in a classroom, you’ll find that you
should have enough here to do one or two Math for Love activities a week, some
relatively brief, like openers or games, and some activities taking longer. Many of the
activities, and especially the games, can be returned to more than once. We recommend
you move through the curriculum roughly in order. Use your best judgment, and adapt
as necessary.

If you use this curriculum for a summer program, it can serve for a 16-day program of 75
- 90 minute days. If you need it for less, you can end sooner. If you need something
longer, you should find many of the activities extend to fill a second day. No matter how
you use it, we encourage you not to feel like you have to “cover” all the material. Give
students the time they need to explore the ideas and activities at a comfortable pace.

Day Plan
The Day Plan lets you know exactly what’s happening on a given day. The components
of a typical Day Plan are:

• Goals
• Opener
• Activity
• Game
• Choice Time
• Closer

Goals
These are the learning content goals that are the target of the lessons and activities for
the day. These are meant to help the teacher know what to focus on throughout the day.
The goals do not need to be shared with students.

Opener
The Opener is the first activity of math class. The goal of the Opener is to get students
relaxed, focused, and thinking. The teacher typically leads a math talk or game, built to
help the students begin thinking and engaging right away. The Openers should be at a
level of challenge that provides all students a positive, successful encounter with math
first thing.

In general, the Opener should last about 5 - 10 minutes.

13 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Activity, Game, Choice Time
Following the opener, there is a suggestion for an activity, a game, and Choice Time.
This is where the bulk of class time will be spent. There are two recommended ways to
approach these three elements.
1. Have students rotate between three stations. This is especially recommended when
you have additional adults (instructional aides, parent volunteers, tutors) in the
room aside from the teacher.
2. Take the whole class through the activities one by one. This is recommended when
the teacher is the only adult in the classroom.

Either way you run your classroom, the elements are designed to give students the
maximum opportunity to think & engage, practice skills, explore questions, and have
fun.

Choice Time includes a suggestion of a small group of past games and activities for the
students to try. This time is a fun and vital opportunity for students to practice skills and
explore deeper some of the games they’ve had a chance to play only briefly when they
were formally introduced.

Closer
The Closer is a chance for students to reflect on what they learned or still have questions
about in the day, and for the teacher to lead a closing discussion, or pose a final
challenge on the new material from the day.

There is a suggested question to pose at the end of each lesson. These are designed to
promote reflection some important element of the day's learning. Ideally, these
questions will be accessible to everyone, or review. They can usually be discussed in
pairs or small groups, and then briefly with the entire class.

Instead, the teacher might prefer to let students discuss another element from the class
that they noticed or that they’re still wondering about. When students share what they
noticed, it’s a chance for their observations to come to the attention of the class; when
students share what they wonder, it’s a chance to see their questions, conjectures, and
current state of understanding.

The Closer should take 5 minutes or less.

14 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Other Notes and Best Practices
★ Math Breaks and Physical Games
Check out the math-based movement breaks in Appendix 2. These are excellent as
transitions.

★ Folder for Worksheets

Give each student a folder where they can keep their worksheets. If they finish an
activity early, they can turn back to their unfinished worksheets and finish them.
They can also work on them during Choice Time.

★ Choice Time
Provide a structure for Choice Time like putting up the choices on a white board and
having students put their names at the games or activities they want to try that day.
Ideally, they should both choose the activity that is right for them, and then stick
with it for at least half of the time.

★ Challenge Problems
Challenge problems (see Appendix 3) are great options for Choice Time any day.
Offering “spicy" variations of worksheets or unfinished activities as Choice Time
activities can be another nice option.

★ Station Transitions
If you use stations, provide 1-2 minute warnings before station transitions, to apply a
gentle transition, cleanup, and—especially at Activity 1—a brief reflection or wrap-
up. If you use an alarm, make it a gentle sound (i.e., a gong) rather than an abrasive
one (i.e., a clock radio alarm).

★ Games to send home

See Appendix 1 for games to send home. These will help parents/guardians and
students play math games at home. You can always send other favorite games home,
or encourage students to share games they've learned with people at home. Note that
there is no homework for this program otherwise.

15 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

16 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com
 Day 1
Goals
1. Establish class norms and community.
2. Take preassessment.
3. Connect counting, addition, multiplication, and equations.
4. Play arithmetic and logic games.
____________________________________________________________
Openers
Mingle and/or Pico Fermi Bagels (2-digit, then 3-digit)

Note: feel free to substitute your favorite name game instead of using Mingle.
____________________________________________________________

Activities
1) Preassessment
2) Forty Faces

Make sure to let students know that this preassessment is not a “test," and not
something they’re expected to know any or all of the answers to. It’s just a way for you,
the teacher, to see what ideas they are familiar with, so you can make sure you keep
them challenged and interested. They definitely shouldn’t worry if they can’t get all, or
even most, of the answers. (We’ve included some very challenging questions!) So just
tell them to do their best and not to sweat it.
____________________________________________________________

Game/Puzzle
Fill the Stairs
____________________________________________________________

Closer
Pose the question:

We know forty is bigger than thirty. Does this mean a forty face (made out of pattern
blocks) uses more blocks than a thirty face? Or is it possible for a thirty face to use
more blocks than a forty face?

Let students discuss with a partner or small group, and then discuss with the class. The
key takeaway is that while a forty face would take forty green triangles to build (vs. thirty
green triangles for a thirty face), the number of blocks are a different unit. So a forty face
could be made out of six hexagons and two blue rhombuses (8 blocks total) vs. a thirty
face made out of 30 green triangles.

17 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Mingle
The teacher calls out a number (e.g., 3), and the students get themselves into groups of
that size as quickly as they can. It might be impossible for everyone to get in a group
every time, but each new number gives everyone another chance.

Once students get in groups, they can learn each other’s names.

In the basic game, just call out single numbers. Once students get the gist, you can call
out addition or subtraction problems (i.e., “get into groups of 7 - 4”).

Tips for the Classroom

1. The teacher can get into or out of the groups in order to make sure no student is by
themselves.

2. Don’t forget to call out a group of 1 and a group of however many students are in the
entire class at some point in the game! Both make for a fun surprise.

18 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Pico Fermi Bagels
Math concepts: Logic and deduction, place value
Equipment: Paper or whiteboard to record guesses
Common Core: 2.NBT.A.1, 2.NBT.A.3, MP1, MP3

Can you use the clues to get the number with the fewest possible guesses?

Why We Love Pico Fermi Bagels

Once you get used to the funny words, this game is a wonderful exercise in logic, and a
nice way to get kids playing with the ideas of digits and place value. Pico Fermi Bagels is
a perfect warmup.

How to Play
The teacher secretly chooses a number with no repeated digits. Students attempt to
guess the number. After each guess, the teacher gives feedback:

• If the guess has no numbers correct, the teacher responds: "Bagel."

• For each digit the guess has correct, but in the wrong place, the teacher says: "Pico."
• For each digit the guess has correct and in the correct place, teacher says: "Fermi."

Example Game
Let’s say you wrote down the secret number 487.
Guess 1: 139. Response: “Bagel” — no digit is correct.
Guess 2: 820 Response: “Pico” — the 8 is right, but in the wrong place.
Guess 3: 468 Response: “Pico Fermi” — the 8 is right, but in the wrong place, the 4 is in
the correct place.
Guess 4: 568 Response: “Pico” — the 8 is right, but in the wrong place.
Guess 5: 482 Response: “Fermi Fermi” — the 4 and 8 are in the correct place.
Guess 6: 487 Response: “Fermi Fermi Fermi” — all digits are in the correct place.
The guessers got it in six guesses! Can they do it in even fewer next time?

Tips for the Classroom

1. Note that students DON’T get a Pico, Fermi, or Bagel for each digit. The clue applies
to the entire 2- or 3-digit number.
2. Start with 2-digit numbers. Go to three-digit numbers only when the 2-digit
numbers have become straightforward.
3. Write the guesses and the responses somewhere that everyone can see them.
4. Keep track of digits. The skill in the game is about using the feedback from the
guesses to make educated future guesses.
5. Pause the game occasionally to ask students what they know for sure. Are there any
digits that they are sure are not in the number? Any digits they know are in the
number? How do they know?
References: Play online at http://communicrossings.com/html/js/pfb.htm

19 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Name_________________________

Preassessment
1) How many dots? Write an equation and solve.

Equation: _______________________________________________

2) How many dots? Write an equation and solve.

Equation: ___________________________________________

20 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Fill in the blanks to make the equations true.

3) 6 × _________ = 24

4) 42 ÷ 7 = ____________

Use the area model to solve.

5) 13 × 8 = ____________

21 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Name_________________________

6) Cora gets eight pennies each day for six days. How many pennies
does Cora get?

Explain with equations, words and/or pictures.

7) I had 6 cartons of eggs. There are 12 eggs in each carton.

I cooked 15 eggs.
How many eggs were left?

Explain with equations, words and/or pictures.

22 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

8) I have 36 books. I put them into four equal groups.
How many books are in each group?

Explain with equations, words and/or pictures.

9) There are 45 people going to the festival. Each van can hold 6
people. How many vans do they need?

Explain with equations, words and/or pictures.

23 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

10) Comic books cost $4, and paperback books cost $9.
If I want to buy 6 comic books and 3 paperback books, how much
money do I need?

Explain with equations, words and/or pictures.

24 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Name_________________________

Summer Staircase 3rd Grade Preassessment

1) How many dots? Write an equation and solve.

Equation: __________7 × 9 = 63 dots________________________

5 points for correct expression (7 × 9 or 9 × 7 or other option)
5 points for correct answer (63 or 63 dots)
2) How many dots? Write an equation and solve.

Equation: ______12 × 4 = 48 dots_________________

5 points for correct expression (12 × 4 or 8 × 6 or other option)
5 points for correct answer (48 or 48 dots)

25 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Fill in the blanks to make the equations true.

3) 6 × _________ = 24

10 points for correct answer: 4

4) 42 ÷ 7 = ____________

10 points for correct answer: 6

Use the area model to solve.

5) 13 × 8 = ____________

5 points for correct use of area model

5 points for correct answer: 104

26 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Name_________________________

6) Cora gets eight pennies each day for six days. How many pennies
does Cora get?

Explain with equations, words and/or pictures.

5 points for clear, correct explanation and/or drawing

5 points for correct answer: 48 pennies
Subtract 1 point if there are no units in final answer

7) I had 6 cartons of eggs. There are 12 eggs in each carton.

I cooked 15 eggs.
How many eggs were left?

Explain with equations, words and/or pictures.

5 points for clear, correct explanation and/or drawing

5 points for correct answer: 57 eggs
Subtract 1 point if there are no units in final answer

27 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

8) I have 36 books. I put them into four equal groups.
How many books are in each group?

Explain with equations, words and/or pictures.

5 points for clear, correct explanation and/or drawing

5 points for correct answer: 9 books
Subtract 1 point if there are no units in final answer

9) There are 45 people going to the festival. Each van can hold 6
people. How many vans do they need?

Explain with equations, words and/or pictures.

5 points for clear, correct explanation and/or drawing

5 points for correct answer: 8 vans
Subtract 1 point if there are no units in final answer

28 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

10) Comic books cost $4, and paperback books cost $9.
If I want to buy 6 comic books and 3 paperback books, how much
money do I need?

Explain with equations, words and/or pictures.

5 points for clear, correct explanation and/or drawing

e.g.
6 × $4 = $24 to buy the comic books
3 × $9 = $27 to buy the paperbacks
$24 + $27 = $51 to buy everything

5 points for correct answer: $51 or 51 dollars

Subtract 1 point if there are no units in final answer

29 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Forty Faces
Topics: Addition, subtraction, skip counting, multiplication, logic
Materials: Pattern Blocks, Scratch paper and pencil, Cuisenaire rods (optional)
Common Core: 3.OA.3, 3.OA.8, 3.NBT.2, MP1, MP6, MP7

Why We Love Forty Faces

This delightful challenge provides an artistic exploration of ways to construct numbers
by repeated addition or multiplication.

The Launch
Prepare the pattern blocks so they contain only green triangles, blue rhombuses, red
trapezoids, and yellow hexagons. Ask students how many triangles it takes to build the
blue rhombus (2), the red trapezoid (3), and the yellow hexagon (6). Then show them
the faces below, either by building them or by projecting images of them.

Briefly discuss how these faces are made by putting together the equivalent of 10 or 20
triangles worth of area. For the second face, for example, there are 2 hexagons, 2
rhombuses, one trapezoid, and one triangle. In terms of triangle area, the total “value”
would be 12 (in hexagons)+ 3 (in trapezoids) + 4 (in rhombuses) + 1 (in triangles)
= 12 + 3 + 4 + 1 = 20 triangles worth of area.

Once students understand how to count the “value” of the face, challenge them to create
their own faces from pattern blocks that have value (i.e., area) 10, 20, 30, or 40.

Prompts and Questions

• How much more area do you need to add to get to 30?
• Show me how you found the area.
• Let’s count how much the hexagons are worth.
• The trapezoids came to 18 area? Let’s write that down.
• Do you think the two of you could make a face with an area of 75?

30 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

The Wrap
Share a face that almost has area forty. Find its area/value with students, emphasizing
the possibility of skip-counting or multiplying to find the value of specific blocks. Once
everyone agrees on the area of the figure, take student suggestions for how it could be
adjusted to come to forty exactly.

Tips for the Classroom

1. Remove the orange squares and tan rhombuses from the pattern blocks before the
lesson begins.
2. Let students challenge themselves when they’re ready. Can they make a “100 face”?
3. Encourage students to use pencil and paper to actually track the arithmetic. It gets
difficult to find the answer without making a mistake once the faces get larger.
4. You can easily use Cuisenaire rods to make “forty faces” as well. Just use the white
cube as the unit. Below is an example of a face with a value of 30.

31 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Fill the Stairs
Topics: Comparison of two-digit numbers, estimation
Materials: Fill the Stairs sheet, 2 ten-sided dice per game (different colors)
Common Core: MP1, MP6, MP7

The numbers have to increase as they go up the stairs. Where should each number go?

Why We Love Fill the Stairs

This clever game requires the thoughtful placement of two-digit numbers in order,
before all the numbers are known. Fill the Stairs is a compelling and fun game that
holds up after repeated playing.

The Launch
For the first game, you can play at a station with everyone together. Everyone gets a Fill
the Stairs worksheet for each game. Choose one 10-sided die to be the “tens” die, and the
other ten-sided die to be the “ones” die. When you roll them both, you get a one- or two-
digit number. After every roll, everyone places the number that was rolled where they
like on the stairs. The only rule is that numbers higher up on the stairs must be greater
than all the numbers below them. If a player can’t use a number, it gets written under
the stairs as a “discard.” Whoever fills up their stairs first is the winner.

Once you’ve played a game altogether, students can play on their own in pairs or groups
of three. The best way to play is with everyone in one game using the same rolls, so
everyone has something to do on every turn.

Prompts and Questions

• Where are you going to put that number? Why there?
• What number are you hoping for on the next roll?
• How do you know that number is bigger than that one?

The Wrap
Discuss strategies with the students. What’s the best way to win the game? Can students
find any potential problems with the proposed strategies of their peers?

Tips for the classroom

1. If the dice roll off the table, they should re-roll.
2. A quick chant like “shake, shake, roll!” can help the game move, and avoid students
spending too long shaking the dice.
3. Fill the Stairs can easily be played collaboratively rather than competitively.
Students try to fill the stairs as a team with the fewest number of “wasted” moves.
4. Let students decide after each roll which digit gives the ten and which gives the one.

32 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Fill the Stairs
Roll the dice to make a two-digit number, and write it in on one of the stairs. Each
number you write in must be bigger than all the numbers below it, and smaller than all
the numbers above it. If you can’t use a number, write down the number under the
stairs, and skip your turn.

The game is over if someone fills in all the steps in their staircase.

33 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Day 2
Goals
1. Learn the key ideas of conjectures and counterexamples.
2. Explore solving rich problems with multiple steps, and connect to multiplication.
____________________________________________________________

Opener
Counterexamples
____________________________________________________________

Activities
1) Square Building
2) Mini-Lesson - What is Multiplication?

Note: Square Building, when it catches the interest of class, can last the entire period,
with some students making their own list of square numbers going far beyond the
number of square tiles available.
____________________________________________________________

Game
Blockout
____________________________________________________________

Choice Time
Blockout
Pico Fermi Bagels
Square Building
Fill the Stairs
____________________________________________________________

Closer
Ask students to reflect on a conjecture they had or heard that ended up being disproven
by a counterexample today. Have students discuss in partners or small groups, then ask
for a few examples.

The moral to highlight is that it’s natural for conjectures to be wrong, but by making
them and breaking them, you start the process of learning what’s actually true. If you
never wanted to make a conjecture because you never wanted to be wrong, you wouldn’t
get to figuring out what's right!

34 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Counterexamples
Topics: logic, deduction, mathematical argument, communication
Materials: None
Common Core: Variable, but especially MP3

Prove the teacher wrong. Rigorously.

Why We Love Counterexamples

Every kid loves to prove the teacher wrong. With Counterexamples, they get to do this in
a productive way, and learn appropriate mathematical skepticism and communication
skills at the same time.

It is possible to play Counterexamples with kids as young as kindergarteners as a kind of

reverse “I Spy” (“I claim are no squares in this classroom. Who can find a
counterexample?”). What’s great, though, is that you can transition to substantial math
concepts, and address common misconceptions. Counterexamples is a perfect way to
disprove claims like “doubling a number always makes it larger” (not true for negative
number or 0) or sorting out why every square is a rectangle, but not every rectangle is a
square. For older kids, you can even go into much deeper topics, like: “every point on
the number line is a rational number.”

The language of counterexamples is crucial to distinguish true and false claims in

mathematics; this game makes it natural, fun, and plants the skills to be used later.
Counterexamples is also a great way to practice constructing viable arguments and
critiquing the reasoning of others.

The Launch
Counterexamples is a fun, quick way to highlight how to disprove conjectures by finding
a counterexample. The leader (usually the teacher, though it can be a student) makes a
false statement that can be proven false with a counterexample. The group tries to think
of a counterexample that proves it false.

The best statements usually have the form “All ______s are _______” or “No
______s are _______.” You can also play around with statements like “If it has
______, then it can _______.” For instance:

It’s often best to start with non-mathematical examples.

• All birds can fly. (Counterexample: penguins)
• No books have pictures in them.
• All books have pictures in them.
• If something produces light, then it is a light bulb.
• If something has stripes, then it is a zebra.

35 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Once students have the hang of it, make the examples more mathematical.

• Doubling any number makes it bigger. (Counterexample: 0 doubled is 0, which isn’t

bigger)
• Multiplying two numbers never gives the same answer as adding them.
(Counterexample: 2 × 2 = 2 + 2. 0 × 0 = 0 + 0. Also, 3 + 1.5 = 3 × 1.5.)
• Fractions are always between 0 and 1.
• If a shape has all its sides the same, then it’s a square. (Counterexample: a rhombus.
Squares need four equal sides AND four equal angles.)

Example
Teacher: I claim all animals have four legs. Who can think of a counterexample?
Student 1: A chicken!
Teacher: Why is a chicken a counterexample?
Student 2: Because it has two legs.
Teacher: Right. I said every animal has four legs, but a chicken is an animal with just
two legs. So I must have been wrong. Let me try to refine my conjecture then. I should
have said that animal must have 2 or 4 legs. That feels right.
Student 3: What about a fish?
Teacher: Aha. A fish is an animal with no legs. Thank you for showing me the error of
my ways. What I should have said is that animals have at most four legs.
Student: 4: What about insects?
And so on.

A nice transition into Square Building from here is with the conjecture: “there’s no way
to make a square using smaller squares.” From there, students can disprove the
conjecture by putting four square tiles together. Then ask for their conjectures on the
next number of square tiles you could put together to make a larger square, and you’ve
launched Square Building.

Tips for the Classroom

1. It’s good to make up false conjectures that are right for your students. But start
simple.
2. Kids can think of their own false claims, but sometimes these aren’t the right kind,
and they often have to be vetted.
3. Once you introduce the language of counterexamples, look for places to use it in the
rest of your math discussions.
4. You can also use Counterexamples to motivate a normal math question. Instead of
saying, “draw a triangle with the same area as this square,” you can say, “I claim
there is no triangle with the same area as this square.” If students know to look for
counterexamples, this will set them to work trying to disprove the claim right away.

References: http://kuow.org/post/getting-kids-interested-math-without-their-knowing

36 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Square Building
Topics: Counting, Addition, Subtraction, Geometry, Data, Area
Materials: Square tiles, graph paper
Common Core: 3.OA.D.9, 3.MD.6, 3.MD.7, MP1, MP3, MP6, MP7, MP8

How many squares does it take to build bigger squares?

Why We Love Square Building

Square tiles create a fluid ladder from concrete counting to the abstraction of geometric
arrays, multiplication, and division. This lesson lays out a dynamic pathway that allows
kids to explore these ideas at the right depth for them.

Launch
To launch the lessons, build a few squares out of square tiles, and count how many tiles
you need to make each one, and records those numbers.

Then you ask the class: Is there a pattern in the number of square tiles it takes to build
a larger square?

Example Launch
Teacher: I’ve got all these square tiles. I wonder if I can build a square out of them. Of
course, I could build a square using just one tile. But what if I wanted to build the next
largest square? How many tiles would I need? Think about it, then share with the person
next to you. [Students hold whispered discussion.] How many tiles would I need?
Student: 4.
Teacher: [demonstrating] I see. I’d just put them together like this. Now let’s get
tougher. How many tiles would it take to make the next biggest square? Try to imagine
it, then share with the person next to you. [Students discuss.]
Teacher: Any thoughts?
Students: [Expect multiple answers here] 8, 12, 16, 9.
Teacher: This is exciting! It seems like there could be a lot of different answers here.
Who thought 8? Can you show us how 8 square might fit together. [Student volunteers,
ends up with a 2 by 4 rectangle.] So eight tiles built a rectangle, but not a square. Can
anyone tell me why this isn’t a square? What needs to be true about squares?
Student: All the sides have to be the same length.
Teacher: Right. All the side have to be the same length. So this side is 2 edges long, and
this one is 4 edges long. Not a square. But maybe we could move them around… [moves
tiles to make a 3 by 3 square missing a corner.] Is this a square?
Student: It needs one more!
Teacher: So it wasn’t 8 tiles we needed. It was 9! This looks like a pattern starting. I’ll
write it down. [Writes: Squares we can build: 1, 4, 9, …]

37 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Teacher: Your job today will be to find the next numbers in the sequence by building
larger squares. Make sure your squares are actually squares! All the sides need to be the
same length. Also, try to make your list complete. If we can, we always want to find the
next largest square, and not jump ahead.

9
4
1
The Work
Give students 15-20 minutes to build squares of different sizes and write down their list
of numbers. They can also use graph paper and draw out the squares. After students
have their lists, have them compare them with another classmate or two to see if they
found the same numbers. Challenge students who have found patterns to make
predictions for what number comes next, and then try to build or draw it to check that
they’re right.

Questions and Prompts

• How do you know that is the next largest square?
• How do you know that’s a square?
• What makes a square a square?
• How did you make that square? (Did you use the last square as a starting point?)
• How did you count the tiles? (One by one, or some other way?)
• How do you know that you didn’t make a mistake in your counting?
• Do you all agree that this is the correct count?

The Wrap
Bring the class together and have the students give you the numbers they found. The
beginning should look like this: 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, 64, 81, 100, ….

Discuss patterns, and have students share patterns they found.

Some patterns students may have found include:

• Looking at the pattern of odds and evens (odd, even, odd, even, etc.)
• Noticing how much each number in the pattern increases by.
For square numbers, this is +1, +3, +5, +7.
• Noticing that the numbers are 1 × 1, 2 × 2, 3 × 3, 4 × 4, etc.

Leave students with the question: how can all these patterns be true at once?

38 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Tips for the Classroom
1. It’s worth mentioning to your students that these numbers, which represent the
number of little squares it takes to make a bigger square, are called square numbers.
Nifty name, and sensible too.

2. While a good target for students is to build and find the first 10 square numbers, it is
okay if not all students get up to the highest numbers. It’s also okay if students went
higher without building every single square. In fact, it’s great if they start finding
patterns that help them predict what the larger square numbers will be. If students
can use the patterns on the chart to predict which numbers they might expect to
come next, then they can try to build those missing squares as well.

3. Another interesting pattern in the square numbers is in the last digits, where there is
a repeating symmetrical pattern (1, 4, 9, 6, 5, 6, 9, 4, 1, 0, 1, 4, 9, 6, etc.). Some
students might notice this, and there’s definitely something to explore here. But in
this context, it’s better to leave this as an unanswered question for students to
ponder on their own.

4. Use ten-frames to help students build to larger numbers.

39 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Mini-Lesson: What is Multiplication?
Write down 3 × 4 on the board. Ask the students what it means, and how to draw a
picture of 3 × 4. Let students share their ideas. The main points to highlight in the
conversation:

• The multiplication sign “x” can be read “groups of.” The expression 3 × 4 can be
understood as “three groups of four.”

• There are several ways to draw “three groups of four.” One is to actually draw three
groups, and put four objects in each one.

4 8 12

• Another useful drawing is an array, with three rows and four columns.

12

• Once you’ve established the answer (3 × 4 = 12), demonstrate how to write in the
answer on each of the multiplication tables students will be filling in today.

• Plan to do one or two more examples (i.e., 5 × 5, 1 × 4) with the class before letting
them go to work on filling out the various 5 by 5 multiplication tables.

• Also, point out how the Dot Array Multiplication Table is there as a reference if they
want it.

When students have finished with the 5 by 5 multiplication tables, encourage them to
look for patterns in the numbers. A brief wrap up on their observations and discoveries
is a good way to end at this station.

The 10 by 10 multiplication table is also available, if students whip through the 5 by 5

table. The 10 by 10 table should be theirs for the future, to fill out accurately, to use as a
reference, and also to help themselves to memorize their math facts for the future.

40 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Name_________________________

Part 1.
Fill in the table.

× 1 2 3 4 5
1×1 1×2 1×3 1×4 1×5

1
2×1 2×2 2×3 2×4 2×5

2
3×1 3×2 3×3 3×4 3×5

3
4×1 4×2 4×3 4×4 4×5

4
5×1 5×2 5×3 5×4 5×5

Part 2.
What is something you notice about this table?

41 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Dot Array Multiplication Table

× 1 2 3 4 5

42 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Fill in the table.

× 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1×1 1×2 1×3 1×4 1×5 1×6 1×7 1×8 1×9 1 × 10
1
2×1 2×2 2×3 2×4 2×5 2×6 2×7 2×8 2×9 2 × 10

2
3×1 3×2 3×3 3×4 3×5 3×6 3×7 3×8 3×9 3 × 10

3
4×1 4×2 4×3 4×4 4×5 4×6 4×7 4×8 4×9 4 × 10

4
5×1 5×2 5×3 5×4 5×5 5×6 5×7 5×8 5×9 5 × 10

5
6×1 6×2 6×3 6×4 6×5 6×6 6×7 6×8 6×9 6 × 10
6
7×1 7×2 7×3 7×4 7×5 7×6 7×7 7×8 7×9 7 × 10
7
8×1 8×2 8×3 8×4 8×5 8×6 8×7 8×8 8×9 8 × 10
8
9×1 9×2 9×3 9×4 9×5 9×6 9×7 9×8 9×9 9 × 10
9
10 × 1 10 × 2 10 × 3 10 × 4 10 × 5 10 × 6 10 × 7 10 × 8 10 × 9 10 × 10
10

43 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Blockout
Topics: Multiplication, area, strategy, addition.
Materials: Crayons or colored pencils, Blockout game sheet
Common Core: 3.OA.A.1, 3.OA.C.7, 3.MD.C.6, 3.MD.C.7

Roll the dice and shade in a rectangle. How can you claim the most space on the board?

Why We Love Blockout

This is one of those rare games that reinforces both the skill of multiplication and the
visual model that makes sense of it. Blockout can be played competitively or
collaboratively, and is a wonderful game to introduce or reinforce the concepts behind
multiplication.

The Launch
Take a volunteer and demonstrate the first several turns of a game of Blockout. Players
choose colors, then take turns rolling the dice, and shading in a rectangle given by the
dice rolls. If you roll a 2 and a 5, you can shade in a 2 by 5 (or 5 by 2) rectangle. No one
can shade in a square that has already been colored. If there is no room to fit the
rectangle you rolled on the board, you pass. If all players pass in a row, the game is over.
Players get a point for each square they have colored in at the end of the game.

Students can play in groups of 2-4, though 2 is preferable. It is also possible to play
individually or collaboratively. For a collaborative or solitaire game, players roll and try
to cooperatively fill up as much of the board as possible. If every player must pass in a
row, the game is over. The fewer the number of leftover squares, the better the game.

Prompts and Questions

• How many points does that roll give you?
• Who’s ahead?
• What roll are you hoping to get this turn?

The Wrap
Discuss how students counted up their rolls. With a roll of 5 and 4, how would they have
counted up the number of squares in their rectangle? (I.e., counting by 5s? counting by
4? Other strategies?) Discuss other possible rolls, and how they’re counted. How many
points to you get for rolling 6 and 6?

44 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Tips for the Classroom
1. For the first time playing, students can play as above. For subsequent games, show
students how to track their points as they go. For example, they can write
2 × 5 = 10 inside the 2 by 5 rectangle, and know that they have 10 points for that
turn. This connects the game to multiplication without feeling to academic right
away.

2. Once students are comfortable writing equations in the rectangles, you can abstract
one step further and introduce the scoring sheet.

3. Blockout can also be played as a solo or collaborative game by trying to fill up as

much of the board as possible. Play ends when a roll is made that cannot be placed.

45 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Blockout
For 2 players.

Rules. Players take turns rolling two dice, and drawing a rectangle on the game board with side
lengths given by the two numbers they rolled. For example, if you rolled a 3 and a 6, you would
draw a 3 by 6 rectangle, placed horizontally or vertically on the board.

Your rectangle cannot intersect or be contained in any previously drawn rectangles. If you
cannot add a rectangle to the board on your turn, pass the dice to the next player. If all players
pass in a row, the game is over.

Players get a point for each square they’ve drawn a rectangle around. For example, a 3 by 4
rectangle is worth 12 points. Whoever boxes the most squares wins.

46 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Blockout Scoring Sheet

Player 1 Player 2
Turn Player 1 Equation Player 2 Equation
Score Score

10

11

12

47 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Example Game

Rules. Players take turns rolling two dice, and drawing a rectangle on the game board with side
lengths given by the two numbers they rolled. For example, if you rolled a 3 and a 6, you would
draw a 3 by 6 rectangle, placed horizontally or vertically on the board.

Your rectangle cannot intersect or be contained in any previously drawn rectangles. If you
cannot add a rectangle to the board on your turn, pass the dice to the next player. If all players
pass in a row, the game is over. So Player 1 doesn’t get too great an advantage, their first
rectangle must be drawn in the corner. After that, rectangles may be drawn in any open spot.

Players get a point for each square they’ve drawn a rectangle around. For example, a 3 by 4
rectangle is worth 12 points. Whoever boxes the most squares wins.

3 × 5 = 15

3×2=6

4 × 4 = 16

4 × 5 = 20

48 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Day 3
Goals
1. Connect units and unitizing to multiplication.
2. Explore multiplication intuitively using pattern blocks.
____________________________________________________________

Opener
Unit Chat

Note: the lesson plan for unit chats is below. All unit chat images are in Appendix 4.
You can go through unit chats in order, or skip around if you'd like to try different types
earlier.

You can also find more unit chats at mathforlove.com/lesson/unit-chats.

____________________________________________________________

Activity
Pattern Block Multiplication 1
____________________________________________________________

Game
Pig
____________________________________________________________

Choice Time
Blockout
Pig
Challenge Problems: Times Table Counting Challenges

Note: Challenge Problems are a good regular option for Choice Time.
Find more Challenge Problems in Appendix 3.
____________________________________________________________
Closer
Pose the question to students:

If a blue rhombus is worth 1, what does 1 hexagon, 2 hexagons, and 3 hexagons equal?

Let students discuss in pairs or small groups, then discuss as a class to see how students
approached the problem.

49 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Unit Chats
Topics: Mental math, numerical fluency; argument & critique
Materials: White board or projector
Common Core: Variable, but generally good for NBT, NF, OA, MP1, MP3, MP6.

Counting with respect to different units.

Why We Love Unit Chats

Unit Chats are a kind of Number Talk that emphasizes not just how many, but also the
unit involved. These are a fantastically productive, fun, differentiated, and delightful
warm up for math. Perfect as a 5 - 10 minute opening or closing exercise.

The Launch
Post a Unit Chat image. It should have different kinds of objects to count in it, and be
arranged in arrays or other structures as appropriate for the student level. Students get
some time to look at what is in the picture, and how many of which object they see. After
they’ve had 20 - 60 seconds to look, ask students what they see. You’ll receive different
answers about what they saw, and how many. You can ask students to explain different
ways of counting what they saw, and also different
things that they see to count in the picture.

Example Unit Chat

Teacher: Take a look at this picture. Think
about how many you see. [Waits for 30 seconds.]
Quietly turn to the person next to you and tell
them how many you see. [Students quietly
discuss.] Who would like to share what they
saw?
Student: I see avocados.
Teacher: How many avocados do you see?
Student: I see fifteen.
Teacher: Fifteen avocados. I don’t see that at
all. Photo credit: Christopher Danielson
Student: Look, there are five on the top, then
another five, and then five on the bottom. So that’s 15.
Teacher: Ah! You’re talking about the avocado halves. In that case, I agree. That’s 5,
10, 15 avocado halves. What else do you see?
Student: They’re in a checkerboard pattern.
Teacher: That’s true. The pitted avocado halves and the unpitted avocado halves form a
checkerboard. Does that mean there are the same number of each?
Student: Yes! / No!
Student: There are 8 with pits.
Teacher: Let’s count. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. That’s right. Did you count one by one?

50 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Student: No, I saw the 3 on the top, plus 2, plus 3.
Teacher: Ah, and 3 + 2 + 3 = 8.
Student: There are only 7 without pits.
Teacher: It’s strange that it would be different if they were in a checkerboard pattern. I
still don’t see why there are more with pits than without.
Student: Because the first and last have pits. If there were one more row, it would be
the same.
Teacher: I think I see. You’re saying it goes “pit, no pit, pit, no pit,…” But it ends on
“pit” and starts on “pit,” so there’s an extra.
Student: One “no pit” got thrown away.
Teacher: What do you mean?
Student: There were eight avocados that got cut in half, but one no-pit half isn’t there.
Teacher: How do you know?
Student: Because if you put all the halves together, it would make wholes, and there
would be eight wholes. But the last no-pit half is missing.
Teacher: So how many whole avocados are there?
Student: Seven and a half.
Teacher: I see. So we could see this as 15 half avocados, or we could see it as 7 and a
half whole avocados. Very neat!

Prompts and Questions

• How did you see that?
• How did you count that?
• Does anyone else think they can explain what Therese is saying?
• Turn to the person next to you and see if you can see what Dwayne is describing.

Tips for the Classroom

1. Use images that are accessible to everyone. The best images have some easy things
to count and some harder things to count.
2. You can emphasize how students counted, or shift the conversation to what they
counted, depending on what will be the most engaging and enlightening. It can be
okay if Unit Chats turn into something that resembles a Number Talk.
3. Remember: doing more short Unit Chats is better than doing just a few long ones.
Aim for 5 - 10 minutes. You can use multiple images if they go super short, but often
one image is plenty.

51 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Pattern Block Multiplication 1
Topics: Multiplication, Multi-Step Problems
Materials: Pattern Blocks, scratch paper and pencil
Common Core: 3.OA.1, 3.OA.3, 3.OA.4, 3.OA.7, 3.OA.8, 3.MD.7.d, MP1, MP3, MP7

If you know what one block equals, can you figure out the value of all the shapes?

Why We Love Pattern Block Multiplication

This lesson involves fundamental ideas like changing the unit and multiplication in a
hands-on context that prepares students for subtle concepts like division and fractions.
Highly accessible, and easily differentiable.

Launch
The game in this activity is to change the value of the triangle and see what the other
blocks—and larger collections of blocks—are worth. Start by posing a simple series of
questions:

• If the triangle equals 1…

What does the rhombus equal? (2)
What does the trapezoid equal? (3)
What does the hexagon equal? (6)

Let students prove these values are correct by covering the shapes with triangles, or
making equivalent arguments (3 triangles in a trapezoid and two trapezoids make a
hexagon, so 2 × 3 = 6 triangles in a hexagon).

Once these values are established, move on to some harder questions:

• If the triangle equals 1…
What is the value of 4 trapezoids? (12)
What is the value of 4 hexagons? (24)

Let students share their thinking on these questions as well. You can write out the
arguments on the board or on scratch paper to demonstrate the kind of recording you’ll
expect from students.

Now we move in to the main part of the activity. Let students build a shape of their
choosing, giving them a minute to build. When a minute is up, ask them to determine
the value of their shape (given that the triangle is equal to 1), and the value of their
neighbor’s shape. When they have written up their answer with a clear explanation, they
can build a bigger, more complicated shape and solve that too. Repeat as time permits.

52 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Prompts and Questions
• How did you find that answer?
• What’s the value of just your hexagons?
• Show me what you’ve written down so far.

The Wrap
Find a design that’s easy enough to be accessible to everyone, and pose it as a final
problem. Let students attempt it on their own, writing down their work as clearly as they
can. Then share some different student attempts to solve the problem.

For example, say your final problem was to find the value of 2 hexagons and 6
trapezoids. Students may have many different methods:

Method 1
Hexagon = 6, so the value of the hexagons is 2 × 6 = 12.
Trapezoid = 3, so the value of the trapezoids is 6 × 3 = 18.
Total value is 12 + 18 = 30.

Method 2
Put together the 6 trapezoids to make 3 more hexagons, for a total of 5.
That gives us a total value of 5 hexagons = 5 × 6 = 30.

Method 3
Count each piece and add.
Hex + hex + trap + trap + trap + trap + trap + trap = 6 + 6 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 30.

Tips for the Classroom

1. An excellent uplevel for this activity is to ask a pair of students to find the sum of and
difference between the shapes they built.
2. Don’t try to keep all the students together and working on the same problem.
Rather, let students work at the appropriate level of difficulty. Just make sure that
everyone has attempted (or can do) the problem you discuss at the end.
3. Encourage students to write down their work with simple pictures and equations. A
helpful way to encourage recording is to count all the hexagons, record that number,
and use a multiplication equation to determine how many triangles that is, then
repeat for other shapes, and find the sum. (Other methods work as well, of course.)
4. Some students may not be comfortable with multiplication. They can use addition to
solve their problems.

53 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Pig
Topics: Probability, strategy, addition, estimation
Materials: One 6-sided die, pencil and paper
Common Core: 2.OA.B.2, 2.NBT.B.5, 2.NBT.B.6, MP1, MP7

Roll the dice and collect points. You can go as long as you want, but roll the wrong
number and you lose all your points from that turn!

Why We Love Pig

Pig is easy to learn and gives students lots of addition practice. Pig is also
mathematically rich. Students get to articulate and defend strategies, and get practice
with addition in a complex task.

The Launch
Invite a volunteer to play a demonstration game. Make sure you take lots of risks, and
let the students give you “thumbs up/down” if they think you should keep rolling. If
students aren’t comfortable adding up all the numbers they roll by hand, have them take
tiles or other counters to one spot when it is their turn, and place them in another spot
(with ten frames or a hundred chart) when they “bank” them.

How to Play
Pig is a game for 2 to 6 players. Players take turns rolling a die as many times as they
like. If a roll is a 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, the player adds that many points to their score for the
turn. A player may choose to end their turn at any time and “bank” their points. If a
player rolls a 1, they lose all their unbanked points and their turn is over.

Beginner Game: The first player to score 50 or more points wins.

Advanced Game: The first player to score 100 or more points wins.

Prompts and Questions

• How long are you waiting before you stop rolling?
• Do you have a strategy?
• Before you roll again, tell me how many points you already have for this turn.
• What’s the best way to add those numbers up?

The Wrap
The question of strategy is a fascinating one for Pig. What strategies are students using?
Does strategy even matter? Let students share their ideas for strategies, and discuss
which ones they think are better or worse, and why.

54 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Tips for the classroom
1. Demonstrate the game a couple times with the whole group. Solicit advice about
when you (the teacher) should stop rolling on your turn. Students can give you a
thumbs up if they think you should continue rolling, and a thumbs down if they
think you should stop.

2. For students who are less confident with addition, use ten frames and counters or a
hundreds chart to keep track of the score. For example, students get to pick
counters up as they roll. If they stop before they roll a one, then they transfer those
counters to their ten frames. Fill up 5 ten frames to win.

3. Remind students that they will lose games and win games, and each loss can be a
chance to re-examine how they are playing. It’s hard to lose all your points, but it
will happen to everyone!

4. As kids play each other, circulate through the room and ask them about their
strategies. It’s okay for students simply to play, but there’s an opportunity to probe
deeper into the workings of chance and the strategy of the game too.

5. Remind students they can teach Pig to someone at home and play there.

55 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Name______________________________

Pig
Rolls Rolls

Bank Bank

56 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Name_________________________

Times Table Counting Challenge 1

How many dots are on this 3 by 3 dot array multiplication table?
Find the answer without counting one by one.

× 1 2 3

Answer: ______________

Defend your answer:

57 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Times Table Counting Challenge 2
How many dots are on this 4 by 4 dot array multiplication table?
Find the answer without counting one by one.

× 1 2 3 4

Answer: _______________

Defend your answer:

58 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Day 4
Goals
1. Extend understanding of multiplication in different contexts, including openers,
games, and story problems.
____________________________________________________________

Opener
Penny Nickel Dime
____________________________________________________________

Activity
The Ant and the Grasshopper

Note: this is a long-form story problem. Read the entire story to students as if it were
story time. Then you can ask the students some questions they might have about the
story. One that will hopefully come up is: how many seeds did the ant collect? This can
transition into having students solve the problems on the accompanying sheet. Make
sure students have access to the original story text as well, since that's what they'll need
to turn toward to solve the problems on the sheet.
____________________________________________________________

Game
Big Blockout
____________________________________________________________

Choice Time
Big Blockout
Pig
Penny Nickel Dime
Challenge Problems - see Appendix 3
____________________________________________________________

Closer
Ask students how they could get the most points in Big Blockout if they rolled a 4, 5, 6.
Have them defend their response to each other, in pairs of small groups, and then to the
class.

59 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Penny, Nickel, Dime
Topics: Addition to 100, multiplication by 5 and 10, money, estimation
Materials: One 6-sided dice, pencil and paper, pennies, nickel, and dimes (optional)
Common Core: 3.OA.3, 3.OA.5, MP1, MP6, MP7

Roll the die 7 times. For every roll, you get to take that many pennies, nickels, or dimes.
Whoever gets closest to $1 without going over wins.

Why We Love Penny Nickel Dime

This version of Don’t Break the Bank is a hit with students, and also helps give a
concrete meaning to place value by linking it to both money, addition, estimation, and
multiplying by fives and tens. It takes very little time, so it can be used as a warmup,
station activity, or in those five minutes before class ends. While kids may break the
bank their first few games, they’ll inevitably start estimating and choosing good
strategies for themselves.

How to Play
Whole Class/Group Game: The teacher (or a student) rolls the die. Whatever number it
lands on, each player can choose to take that many pennies, that many nickels, or that
many dimes. More practiced players can just record the numbers in a T-chart like the
one below. Repeat for six times total, with each player choosing whether each number
goes in the dimes or pennies column as you go.

The winner is the person who comes as closest to $1 without going over.

Partner Game: Same as whole class game, except students take turns rolling the die,
and everyone ends up entering different numbers into their grid.

Tips for the Classroom

1. Have students draw a chart (see following page) to track their choices.
2. When playing in stations or with a small group, you can demonstrate how to count
your total after the game. Students can also check each other’s work in pairs.
3. Let students bust (go over $1) as they refine their strategies. They’ll catch on as they
find they end up too high or too low.
4. To keep the game novel, ask students what they’d do differently if there were only 5
rolls per game, or six. Or eight! Try those variations and see what happens.
5. For students who need more help, you can play with physical coins, or have them
draw the coins. Other students may only need to count how many of each coin they
take on a turn.
6. Downlevel the game by removing nickels as an option. Uplevel the game by adding
quarters.

60 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Penny, Nickel, Dime

Roll Dimes Nickels Pennies

Totals

61 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Penny, Nickel, Dime
[Sample Game]
Roll Dimes Nickels Pennies

1 4

2 2

3 3

4 6

5 1

6 1

7 5

Totals 5 dimes 5 nickels 11 pennies

50¢ + 25¢ + 11¢

= 86¢
62 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com
 The Ant and the Grasshopper
Winter was coming, and the Ant started to prepare. Every day for a week, it saved 3 tiny
seeds.

At the end of the week, the Ant passed the Grasshopper. “Silly ant!” said the
Grasshopper. “You work all day, when you could be having fun!” And the Grasshopper
laughed and pointed at the ant.

In the second week, the Ant worked even harder. It saved 4 tiny seeds every day. But
when the Ant passed the Grasshopper at the end of the week, the Grasshopper laughed
and pointed, saying, “Silly Ant!”

In the third week, the Ant worked even harder. It save 6 tiny seeds every day. But when
the Ant passed the Grasshopper at the end of the week, the Grasshopper laughed and
pointed, saying, “Silly Ant!”

Then winter came. The Grasshopper had nothing to eat. It went to the Ant’s hill, and
asked if the Ant had any extra seeds for it to eat. And do you know what the Ant said?

“Silly Grasshopper!”

63 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 The Ant and the Grasshopper: Questions
Answer the questions below. Defend your answers using the story.
Use scratch paper and draw pictures as necessary.

1. How many seeds did the Ant save in the first week?

2. How many seeds did the Ant save in the second week?

3. How many seeds did the Ant save in the third week?

4. How many seeds did the Ant save in all?

5. Winter lasts for 90 days, and the Ant eats one seed every day. Does the ant have
enough food for the winter?

6. Do you think the Ant should give the Grasshopper any seeds? If so, how many?

7. Bonus: If the ant saved 6 seeds every day for 5 weeks in a row, how many seeds
would that be in all?

Copyright 2017 Math for Love

64 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Big Blockout
Topics: Multiplication, commutativity and associativity of multiplication
Materials: Three dice per game, board, colored pencils
Common Core: 3.OA.7, 3.OA.9, MP1

Roll three dice; add two and multiply by the third. How do you get the highest score?

Why We Love Big Blockout

Big Blockout is a quick and fun game for multiplication practice that poses a fascinating
question at the same time. This Blockout adaptation connects the game to the array
model of multiplication.

The Launch
Big Blockout can be played with 2-4, but fewer players is usually better.
Players take turns rolling three dice on their turn. On your turn, draw an array on the
board. One side of the array is the sum of two dice of your choice; the third die gives the
other side. In other words, you add two of your rolls together, and multiply by the third.
That is your score for the turn.

Example. You roll 3, 5, 6 on your turn. You could add 6 + 3 to get 9, and multiply by 5 to
score 45 points on the turn. But wait! If you add 5 + 3 to get 8, and multiply by 6 you can
get 48 points! So scoring 48 points is actually the better option. This means drawing an
8 by 6 array (if there is space for it) would be your best move. (You could have gotten 33
points as well--do you see how?)

Prompts and Questions

• What’s the best way to get the most points after you roll? Is there some rule for
which numbers you should add and which you should multiply?
• Do some scores come up more often than others?

The Wrap
The fundamental choice in Big Blockout is which two numbers to add and which
number to multiply by. Let’s try a few more examples—see if you can figure out the best
move. Since we know from the last game that multiplication describes a rectangle, we
can look build a rectangle for each of these problems to help us.

You roll 1, 4, 5. What’s your best move? There are three options.

(1+4) × 5 = 25 (1+5) × 4 = 24 (4+5) × 1 = 9

65 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 25 is the best move.

You can pose as many of these followup questions as you have time for. After each one,
give the students a minute to solve one or more of the problem below and discuss
amongst themselves.

You roll 2, 4, 5. What’s your best move?

You roll 3, 4, 5. What’s your best move?
You roll 4, 4, 5. What’s your best move?
You roll 5, 4, 5. What’s your best move?
You roll 6, 4, 5. What’s your best move?

Variations
Big Blockout Place Value: Instead of adding two dice, make a 2-digit number out of
them. So if you rolled 3, 4, and 2, you could get 34 × 2 = 68 points. Or better, you could
get 32 × 4 = 128 points. (Play without the board - just tally scores every turn.)

Big Blockout Pro: Roll four dice instead of three. Add three dice of your choice together
and multiply by the fourth.

Tips for the Classroom

8. As students get more accustomed to the game, increase the difficulty by adding in 8,
10, and 12 sided dice.
9. For students who are less confident, let them use their multiplication tables to help
them with the game.
10. You can also play Big Blockout without the Board, and just keep track of the score.
Play to 200, for example.

66 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Big Blockout Board

67 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Day 5
Goals
1. Continue to explore the connection between multiplication and units.
2. Play Odd Pig Out, and practice more multiplication facts up to 6 × 6.
____________________________________________________________

Opener
Unit Chat - see Appendix 4
____________________________________________________________

Activity
Pattern Block Multiplication 2
____________________________________________________________

Game
Odd Pig Out
____________________________________________________________

Choice Time
Big Blockout
Odd Pig Out
Penny Nickel Dime
Challenge Problems - see Appendix 3
____________________________________________________________

Closer
Ask students if it's possible to do pattern block multiplication in reverse. For example, if
they have a stack of 5 hexagons and the whole stack is worth 20, what is one hexagon
worth? (Bonus: what is one trapezoid worth?)

Have students discuss and defend their thinking in pairs or small groups, then discuss
with the whole class.

68 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Pattern Block Multiplication 2
Topics: Multiplication, Multi-Step Problems
Materials: Pattern Blocks, scratch paper and pencil
Common Core: 3.OA.1, 3.OA.3, 3.OA.4, 3.OA.7, 3.OA.8, 3.MD.7.d, 4.OA.1, 4.OA.2, MP1,
MP3, MP4, MP6, MP7

If you know one block, can you figure out all the shapes?

Why We Love Pattern Block Multiplication

This lesson involves fundamental ideas like changing the unit and multiplication in a
hands-on context that prepares students for subtle concepts like division and fractions.
Highly accessible, and easily differentiable.

Launch
The idea of this lesson is the same as with Pattern Block Multiplication Part 1—we now
increase the difficulty and involve more steps in the problems. Note that tan rhombuses
and orange squares are not used in this lesson.

Make three piles of pattern blocks: one with 5 hexagons, one with 11 trapezoids, and the
last with 4 hexagons, 4 trapezoids, 3 blue rhombuses, and 2 triangles. Start with a
review problem: if the triangle is worth 1, what is each pile worth? Students can solve
the problems on their own or in pairs, Have students write down their answer for each
pile on scratch paper. Briefly discuss how students solved (or might have solved) the
problem.

From there, pose questions at the appropriate difficulty level for students:

What is each pile worth if…

1. The rhombus equals 4?

2. The trapezoid equals 9?
3. The triangle equals 5?
4. The hexagon equals 12?
5. The triangle equals 7?
6. The rhombus equals 8?

Wrap
Pick the hardest problem everyone in the group attempted (or solved), and discuss
different approaches to solving. For example, if the trapezoid equals 9, and you wanted
to find what 5 hexagons equals, you might:
1. Think of the 5 hexagons as 10 trapezoids, and call it 10 × 9 = 90.

69 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

2. Say that each hexagon equals 2 trapezoids, so each hexagon equals 2 × 9 = 18. That
means 5 hexagons = 5 × 18 = (5 × 10) + (5 × 8) = 50 + 40 = 90
3. Think that triangles must equal 3 if trapezoids equal 9. Then imagine each hexagon
as 6 triangles. This means there are 30 triangles in all, each equal to 3, which gives
us 30 × 3 = 90.

Tips for the Classroom

1. To adjust the difficulty, you can also make the piles larger, smaller, or more or less
mixed with different blocks.
2. Don’t try to keep all the students together and working on the same problem.
Rather, let students work at the appropriate level of difficulty. Just make sure that
everyone has attempted (or can do) the problem you discuss at the end.
3. Encourage students to write down their work with simple pictures and equations.
4. If some students are ready, call the hexagon equal to 3, or the trapezoid equal to 1 to
get fractional answers.
5. A good hint for struggling students is to figure out all the individual blocks (triangle,
rhombus, trapezoid, hexagon) before you tackle the larger shapes.

70 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Odd Pig Out
Topics: probability, strategy, multiplication, addition
Materials: Two 6-sided dice, pencil and paper
Common Core: 3.OA.7, 3.NBT.2, MP1, MP5, MP6, MP7

Roll the dice and multiply. You can go as long as you want, but roll an odd number and
you lose all your points from that turn!

Why We Love Odd Pig Out

Odd Pig Out is a natural extension of Pig to multiplication. It is great practice for
multiplication and addition in a fast-moving, fun game.

The Launch
The teacher chooses a volunteer, explains the rules, and plays a demonstration game.
Because students already know Pig, this game should be relatively intuitive to learn.

Players take turns rolling the dice as many times as they like. After each roll, they
multiply the numbers they rolled together. If the product is even, they add that number
to their current points for the turn. If the product is odd, players lose all their points
from that turn and their turn is over. A player may choose to end their turn at any time
and “bank” their points.

Play to 300.

Prompts and Questions

• Is there an easier way to add up all those numbers?
• How many points to you have for this turn so far?
• Who’s ahead?
• Are you sure that’s the product of those two numbers? What does your
multiplication table say?
• What strategy are you using?

The Wrap
Ask students whether they’re more likely to roll odd products or even products. How
many odd numbers are there on the multiplication table (up to 6 by 6)? How many even
numbers? How are they distributed? Do students see any patterns?

Tips for the classroom

1. Demonstrate the game a couple times with the whole class (or in a station). Solicit
advice from the class about when you (the teacher) should stop rolling on your
turn. Students can give you a thumbs up if they think you should continue rolling,
and a thumbs down if they think you should stop.

71 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

2. Remind students that they will lose games and win games, and each loss can be a
chance to re-examine how they are playing.

3. Make sure students have a copy of the dot array multiplication table, or the
multiplication tables that they have made, handy to help them if they need them.

72 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Odd Pig Out
Roll two dice and write down their product. You may choose to continue rolling as long
as the products are even. End your turn to bank your points.
If you roll an odd product, end your turn and lose all unbanked points.

Product Product

Bank Bank

73 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Day 6
Goals
1. Explore multiplication through growth patterns.
2. Play games to develop greater fluency with arithmetic.
____________________________________________________________

Opener
Don’t Break the Bank
____________________________________________________________

Activity
Pattern Block Sunflowers

Note: You can have students make sunflowers out of Cuisenaire rods as well.
____________________________________________________________

Game/Puzzle
Bowling
____________________________________________________________

Choice Time
Bowling
Don’t Break the Bank
Big Blockout
Challenge Problems - see Appendix 3
____________________________________________________________

Closer
Take the same pattern block sunflower from the activity (or a student's version of a
sunflower) and ask students how many of each block it would take to make 10 of that
sunflower. Give them a few minutes to check with each other that they have the right
answer. What do they notice?

It’s not obvious that a trick like "adding a zero” works here, and it's best to avoid
accepting that as a serious answer. If it takes 3 rhombuses to build a sunflower, then it
takes 30 rhombuses to build 10 sunflowers. Why does it go from 3 to 30 when you take a
group of ten (i.e., multiply by 10)? It’s worthwhile to let students dwell on the mystery
there without giving them a reason they should expect it to be true. On the contrary,
play up the mystery. Will it really always be true, no matter the start sunflower, that ten
of them can be built by taking the recipe for the number of blocks in one and "adding a
zero?” Why would such a thing be true?

74 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Don’t Break the Bank!
Topics: Triple-digit Addition, Estimation, Probability
Materials: One 6-sided dice, pencil and paper
Common Core: 2.NBT.1, 2.NBT.3, 2.NBT.4, 2.NBT.5, 2.NBT.6, 2.NBT.7, 3.NBT.2

How close can you get to 999 without going over?

Why We Love Don’t Break the Bank

Don’t Break the Bank is a place value powerhouse. It takes very little time, so it can be
used as a warmup or in those five minutes before class ends. It’s fun, and kids love it,
even though it involves addition practice. And, while kids will usually break the bank
(that is, go over 999) their first few games, they’ll inevitably start estimating and
choosing good strategies for themselves. Should the digits in the hundreds column add
up to 9 or 8? How common is it to carry? The deeper thinking is almost inevitable.

The Launch
Everyone makes a diagram like this on their paper:

Whole Class Game: The teacher (or a student) rolls the die.
Whatever number it lands on, everyone enters it in one of
the nine spots on the board. After nine turns, the board
becomes an addition problem with three 3-digit numbers
to add together. The goal is to get the highest sum without
going over 999. (See next page for example game.)

Small Group Game: Same as whole class game, except that

you take turns rolling the die, and everyone ends up
entering different numbers into their grid.

Prompts and Questions

• What’s a good strategy for this game?
• Where would you put this 5?
• Have you already “broken the bank?” How can you tell?

Tips for the Classroom

1. When you are playing a game with the full class, let students take turns rolling.
2. You can narrate your own thoughts when placing digits in the grid. Remember to be
clear that you’re placing ones, tens, and hundreds.
3. Students may not entirely understand the game the first time through, but they
should get the hang by the second game.
4. Extend the game to decimals by adding decimal points up and down one column.
5. Play virtually at mathforlove.com/lesson/dont-break-the-bank

75 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Example Game.
Turn 1: I roll a 4, and place it in my grid. So does the rest of the
class.

Turn 2: I roll a 2, and place it in the middle.

Turns 3 - 8 pass in the same way. Perhaps I have a grid like

this:

At this point, I see that I’ll be in trouble if anything except a 1 is

rolled, since I’ll have broken the bank by going over 999.

Turn 9: A 5 is rolled, and I broke the bank! When I enter the 5

and add up my numbers, I’m over 999, and I’m out this game.

Now it’s time to play again!

76 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Pattern Block Sunflowers
Topics: Equality, substitution, addition, skip counting and multiplication
Materials: Pattern blocks, paper and pencil, worksheet with table
Common Core: 3.OA.1, 3.OA.3, 3.OA.9, MP1, MP2, MP6, MP7, MP8

How many blocks does it take to build the sunflowers?

Why We Love Pattern Block Sunflowers

This lesson is hands-on and intuitive. By increasing the number of flowers,
it suggests the concept of multiplication, and the usefulness of counting by
groups.

The Launch
Build or display the "sunflower" make of pattern blocks, and ask students how many of
each type of block it uses. (1 hexagon, 2 trapezoids, 3 rhombuses, 6 triangles.) These are
the ingredients it takes to build a sunflower.

Ask students how many of each block they’d need in total to build 2 sunflowers. Give
them a bit of time with the blocks and a partner to work it out. Discuss students'
approaches to solving this problem for each block. Some students may need to build
each flower, while others may be able to work with the numbers alone.

Once students understand the idea, tell them their goal is to know how many of each
blocks it takes to make anywhere from 1 - 5 sunflowers. There’s a handout that includes
a handy table where they can record their work. While they may be able to build
sunflowers at first, it’s likely they'll run out of the blocks they need, and have to come up
with another way to track what they're doing.

The Work
The teacher circulates and helps the students as they complete the chart. Encourage
students to need more concrete examples to build three sunflowers and count the
blocks, and then record them clearly in the table.

For students ready for more challenge, ask them to continue the table for 6, 7, etc.
sunflowers. Or they can jump ahead: how many of each block would it take to make 12
sunflowers? How do they know?

Prompts and Questions

• How do you know that’s the number of rhombuses you need for three sunflowers?
• What patterns do you see in the table that might help you?
• Are you sure that pattern will still be true when you add another sunflower?
• (Challenge) How many total blocks would it take to build all 5 sunflowers?

77 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

The Wrap
Ask students to look a completed table and see what patterns they notice. Can they
explain why any of these patterns are there? Do they make sense, or are they a mystery?

Can they use any of these patterns to predict how many of each block it would take to
make 6 sunflowers? How? How much do they trust their own predictions?

Tips for the Classroom

1. A key element in the flow of the class will have to do with nudging students toward
or any from building sunflowers when they need more concrete/abstract work.
Encourage students to make predictions about what’s coming next in the table. See if
they can explain why their prediction makes sense to them, or if it’s just a hunch.
2. Don’t worry if you don’t have enough pattern blocks for everyone to build 5
sunflowers! Students should be motivated by the very lack of blocks to come up with
other ways of handling these problems, aside from counting one by one, say.

78 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Pattern Block Sunflowers
I made a sunflower out of pattern blocks!
Now I want to make a lot of them.

Here is a chart to help me figure out how many

of each kind of pattern block I will need.

Help me finish it!

Number of Yellow Red Blue Green

Flowers Hexagons Trapezoids Rhombuses Triangles

1 1 2 3 6

Challenge: how many of each block would you need to

make 15 sunflowers?

79 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Sunflower Challenges
Now it’s your turn to make a sunflower.
Design it however you like!
Record how many hexagons, trapezoids, rhombuses, and
triangles are in one flower using the chart below.
Then complete the chart by figuring out how many of each
block it would take to build 2, 3, 4, and 5 sunflowers.

Number of Yellow Red Blue Green

Flowers Hexagons Trapezoids Rhombuses Triangles

80 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Bowling
Topics: Equality, substitution, addition, skip counting and multiplication
Materials: Pattern blocks, paper and pencil, worksheet with table
Common Core: 3.OA.7, MP1

Can you knock over all the pins?

Why We Love Bowling

This quick, simple, fun game is great for collaborative or competitive play. It’s also a
great chance to practice all the operations in a very simple context with small numbers.

Launch
The teacher can do a first game with the entire class, demonstrating as they go.
Subsequent games can be played with students deciding whether they want to play on
their own or with a partner or small group. Either way, the teacher can roll the numbers
at the beginning of play so everyone is using the same roll. (For future games in Choice
Time, students will roll on their own.)

Roll three dice. Everyone gets to use the three numbers rolled at most once each to
“knock over” the pins labeled 1 - 10. Every time you can make an equation that has a
number from 1 to 10 as its solution, that pin gets "knocked over.” The goal is to knock
over as many as you can!

Prompts and Questions

• How did you find that answer?
• Did you have a way to get 7?
• You got 8… is there a way to change something to get 9 too?

The Wrap
No major wrap required, though it can be nice to see if there was a number most
students couldn't get, and see if anyone got it.

Tips for the Classroom

1. If students are less confident with multiplication, division, or parentheses, it's all
right for them to start with what’s comfortable. But highlight and demonstrate the
power of those more advanced feeling arithmetic moves.
2. Pair students up after they've been working alone for a minute or two to see if they
can get each other unstuck.

81 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Bowling
Roll 3 dice. You knock down a bowling pin if you can make the number on
it using the numbers you rolled, with addition, subtraction, multiplication,
and division.

EXAMPLE
I rolled 1, 3, 4. I can knock down almost all the numbers from 1 to 10:

1 = 4 - 3
2 = 4 - 3+1
3 = 4 - 1
4 = 4 × 1
5 = 4 + 1
6 = 4 + 3-1
7 = 4 + 3
8 = 4 + 3+1
9 = 3 × (4 - 1)
10 = ????

That’s 9 pins down. Pretty good!

Now you try. Roll three dice, and see how many of the pins you can
knock over.

82 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Bowling
Roll 3 dice. Use the numbers you roll to make equations to
knock down as many pins as you can.

7 8 9 10

4 5 6

2 3

83 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Day 7
Goals
1. Introduce division conceptually through idea of sharing fairly.
2. Play Odd Pig Out with larger dice, to practice multiplication facts up to 10 × 10.
____________________________________________________________

Opener
Unit Chat - see Appendix 4
____________________________________________________________

Activity
Fair Share
____________________________________________________________

Game/Puzzle
Odd Pig Out (10-sided Dice)

The game is exactly the same as Odd Pig Out, but with larger dice the products (and the
practice) gets bigger too. Play to 300 to make the games last long enough.

If you have 8 or 12 sided dice, you. can use those as well.

____________________________________________________________

Choice Time
Big Blockout
Odd Pig Out
Penny Nickel Dime
Challenge Problems - see Appendix 3
____________________________________________________________

Closer
Ask students if it's always possible to divide a pile of objects fairly. What would be a
situation where it would be hard or impossible to satisfy everyone with the way
something was shared?

(Example: if there were 5 lollipops and 4 people wanted to share them, how could they
do it fairly?)

84 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Fair Share
Topics: Multiplication, Division
Materials: Piles of counters: blocks, paperclips, etc.; pencil & paper
Common Core: 3.OA.2, 3.OA.7, 4.OA.2, MP1, MP5, MP6, MP7

Fair Share is designed to give students a conceptual grasp of what division means, and
get them started developing hands-on strategies for dividing. At the center is the idea
that division is sharing fairly.

Why we love Fair Share

Many students have trouble learning the algorithm for division. The reason is that
dividing numbers becomes an abstract process far too early. Fair Share gives a
grounding in the concrete meaning of division, and lays the foundation for a mental and
visual model for division that can help students understand what division actually
means.

The Launch
Preset stations with varying numbers of blocks, counters, or other objects. Include small
groups, in the 10 - 40 range.
Explain that the students will be in groups of two, working at stations throughout the
classroom, where their jobs will be to answer two questions, depending on the station.

Question 1: How many objects are there at your station?

Question 2: If you divide them up equally into three equal groups, how many objects
will be in each group? Are there leftovers, and if so, how many?

To demonstrate, take volunteers to act as a demo group at the front of the class, and let
the rest of the class watch as they count the objects in their pile and divide them up into
three equal piles. One group should divide into three equal piles. (Tip: Use a small
number of objects—15 is ideal—for the demo so it doesn’t take too long.) Also
demonstrate how they can draw/write how they thought about the situation, recording
how many they counted, did the division, how many each person got and how many
were left over. A picture is ideal for this. You can also show students how to record using
the division sign (15 ÷ 3 = 5). Note that the equation can read “15 divided into 3 groups
equals 5 in each group.”

Once the demo groups have finished and everyone understands the task, let them begin
working.

The Work
You’ll need eight to ten stations consisting of a different collection of objects at each
station. The collections should vary in number from numbers in the twenties to the

85 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

seventies; one or two stations can have more than 100 objects, especially if they’re
grouped conveniently (i.e., base 10 blocks). Split the class into groups of two. Each
group rotates between stations and answers the two questions they are responsible for
in their rotation. Students should record their results for each station. The teacher can
check in with individual groups to support them.

After students have worked for 10 - 15 minutes, call the class back together, and share an
example of exemplary student written/recording work, and address any misconceptions
you may have noticed. Then have students go back to the work of fairly sharing the
materials, this time in groups of 4.

Questions and Prompts

• How are you deciding how to split these up?
• Are there leftovers, or did it come out evenly?
• You divided 24 blocks into three equal groups. How would you write multiplication
equation to describe that? (i.e., 3 × 8 = 24.)
• Can you draw a picture that explains what you did, and what you figured out?
• Are you always sharing in the same way? Is there another way you could do it?
• Can you predict how many objects will be in each of the three groups before you do
the division?

The Wrap
Discuss with students how to solve a Fair Share problem, say, 24 ÷ 4 = ? (read: 24
objects divided into 4 groups gives how many objects per group?)

Have students share at least two ways of solving the problem. For example, students
could “deal” objects out one at a time into four groups until all of them are gone, then
see that there are six objects in each group, so 24 ÷ 4 = 6. Or students might notice that
since 4 groups of 5 is 20, they can put five objects in each group to start, then add one
more.

One important point to underline here is that dividing into groups gives you a
multiplication situation even as it answers your division question. For example, 24 ÷ 4 =
6 means that 24 objects divided into 4 groups gives us 6 objects in each group. But “4
groups of 6 is 24” is something we’re familiar with from multiplication as well! We
would simply write it 4 × 6 = 24.

The point is that multiplication and division are deeply related. In a sense, division is
just multiplication in reverse.

Tips for the Classroom

1. If they are creating clutter, you don’t need to belabor the formal symbols on day 1.
It’s best to get kids doing the dividing and finding their own strategies for how it
works. You can always extend the lesson to two days, and emphasize the symbols

86 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 more on day 2.

2. Similarly, the written explanations don’t need to be a chore for the kids. Encourage
them to write, but if it slows down a group’s progress too much, let them off with
doing less writing.

3. Another natural way to extend this lesson to two or more days is to have students
divide into different numbers of pile (i.e., 4 piles, 5 piles, etc.). The activity can
become like Counting Collections: an experience to return to again and again. Like
Counting Collections, it starts by counting how many are in the pile. Then we have
the additional step of dividing the total into groups. As long as it stays fun for
students, this concrete practice is hugely valuable.

4. Use ten-frames and square tiles in one of the piles to emphasize the idea that you can
share the tens first, then deal with the ones after. Other blocks or objects that group
by tens naturally (i.e., base 10 blocks) are also good for this.

5. If it helps, you can use the handout on the next page to help students organize their
work. They can also use blank paper or a math notebook.

6. This model for division via sharing (i.e., 18 ÷ 3 modeled as 18 broken into 3 groups -
how many in each group? 6) is sometimes called “partitive" division. The other
model is “quotitive” division (18 ÷ 3 modeled as 18 broken up into groups of 3, and
divvied out until none are left. How many groups? 6.). These aren’t terms students
need to know, but it’s an interesting distinction to notice when you're teaching, and
it can cause confusion if you're not ready for it.

87 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Name_____________________________

Fair Share

1. How many objects are there? ________________

2. Split these objects into three equal-sized groups.

3. Write an equation for this situation

______________________________________

4. Draw or write below how you solved it.

88 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Day 8
Goals
1. Connect division to multiplication and to the pattern blocks.
2. Learn Prime Climb, which will be an option for all Choice Times, and which
connects and helps students practice addition, subtraction, multiplication and
division.
____________________________________________________________

Opener
Pico Fermi Bagels (3-digit)
____________________________________________________________

Activity
Pattern Block Division 1
____________________________________________________________

Game/Puzzle
Prime Climb

Note: we invented Prime Climb, and we’re big fans. This is a game that can be a Choice
Time option every day once students know how to play it. You’ll need the actual board
games for this.
____________________________________________________________

Choice Time
Prime Climb
Bowling
Penny Nickel Dime
Challenge Problems - see Appendix 3
____________________________________________________________

Closer
Ask students the following Pattern Block Division question: If 2 hexagons are worth 6,
what is 1 trapezoid worth?

This is a question that may seem simple, or may seem impossible. Students may
questions whether it can be solved at all! The answer requires fractions (1 trapezoid =
one and a half), and is a good demonstration of the natural link between division and
fractions.

89 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Pattern Block Division 1
Topics: Division, changing units
Materials: Pattern blocks, paper and pencil
Common Core: 3.OA.2, 3.OA.3, 3.OA.4, 3.OA.6, 3.OA.7, 4.OA.2, MP1, MP2, MP3,
MP7

Pattern Block Multiplication in reverse. You know the big shape… how can you figure
out the individual pieces?

Why We Love Pattern Block Division

This lesson combines the fundamentals of division with deeper problem solving. It’s a
lovely way to continue the work of Fair Share in a more sophisticated context… yet one
that’s still concrete and meaningful.

The Launch
This lesson is designed to alternate between the teacher posing problems by assembling
groups of pattern blocks physically and saying their value, and students solving the
question on their own, and writing up their solutions. Give students time as needed —at
least a minute or two for the early problems, and more as they get harder.

Problem 1. If 3 hexagons equal 18 altogether, what is the value of the trapezoid?

Note: You can pose problems with almost no words by placing the pattern blocks on a
white board, and writing the numbers underneath or beside them.

= 18 =?

Answer: the trapezoid = 3.

Possible solution: If 3 hexagons = 18, then 1 hexagon = 18 ÷ 3 = 6.
(We know this since 3 groups of 6 is 18, i.e., 3 × 6 = 18). Since the trapezoid is half of 6,
it must be 3.
Importantly, we can check this by doing the multiplication problem in reverse, i.e., if the
trapezoid = 3, what do three hexagons equal?

Problem 2. If 2 hexagons + 1 trapezoid = 20, what is 1 trapezoid?

90 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 = 20 =?

Answer: the trapezoid = 4.

Possible solution: This one of tricky, but we could change the hexagons into trapezoids,
and then we’d have 5 trapezoids = 20. That would mean that each one must have a value
of 4, since 5 × 4 = 20.

For the next rounds, students who are ready to work on harder problems can try the
bonus problems of finding the value of the rhombus and the triangle, in addition to the
trapezoid. Do as many problems as time allows. You may not need to go over all the
solutions as a group, unless most students still seem unsure.

Problem 3.
4 Hex = 36. 1 Trap = ? (Bonus: Rhombus = ? Triangle = ?)

Problem 4.
5 Hex = 60. 1 Trap = ? (Bonus: Rhombus = ? Triangle = ?)

Problem 5
3 Hex + 3 Trap = 27. 1 Trap = ? (Bonus: Rhombus = ? Triangle = ?)

Problem 6.
4 Hex + 5 Trap = 52. 1 Trap = ? (Bonus: Rhombus = ? Triangle = ?)

If more problems are needed, let students make up their own, and challenge each other
to solve them.

Prompts and Questions

• What is the trapezoid was 5? Is that too big or too small?
• If all 4 hexagons = 36, what would these 2 hexagons equal?

Wrap Up
Take the last problem all students have attempted and spend a few minutes letting
students share their answers with each other. You can have them share their methods
with a partner, and then take one or two volunteers to share their method with
everyone.

Tips for the Classroom

1. Make sure students can build their own version of the problem and solve physically.
2. Adjust the difficulty of the problems as necessary.
3. Students can always guess and check. This is a good strategy to encourage, since it
makes the connection between division and multiplication more explicit.

91 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Prime Climb
Topics: Multiplication, division, addition, subtraction, multi-step problems, factoring
Materials: Prime Climb board game
Common Core: 3.OA.C.7, 3.OA.D.8, 3.OA.D.9, 4.OA.A.3, 4.OA.B.4, MP1, MP7

How can you get your pawns to 101?

Why We Love Prime Climb

We invented Prime Climb to give students a more playful way to explore complex
arithmetic problems and understand factoring.

Launch
Show students the color scheme of the board and multiplication table, and ask them
what they notice. In particular, what’s happening with the color scheme?

Let students discuss their thoughts. A specific point to underline, especially with respect
to the multiplication table: if you look at two numbers that multiply together, (i.e. 7 × 8),
the answer has exactly the same colors of each of the factors, just put together. (7 is
purple, 8 is three orange; 56 is purple and three orange.)

Divide your small group into teams (individuals or pairs). Each team chooses a color to
play. Each team gets two pawns, and place them on 0. The goal is to get a pawn to 101.
(This is a quick version of the game. In the full game, the goal is to get both pawns to
101.) Explain the rules to students by demonstrating a few example moves.

Quick Start Rules

During a turn, there are four phases.

1. Roll. Roll the dice. You get two numbers from 1 to 10 to use for moving. In you roll
doubles, you get that number four times instead of two. (The 0 on the die stands for
10.)

2. Move. Move your pawn(s). Apply your dice rolls one at a time to the number your
pawn(s) is on, using your choice of +, -, x, or ÷. You can also use Keeper cards if you
have them.

3. Bump. If you end your Move phase on the same space as another pawn, send it back
to start. You may bump your own pawn.

4. Draw. If you end your Move Phase on an entirely red space (i.e., a prime greater than
10), draw a Prime card. If it is a Keeper card, save it for a future turn. Otherwise,
apply the card now.

92 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

When someone lands a pawn exactly on 101, they win the game. You’re never allowed to
move to numbers off the board.

Example
With pawns on 4 and 26, you roll a 3 and a 9. You could:
• Add 3 to 4 to move your pawn to 7, then multiply by 9 to move your pawn to 63.
• Multiply 26 by 3 to move your pawn to 78, then add 9 to move it to 87.
• Add 9 to 4 to move one pawn to 13, and multiply 26 by 3 to add the other to 78.
Since 13 is completely red, you would them draw a card.

You CANNOT add the 3 and 9 first and use a 12 for anything. You have to apply the
numbers on the dice one by one.

The Work
Once they understand the rules, let students play the game. They may have questions
that come up during the course of play. You can consult the full rules of the game, or just
have students respond by deciding on what seems like the best way to settle the question
and keep play going.

Prompts and Questions

• Can you get either pawn to a red circle with that roll?
• Can you bump anyone with that roll?
• You rolled a 3 and a 5. What if you added the 3 to your pawn first, then multiplied by
5?
• If you subtract, you could land on a red circle and draw a Prime card!

The Wrap
Settle any remaining questions about the rules, if there are any. Ask what strategy
students have found to be useful in the game. For example, does it make sense to add
and go past fifty? If you do, you won’t be able to multiply again. How important are the
cards for your strategy? How quickly can you reach 101 if you get a good roll?

Tips for the Classroom

1. Have students roll in the box lid to prevent them from knocking over pawns during
the game.
2. Students can use the multiplication table or scratch paper to help themselves with
hard multiplication problems. The board’s color scheme can help too.
3. Students may dislike getting knocked back to start. However, they’ll quickly learn
that they can make fast progress if they get a good roll, especially when they roll
doubles.
4. Encourage students to try to get cards on their turn by landing on red circles. That’s
a good hint for success in the game.
5. A video of the rules is here: mathforlove.com/games/prime-climb/how-to-play

93 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Day 9
Goals
1. Explore multiplication using a new tool - Cuisenaire rods.
2. Learn a game to strategically explore connections between multiplication facts.
____________________________________________________________

Opener
Unit Chat - see Appendix 4
____________________________________________________________

Activity
Cuisenaire Rod Multiplication

Note: while this activity is similar to Pattern Block Multiplication, the Cuisenaire rods
make it more natural to connect the exploration to multiplication by all numbers 1 - 10.

The Number Searches are nice challenge problems that connect to the ideas in this
activity, and will be good options for Choice Time after today.
____________________________________________________________

Game/Puzzle
Multiplication Tic-Tac-Toe
____________________________________________________________

Choice Time
Prime Climb
Multiplication Tic-Tac-Toe
Odd Pig Out
Challenge Problems - see Appendix 3
____________________________________________________________

Closer
If you knew that the red Cuisenaire rod equals 10, could you figure out what all the rest
of the rods equal? Pose the question to students and let them try to solve and discuss in
pairs or small groups. Then discuss methods and strategies as a class.

94 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Cuisenaire Rod Multiplication
Topics: Multiplication, changing units
Materials: Cuisenaire rods, paper and pencil
Common Core: 3.OA.2, 3.OA.3, 3.OA.4, 3.OA.6, 3.OA.7, MP1, MP2, MP3, MP7

You know the value of the white rod… how can you figure out the other pieces?

Why We Love Cuisenaire Rod Multiplication

This lesson combines the fundamentals of multiplication with deeper problem solving in
a context that’s natural and hands-on.

The Launch
This lesson is designed to alternate between the teacher posing problems by assembling
groups of Cuisenaire rods physically and saying their value, and students solving the
question on their own, and writing up their solutions. Give students time as needed —at
least a few minute for the early problems, and more as they get harder.

Problem 1. If the white Cuisenaire rod equals 1, what are the other rods worth?
Note: You can pose problems with almost no words by placing the Cuisenaire rods on a
white board, and writing the numbers underneath or beside them.

If student haven’t thought through this kind of problem before, this is a good warmup
problem. Students will likely build a staircase from the rods, and see that red = 2, light
green = 3, and so on, up to orange = 10. Challenge them to determine what orange +
blue + brown is (orange + blue + brown = 10 + 9 + 8 = 27).

Once students have found what all the rods are worth, you can ask them to prove how
they know that the blue rod is 9. There are many ways to prove it using what you know
about the smaller. For example, the blue rod is 4 reds (i.e., 4 twos) plus 1 white (one).
That’s 9. It’s also a yellow plus a purple, which is 5 + 4 = 9. It’s also one white less than
an orange rod, which gives 10 - 1 = 9. And so on.

Problem 2. If white equals 2, what are the other rods worth?

In this case, every rod will be equal to a multiple of 2. Note that some students may
mistakenly mistakenly believe that red = 3, light green = 4, etc. This can be proved
wrong by noting that white + white = red, which would mean 2 + 2 = 3. Clearly a
mistake!

Once students have show their solutions to this problem, you may want to pose several
questions at once, so students can work through to harder problems when they’re ready.

95 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Problem 3. If white equals 5, what are the other rods?

Problem 4. If white equals 4, what are the other rods?

Problem 5. If white equals 6, what are the other rods?

Problem 6. If white equals 8, what are the other rods?

Problem 7. If white equals 12, what are the other rods?

Problem 8. If red equals 14, what are the other rods?

If more problems are needed, let students make up their own.

Prompts and Questions

• What if the red rod equaled 10? Is that too big or too small?
• How do you know that the brown rod has that value?

Wrap Up
Take the last problem all students have attempted and spend a few minutes letting
students share their answers with each other. You can have them share their methods
with a partner, and then take one or two volunteers to share their method with
everyone.

Tips for the Classroom

1. Make sure students can build their own version of the problem and solve physically.
2. Adjust the difficulty of the problems as necessary.
3. Students can always guess and check. This is a good strategy to encourage, since it
makes the connection between division and multiplication more explicit.

96 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Multiplication Table Tic-Tac-Toe
Topics: Multiplication facts, strategy
Materials: Board, two paperclips of different colors, counters in two colors
Common Core: 3.OA.7, MP1

Move your counter to cover the next spot. Who can get three in a row first?

Why We Love Multiplication Table Tic-Tac-Toe

This simple game is easy to learn, fun to play, and great practice for building fluency
with multiplication facts.

How to Play
The game is for two players, taking turns. Each player chooses a color for their paperclip
and counters. To start, Player 1 places their paperclip on one of the numbers below the
multiplication table; Player 2 does the same, and places a counter of their color on the
product of the two numbers covered by the paperclips.

On each turn afterward, players move their paperclip only to a new number below the
multiplication table (from 4 to 9), multiplies the two numbers under the paperclips
together, and covers the product of the table with one of their counters. The game ends
when one player gets three in a row, horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

See Example on next page.

Prompts and Questions

• How can you block them from taking that spot and winning next turn? Can you take
it first?
• What do you think your opponent is going to do next turn?

Variations
Try playing 4-in-a-row instead of 3-in-a-row to win.

Tips for the Classroom

1. An easier version played on a multiplication table going from 1s to 6s is a good
option to make the game more accessible.

97 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Example.
To start the game, Player 1 puts their paperclip on 5. Player 2 puts their paperclip on 6,
and covers one of the “30” spots on the board with their color counter.

16 20 24 28 32 36

20 25 30 35 40 45

24 30 36 42 48 54

28 35 42 49 56 63 Next, player 1 moves their paperclip on 5 to

8, and covers the product of 6 and 8 on the
32 40 48 56 64 72
board.
36 45 54 63 72 81

4 5 6 7 8 9 16 20 24 28 32 36

20 25 30 35 40 45

24 30 36 42 48 54

28 35 42 49 56 63

32 40 48 56 64 72

36 45 54 63 72 81

Player 2 moves their paperclip on 6 to 7, covering 56, 4 5 6 7 8 9

the product of 7 and 8. This also threatens to make 3-in-a-row!
Player 2 just needs to cover 42. However, Player 1 can
move to block by moving their paperclip on 8 to 6.
And so the game continues until someone gets 3-in-a-row.

16 20 24 28 32 36

20 25 30 35 40 45

24 30 36 42 48 54

28 35 42 49 56 63

32 40 48 56 64 72

36 45 54 63 72 81

4 5 6 7 8 9

98 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Multiplication Table Tic-Tac-Toe

16 20 24 28 32 36

20 25 30 35 40 45

24 30 36 42 48 54

28 35 42 49 56 63

32 40 48 56 64 72

36 45 54 63 72 81

4 5 6 7 8 9

99 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Multiplication Table Tic-Tac-Toe

1 2 3 4 5 6

2 4 6 8 10 12

3 6 9 12 15 18

4 8 12 16 20 24

5 10 15 20 25 30

6 12 18 24 30 36

1 2 3 4 5 6

100 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Day 10
Goals
1. Connect division to multiplication and to the Cuisenaire rods.
2. Practice arithmetic in various contexts.
____________________________________________________________

Opener
Target Number
____________________________________________________________

Activity
Cuisenaire Rod Division
____________________________________________________________

Game/Puzzle
Salute
____________________________________________________________

Choice Time
Prime Climb
Salute
Odd Pig Out
Challenge Problems - see Appendix 3
____________________________________________________________

Closer
We've practice a lot of 1-digit by 1-digit multiplication. How would you solve a problem
involving a 2-digit number, like 8 × 12?

Have students try it, and discuss what strategies they come up with.

Note: don't try to introduce the formal multiplication algorithm here. If a student brings
it up as a method, see if they can conceptually defend why what they're doing works,
rather than just accepting it as right because it's the accepted method.

101 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Target Number
Math concepts: Arithmetic, equivalencies
Equipment: pencil & paper
Common Core: Variable, but especially OA, i.e., 3.OA.C.7

You know the answer. What’s the question?

Why We Love Target Number

This is a quick check-in that adjusts to the abilities of each student, allows for creativity
and arithmetic practice together, and is a lot of fun. Target Number is a perfect warm-
up.

The Activity
The teacher writes a “target” number on the board. The students try to write down as
many different equations as they can that have the target number as the answer. Then
students share their favorite answers. For younger students, drawing different pictures
or arrangements of ways to see/understand that number is an ok alternative.

Example
The teacher writes 7 on the board, and lets kids write on their own paper for about a
minute, then asks students to share what questions they found. Students raise their
hands to volunteer solutions while the teacher writes them on the board. These
equations may go from simple equations like 6 + 1 = 7 to the more complex (4 × 3) - 5 =
7. The great thing is, anyone can start, but the sky is the limit!

Prompts and Questions

Don’t pursue these questions the first day you play Target Number. When your students
are ready to go deeper with this activity, these questions will lead to interesting patterns
to explore.
• If we only add 2 numbers, how many answers can we find?
• What if we add 3 numbers, or 4 numbers?
• What about any number of numbers?
• What if we only subtract, or only multiply, or only divide?
• What’s the longest number sequence you can find that hits the target number?
• Can you hit the target number if you only use a single number, such as the number 4,
in your equation?

102 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Tips for the Classroom
1. Resist the temptation to praise answers with many steps as “smart.” This activity gives
everyone a chance to contribute and be valued. You can describe those answers as
“long,” or as having many parts.

2. If answers are wrong or unclear, you can take the opportunity to do the arithmetic
with the class. On the other hand, if a student uses terms (like square root) that the
class isn’t ready for yet, you can write down their answer but move on to other
solutions.

3. One opportunity this lesson gives you is the chance to emphasize equivalency. If one
student knows that 6+1 = 7, and someone else knows that (3 × 4) - 5 = 7, then that
means that 6 + 1 = (3 × 4) - 5. It’s nice to underline the point that there are many ways
to equal 7, and that these ways are all equal to each other.

4. To further emphasize equivalency, write 7 = 6 + 1, rather than 6 + 1 = 7.

5. THIS TIP IS ESPECIALLY USEFUL. Let’s say someone says that 7 = 5 + 3. Rather
than just saying “wrong,” say that 5 + 3 gets us close to 7, but we need to do something
else to get all the way there, then challenge students to find what still needs to be
done. If someone can explain that 5 + 3 is 8, and so you need to take 1 away, you have
the number sentence 7 = 5 + 3 - 1. This is both more sophisticated and accepts the
original students wrong answer as a path toward a better, accurate answer, rather
than a dead end.

103 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Cuisenaire Rod Division
Topics: Division, changing units
Materials: Cuisenaire rods, paper and pencil
Common Core: 3.OA.2, 3.OA.3, 3.OA.4, 3.OA.6, 3.OA.7, MP1, MP2, MP3, MP7

You know the value of the big shape… how can you figure out the other pieces?

Why We Love Cuisenaire Rod Division

This lesson combines the fundamentals of division with deeper problem solving in a
context that’s natural and hands-on.

The Launch
This lesson is designed to alternate between the teacher posing problems by assembling
groups of Cuisenaire rods physically and saying their value, and students solving the
question on their own, and writing up their solutions. Give students time as needed —at
least a minute or two for the early problems, and more as they get harder.

Problem 1. If the red Cuisenaire rod equals 10, what are the others worth?
Note: You can pose problems with almost no words by placing the Cuisenaire rods on a
white board, and writing the numbers underneath or beside them.

If student haven’t thought through this kind of problem before, you can solve some
examples. For example, the purple rod equals 2 red rods, or 2 tens. That means purple
equals 20. Similarly dark green would equal 30. Since light green is half of the dark
green, it must also be half of 30; so light green is 15. And so on. Students should get the
idea quickly enough.

Once students have found what all the rods are worth, you can ask them to prove how
they know that the blue rod is 45, say. There are many ways to prove it using what you
know about the smaller. For example, the blue rod is 4 reds (i.e., 4 tens) plus 1 white (1
five). That’s 45. It’s also a yellow plus a purple, which is 25 + 20 = 45. It’s also one white
less than an orange rod, which gives 50 - 5 = 45. And so on.

Problem 2. If purple equals 32, what are the other rods?

In this case, every rod will be equal to a multiple of 8.

Once students have show their solutions to this problem, you may want to pose several
questions at once, so students can work through to harder problems when they’re ready.

Problem 3. If dark green equals 48, what are the other rods?

104 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Problem 4. If brown equals 72, what are the other rods?

Problem 5. If black equals 56, what are the other rods?

Problem 6. If orange plus yellow equals 60, what are the other rods?

If more problems are needed, let students make up their own.

Prompts and Questions

• What if the white rod equaled 6? Is that too big or too small?
• How do you know that the brown rod has that value?

Wrap Up
Take the last problem all students have attempted and spend a few minutes letting
students share their answers with each other. You can have them share their methods
with a partner, and then take one or two volunteers to share their method with
everyone.

Tips for the Classroom

1. Make sure students can build their own version of the problem and solve physically.
2. Adjust the difficulty of the problems as necessary.
3. Students can always guess and check. This is a good strategy to encourage, since it
makes the connection between division and multiplication more explicit.

105 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Salute
Topics: Multiplication, division
Materials: Cards or index cards with numbers from 1 through 10
Common Core: 3.OA.4, 3.OA.7

What number is on your card?

Why We Love Salute

Salute is a fun and active game, and a great way to practice multiplication facts. Perfect
as a warm up or as an option for Choice Time.

The Launch
(3-player version) Demonstrate how to play the game by choosing two volunteers. Give
them each a card to hold up on their forehead, pointing out. Make sure they don’t get to
see their own card! Then tell them what the product of their cards is. Once they hear the
product, each student tries to figure out what their own card is.

Example.
Student 1 has a 4 on their forehead; Student 2 has a 5. The teacher tells them that the
product of their numbers is 20. Student 1 looks at Student 2’s number and thinks, “What
do I have if they have a 5, and the product is 20? It must be 4, since 5 × 4 = 20.”
Similarly, Student 2 looks at Student 1’s number, and figures out what her number must
be.

Continue taking volunteers and letting them play in front of the class, or distribute the
cards and let students play in groups of three.

The 2-player version requires that each player get a card, and a shared card is put up
between them. Then each player tells the other the product of their number and the
shared card between them and tries to figure out the other's card.

Prompts and Questions

• Do you have a five? Do you have something larger or smaller than five?

Tips for the Classroom

1. While it’s easy to focus on speed with Salute, it’s usually better for students to play
more collaboratively. Downplay speed as an important part of the game.
2. Make more cards and remove others to focus on specific multiplication problems
that are especially relevant, i.e., play with numbers 6 - 12 when working on “harder”
problems, or play with 2 - 6 when students are just learning to multiply.

106 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

10 11 12
107 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com
 Day 11
Goals
1. Extend multiplication to one-digit by two-digit via the area model.
2. Practice 1-digit by 2-digit multiplication.
____________________________________________________________

Opener
Unit Chat - see Appendix 4
____________________________________________________________

Activities
• Mini-lesson: Cuisenaire Rods and the Area Model
• Area model 1 worksheet
____________________________________________________________

Game/Puzzle
Damult Dice - 1 digit by 2-digit
____________________________________________________________

Choice Time
Prime Climb
Damult Dice - 1 digit by 2-digit
Salute
Challenge Problems - see Appendix 3
____________________________________________________________

Closer
Let's say you roll a 4, 5, 6 in Damult Dice. What is the largest product you can make
when you turn those numbers into a 1-digit by 2-digit multiplication expression?

Have students try on their own or in a small group or pair, then discuss and defend
ideas with the class.

108 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Mini-lesson:
Cuisenaire rods and the area model of
multiplication
We’ve already seen the value of the Cuisenaire rods. (In particular, the orange rod is
ten.) Let’s see if we can use them to help us multiply.

Suppose we wanted to multiply 3 × 13. That’s probably not something we know off the
top of our heads. But we can build a train of 13 by using the orange rod + a light green.

10 3

If we want to multiply 3 × 13, we just need three of these trains.

10 3

10 3

10 3

So how much is all this worth? It’s just 3 tens plus 3 threes, or 30 + 9 = 39.
So, 3 × 13 = 39. And we get it pretty easily!

Let’s try another one. What if I wanted to know 5 × 16? Let’s do what we did before. I’ll
build 16…
10 6

And then we need five of these.

10 6

10 6

10 6

10 6

10 6

109 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

So that’s 5 × 10 = 50, plus 5 × 6 = 30. Put them together and we have 80. So, we’ve just
figured out that 5 × 16 = 80.

I’m going to give one to you to try altogether. This time, I want you to try building this
one. You can also draw it if that’s easier for you.

What’s 3 × 14?

[Let students build the Cuisenaire rod trains to make an area model for themselves.]

So here we have 3 tens plus 3 fours. That’s 30 + 12 = 42. So 3 × 14 = 42.

By the way, if you ever want to draw a picture of this, it’s called an area model, since
we’re just finding the space, or area, in a rectangle. If I wanted to

Rather than try to count 4 thirteens or 13 fours, we can break it up into groups of ten.

This gives us 4 × 10 = 40 [i.e., 10, 20, 30, 40] on the left, and 4 × 3 = 12 on the right.
That’s a total of 40 + 12 = 52 dots.

The only problem with this method is that if I want to know what 4 × 13 is, it can be very
inefficient to draw every single dot. We need a quicker way. So instead of drawing in the
dots, what if we just draw a rectangle? Then we can just write in the number of dots on
each side. It's a 4 by 13 rectangle (four dots high, and 13 dots wide).

13

10 3
We can still break it up into tens and ones like before. And this gives us an added
benefit: we can write down how much space is inside each piece of the rectangle.

110 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 13

4 40 12

10 3
It’s important to notice that the drawings don’t have to be perfect. Maybe the “3” side is
longer than the “4” side in my picture. That just means I didn’t draw it exactly to scale,
but it won’t affect the calculation.

Here are some problems to try on your own. Try drawing the same picture to help
yourself solve the problems.

1. 4 × 14
2. 3 × 16
3. 6 × 17

Go over one or two of these problems, as necessary. Once students have a little practice,
they’ll be ready for the worksheet below.

111 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Name_________________________

Area Model 1
1. This rectangle gives us a nice visual way to calculate 8 × 16.

10 6

8 __80__ __48__

Use the model above to fill in the blank:

8 × 16 = ____________

2. Use the area model to solve the equations below.

10 2

4 × 12 = ____________

112 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Area Model 1
3.

20 7

2 ____ ____

2 × 27 = ____________

Draw your own area models to solve.

4. 4 × 19 = _________

5. 2 × 37 = _________

6. 7 × 17 = _________

113 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Damult Dice
1-digit by 2-digit version
Topics: Multiplication, commutativity and associativity of multiplication
Materials: Three dice per game. Either 6-sided or 10-sided dice are good options.
Common Core: 3.OA.7, 3.OA.9, 4.OA.3, 4.OA.5

Roll three dice; make a 2-digit number and a 1-digit number, and multiply.
How do you get the highest product?

Why We Love Damult Dice

Damult dice is a quick and fun game for multiplication practice that poses a fascinating
question at the same time.

The Launch
Take a volunteer and play the first few turns of a 2-player game of Damult Dice. Take
suggestions from the class about which two numbers to add and which to multiply to get
the best score.

Instructions
Damult dice can be played with 2-4, but fewer players is usually better.
Players take turns rolling three dice on their turn. On your turn, you add two of your
rolls together, and multiply by the third. That is your score for the turn.

Basic scorekeeping. At the end of each round, whoever got the highest score wins a
point. First to ten points wins.

Advanced scorekeeping. Players record their scores, and add on to them as they go. The
game ends after a player reaches 1000 ± 25 points. This means that if a player goes over
1025, they’ll need to subtract their previous score to end in the range between 975 and
1025. Once a player ends their turn in this range, the next players have one more turn to
get closer to 1000 to win.

Example. You roll 3, 5, 6 on your turn. You could take 3 × 65 = 195 points. But wait! It’s
more if you take 6 × 53 = 318 points.

The Work
Students play in groups of two or three, using the accompanying scoresheet if necessary.

114 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Prompts and Questions
• What’s the best way to get the most points after you roll? Is there some rule for
which numbers you should add and which you should multiply?
• Do some scores come up more often than others?
• Are you more likely to make an even or an odd number on your turn?

The Wrap
The fundamental choice in Damult Dice is which numbers should form the 2-digit
number, and which the 1-digit number. Pose a few examples to see if students can figure
out the best move. Since we know from the last game that multiplication describes a
rectangle, we can look build a rectangle for each of these problems to help us.
You roll 1, 4, 5. What’s your best move? There are six options.

5 × 41 = 200 + 5 = 205 4 × 15 = 40 + 20 = 60
4 × 14 = 50 + 20 = 70 1 × 54 = 54
4 × 51 = 200 + 4 = 204 1 × 45 = 45

So 205 is the most points you can get with that roll.

You can pose as many of these followup questions as you have time for. After each one,
give the students a minute to solve one or more of the problem below and discuss
amongst themselves.

You roll 2, 4, 5. What’s your best move?

You roll 3, 4, 5. What’s your best move?
You roll 4, 4, 5. What’s your best move?
You roll 5, 4, 5. What’s your best move?

Tips for the Classroom

1. For students who are less confident with multiplication, encourage drawing an
area model. For example, to calculate 5 × 34, use this kind of sketch to find the
answer of 150 + 20 = 170.
30 4

150 20 5

2. For basic scorekeeping, you can play with chips, or keep track of the score with
pencil and paper. You can also discount scorekeeping altogether, or let students
play collaboratively, to try to get as close to 1000 as they can.

3. To simplify, play classic Damult Dice, where students add two dice and multiply
by the third, if these numbers are too large.

115 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Damult Dice Scoresheet
2-digit by 1-digit version

Player 1 Player 2

Turn 1 ___ × ___ ___ = ___ × ___ ___ =

Turn 2 ___ × ___ ___ = ___ × ___ ___ =

___________________________________________________

Total

Turn 3 ___ × ___ ___ = ___ × ___ ___ =

___________________________________________________

Total

Turn 4 ___ × ___ ___ = ___ × ___ ___ =

___________________________________________________

Total

Turn 5 ___ × ___ ___ = ___ × ___ ___ =

___________________________________________________

Total

Turn 6 ___ × ___ ___ = ___ × ___ ___ =

___________________________________________________

Total

Turn 7 ___ × ___ ___ = ___ × ___ ___ =

___________________________________________________

Total

Turn 8 ___ × ___ ___ = ___ × ___ ___ =

___________________________________________________

Total

116 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Day 12
Goals
1. Solve multipart story problems.
2. Explore simple fractions, beginning from student’s intuitions.
____________________________________________________________

Opener
Broken Calculator Warm Up
____________________________________________________________

Activity
Story Problem - The Monster

Note: this is another long-form story problem. Read the entire story to the students first,
and ask what kinds of questions they could ask about it. Then distribute the questions
and copies of the story, so students can solve them on their own or in pairs or small
groups.
____________________________________________________________

Game/Puzzle
Half squares and quarter squares
____________________________________________________________

Choice Time
Prime Climb
Damult Dice - 1 digit by 2-digit
Penny Nickel Dime
Challenge Problems - see Appendix 3
____________________________________________________________

Closer
Ask students whether they would have more pizza if they had half of 10 pizzas, or 10
half-pizzas?

Have them defend their thinking in class discussion, using drawings, ideally. Note that
this isn't a problem this curriculum has "covered" yet, but if they use their intuition and
natural understanding, they're likely to come up with good arguments to see, ideally,
that there’s the same amount of pizza either way.

117 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Broken Calculator Warmup
Topics: Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Problem Solving
Materials: Scratch paper and pencil, or white boards
Common Core: Variable, but especially 3.OA, MP1, MP3, MP6, MP7

How many ways can you reach the target number, even when the calculator is broken?

Why We Love the Broken Calculator Warmup

This warmup is a simple and dynamic extension of Target Number, with an extra
obstruction that provides greater interest and rigor.

The Launch
The teacher puts up a target number on the board. She tells students that they can come
up with any way to make this number that they want on an (imaginary) calculator that
has some broken buttons. They should come up with as many ways as they can, but any
using the broken button won’t count. The teacher gives the students a minute or two to
think up and write down solutions, then calls on students to share their answers with
the class.

Example problem. The target number is 21. The broken keys are 0, 1, and 2. That
means students can use the keys 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, +, -, x, ÷ to make 21. How will they do
it?

Selected solutions.
(9 - 6) × 7 = 21 98 - 77 = 21 33 - 7 - 5 = 21
An example like 16 + 5 = 21 is a faulty solution, since you entered the key “1” to make 16.

The teacher can make up examples, or even roll dice to create the target and the
restrictions.

Tips for the Classroom

1. Keep it short. A 5-10 minute game is plenty for a warmup, and will keep students from
getting burned out on the game.
2. Make operations like addition and subtraction the broken keys to force multiplication
and division.
3. Avoid writing “equations” that treats the equals sign as the “compute” button on a
calculator, i.e., 5 × 6 = 30 - 5 = 25. Better is to write a single equation using
parentheses if necessary, or rewrite what you’ve done so far on a new line.

(5 × 6) - 5 = 25 or 5 × 6 = 30
30 - 5 = 25.

118 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

119 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com
 The Monster
When I was trying to fall asleep last night, I looked across the room and saw, in the
shadows, The Monster!

I looked at its powerful arms. Instead of 2 arms, the monster had 4 arms, and each arm
ended in hands with 12 razor-sharp claws.

I looked at its face. Instead of 1 mouth, the monster had 6 mouths, and each mouth was
filled with 20 pointed teeth.

The monster opened one of its mouths, and I saw that each tooth had 3 maggots
crawling on it.

The monster crept nearer to me. I knew what it wanted.

I reached out… and handed the monster my teddy bear. The monster whimpered
gratefully. Then it stretched out on the floor and fell asleep.

Don’t tell anyone, but monsters are afraid of the dark.

120 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 The Monster: Questions
Answer the questions below. Defend your answers. Draw pictures as necessary.

1. How many claws did the monster have?

2. How many teeth are in one of the monster’s mouths?

3. How many teeth does the monster have in all?

4. How many maggots are in one of the monster’s mouths?

5. How many maggots are in all of the monster’s mouths?

6. One day, the monster eats 72 leeches. It put the same amount of leeches into each of
its mouths. How many leeches went in each mouth?

121 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Half squares and quarter squares
Topics: fractions, fraction equivalence
Materials: square templates, colored pencils or crayons
Common Core: 3.OA.3, 3.NF.1, 3.NF.3, MP1, MP3, MP6, MP7

When are shares the same, even when they look different?

Why we love half squares

This tasks takes almost no time to launch, while encouraging student creativity and
originality.

The Launch
Show students the square templates, and say their task today is simple, but to succeed
they’ll have to accomplish it several times in different ways. They’ll be coloring in one
half, or one third, or one quarter of the squares on each page. They can do it as simply or
complicatedly as they’d like, but they have to do it differently each time.

Exploration
Students color in each of the squares according to the instructions on the sheet. Help
them as necessary with the following prompts and questions.

Questions and Prompts

• Can you think of any way to color in half of one of these squares? Do the easiest thing
you can think of first.
• How could you color it in with the same amount in a different way?
• You’ve cut the small squares in half too! That’s interesting… are you sure you’ve
colored in one fourth of the whole?
• Have you tried the bonus question at the bottom of the page yet? Try it!

Summarize/Discuss
Choose a student paper and put it on a document camera, or somewhere everyone can
see it. Ask students if they are convinced by the colorings. Are they equivalent to the
fraction as they claim to be? Ask for defenses and critiques of the colorings.

Tips for the Classroom

1. Students will be coloring for this activity. You can challenge them to add in equations
or descriptions that give a defense of their coloring. This will help them during the
closing discussion.

122 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Name_________________________

Half Squares

Find four different ways to color half of each square.

How many small squares are colored on this page in all?

123 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Name_________________________

Quarter Squares

Find four different ways to color one fourth of each

square.

How many small squares are colored on this page in all?

124 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Day 13
Goals
1. Solve multipart story problems.
2. Play games to practice arithmetic creatively.
____________________________________________________________

Opener
Unit Chat - see Appendix 4
____________________________________________________________

Activity
Pirate’s Treasure

Note: This is another long-form story problem. Students may not get through all the
questions. It's okay to pick and choose - let them answer their favorite four questions if
it feels like too much to do them all.
____________________________________________________________

Game/Puzzle
Horseshoes

Note: the first few times you play Horseshoes, keep the target number small (i.e., 20 or
24) and the rules flexible.
____________________________________________________________

Choice Time
Prime Climb
Damult Dice - 1 digit by 2-digit
Horseshoes
Challenge Problems - see Appendix 3
____________________________________________________________

Closer
Ask students this riddle: the number 24 has a neat property: you can divide 24 into 2
equal groups, into 3 equal groups, and into 4 equal groups. (Demonstrate this with a
drawing if necessary.)

Can students find a number less than 24 that also has this property? (12)

What about a number greater than 24 that has this property? (36, 48, 60, etc.)

125 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Pirate Treasure
By the time the four pirates — Badger, Cadger, Dadger and Mog — arrived on the island,
they were almost dying of thirst - it had been days since their last drink of water. But it
was on this island that they would find the fabled buried treasure of Long John Silver.

Following their treasure map, they arrived at the spot, and dug up a battered, old
treasure chest. When they threw it open, they couldn’t believe what was before them!
Gold, silver, gems, and other treasures glittered in the afternoon sunlight.

First they counted the gold — 28 pieces — and split it evenly between the four of them.
Next, they counted out the silver — 76 pieces — and split it evenly between the four of
them.

Suddenly, Cadger looked up. “What happened to Badger?” he cried. Badger was gone!
The pirates shifted uncomfortably, but none wanted to leave the treasure to look for
him. So they continued to count up treasure and split it evenly between the three of
them.

They counted the emeralds — 42 pieces — and split them up between the three of them.

They counted out containers of diamonds. There were 3 containers, and each container
held 9 diamonds. They split those up as well.

Suddenly Dadger looked up. “What happened to Cadger?” he cried. Cadger was gone!
The pirates shifted uncomfortably, but neither wanted to leave the treasure to look for
him. So they continued to count up treasure and split it evenly between the two of them.

They counted the opals. There were 23 bags of opals with 4 opals in each bag. They split
them between the two of them.

They counted the doubloons - the giant gold coins. There were 7 bags of doubloons, and
each bag had 26 doubloons in it. They divided them up between the two of them.

Suddenly, Mog looked up. Dadger was gone! In fact, Mog was the only pirate there! He
stood up from the treasure and wandered back into the forest, looking for Badger,
Cadger, and Dadger.

Finally, he stumbled on them. They were sitting beside a stream, lying in the afternoon
sunlight. Mog realized just how thirsty he was. He ran to the side of the stream, and
drank and drank and drank.

Badger looked at the other three pirates and said, “This stream is the real treasure.”

126 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Name_________________________

Pirate Treasure Problems

1. How many pieces of gold did each pirate get?

2. How many pieces of silver did each pirate get?

3. How many emeralds did each pirate get?

4. How many diamonds did each pirate get?

5. How many opals did each pirate get?

6. How many doubloons did each pirate get?

7. If a piece of gold is worth 2 pieces of silver, how much is Mog’s gold and silver worth
together?

127 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Horseshoes
Topics: Arithmetic (+,-,x,÷), estimation, comparisons
Materials: Card deck or dice, pencil and paper, white board/document camera.
Common Core: 3.OA.5, 3.OA.6, 3.OA.7, 3.NBT.2, 4.OA.3, 4.OA.4, MP1

How close can you get to the target number with the four digits at your disposal?

Why We Love Horseshoes

Horseshoes combines arithmetic practice with complex thinking. Students make their
own choices about how to combine the four numbers and get immediate feedback about
the effectiveness of their strategies. Every student is able to challenge themselves to the
appropriate level. Great for a group/whole class warmup or small group play.

How to Play
Horseshoes can be played with the whole class, or in small groups. Remove all face cards
and tens from a deck of cards, so the only cards are from 1 to 9. You can also roll dice to
generate random numbers from 1 - 6 or 0-9. The teacher/leader picks out two cards,
forms a two digit number with them, and writes it on the board. This is the target
number. (For early games, make the target number 12, 24, or 18 for ease of play.) Then
the leader picks four more cards and writes those digits on the board.

The goal of the game is to create an equation using only the four digits that were drawn
that equals an amount as close as possible to the target. Whoever is closest to the target
wins that round. It doesn’t matter whether someone goes over or under.

Example Game
The leader draws a 3 and a 7, and writes the target number 37 on the board. Then the
leader draws the four digits 2, 4, 4, and 9. After all the digits are written on the board,
there are three minutes of quiet, where everyone writes their attempts and equations
down on their own paper.

When the three minutes are up, the leader calls on people who say what they got, and
how they got it.

Student 1: I got 43, by taking 49 - 4 - 2.

Student 2: I got 38. I took 9 × 4 to make 36, then added 4 and subtracted 2 to get 38.
Student 3: I got 37 exactly! I did 44 - 9 +2.

128 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Variations
By taking different targets, we can encourage different kinds of arithmetic practice. For
example:
• Pick a 3- or 4-digit number as the target. This forces multiplication.
• Fraction Horseshoes: Arrange the target as a fraction (i.e., 3/7 instead of 37).

You can also make the game easier by not requiring that players use all four digits in the
final equation. Or simply pick three digits instead of four.

Prompts and Questions

• How close have you gotten so far?
• I can get pretty close to 37 by doing (4 × 4) + 9 + 2 = 28. Could you make my
solution better?
• What if you only used the 4, 9, and 2?

Wrap Up
Horseshoes is so interesting to play that you do not necessarily need to do a formal wrap
up. However, here are some interesting followup questions to consider in a possible
group discussion.
• Is it always possible to reach the target number exactly?
• Is there a way to tell if it is possible to reach the target number exactly?
• Can you use all odd digits to result in an even solution?
• Can you use all even digits to result in an odd solution?

Tips for the Classroom

1. Make the game easier by picking small, accessible target numbers like 12, 18, and 24.
2. You can also make the game more accessible by starting with three cards/digits
rather than four.
3. You can also drop the restriction that players need to use all four digits exactly once.
For example, they could just use three of the four digits, or use one digit multiple
times.
4. Horseshoes lends itself to cooperative play. Don’t stress the competitive aspect of it.
It’s really more like a group challenge.
5. Students may need much more than 3 minutes to think of equations. If they’re
working diligently, you can extend the time per round and play fewer rounds.

129 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Day 14
Goals
1. Play games to practice arithmetic creatively.
2. Explore a rich problem with Subtracting Reverses.
____________________________________________________________
Opener
Broken Calculator Warmup
____________________________________________________________
Activity
Subtracting Reverses
____________________________________________________________

Game/Puzzle
Don't Break the Bank
____________________________________________________________

Choice Time
Prime Climb
Big Blockout
Horseshoes
Challenge Problems - see Appendix 3
____________________________________________________________

Closer
Bring up the question of what would happen if you tried subtracting reverses with 3-
digit numbers instead of 2-digit numbers. If you started with 611, for example, your first
steps would be:

a) 611 - 116 = 495

b) 594 - 495 = 99
c) 99 - 99 = 0

You can have the class do this subtraction with you and help as necessary.

This is a pretty interesting result! Ask students if they're ready to pose any conjectures.
For example, will this process of subtracting reverses starting from a 3-digit number
always end at 99? Does anyone have a conjecture for 4-digit numbers? All numbers?
How would you even show that these kind of conjectures are true?

The goal of this discussion is not to end class with answers, but with their curiosity
stimulated. Maybe they'll explore this more on their own later!

130 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

131 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com
 Subtracting Reverses
Topics: Subtraction, base 10, logic, patterns
Materials: Paper and pencil, Hundred Chart
Common Core: 3.NBT.A.2, 4.NBT.B.4, MP1, MP3, MP7, MP8

What happens when you take the difference of a number and its reverse?

Why We Love Subtracting Reverses

This extraordinary lesson combines base ten subtraction practice with an irresistible
mystery. A pattern slowly reveals itself as the class compiles data.

Launch
Ask a student to give you a 2-digit number, i.e., 47. Take the reverse (74) and find the
positive difference by subtracting the smaller from the larger (74 - 47 = 27). Then
repeat:

The reversal of 27 is 72, so now we need to find the difference between those two
numbers.
72 - 27 = 45

The reversal of 45 is 54, so we need to find the difference between those two numbers.
54 - 45 = 9

The reversal of 9 is 9, so we take the difference of 9 and itself.

9-9=0
And then we’re done.

Conjecture. If you start with any 2-digit number and repeat this “subtracting reverses”
process, you eventually end at 0.

Challenge the students to give you a counterexample to the conjecture, i.e., a 2-digit
number that won’t end at 0 if you continue this process. Suppose some give you 23:
32 - 23 = 9
9 - 9 = 0.
Do one or two more examples to make sure everyone understands the process. At this
point, students may notice that the number 9 is occurring a lot. Go out on a limb and
make another conjecture.

Conjecture. If you start with any 2-digit number and repeat this “subtracting reverses”
process, you eventually end at 9. No other one-digit number from 1 - 8 ever occurs.

This is an aggressive conjecture, and students should feel motivated to disprove it. Give
them each their own hundred chart (see below) to collect their work.

132 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Prompts and Questions
• Which number do you think won’t come to 9?
• What numbers do you know will go to 9 on their next step (i.e. 32 - 23 = 9). What if
you color those in on your chart. What do you notice?
• What are other number aside from 9 that you arrive at on your first step
(i.e., 27, since 27 = 74 - 47). Color those in in a different color. What do you notice
about these numbers?
• You got a number that doesn’t come to 9? That’s a big deal! Double check it to make
sure you got all the arithmetic right.

Wrap Up
Let the students share their findings. In this lesson, they are likely to have found a
different surprise: every number that isn’t the same as its reverse (like 66) to start will
end at 9! Why?

You may not be able to arrive at a full solution with your students, but there is a good
reason that this happens; you’ll have to dig into the base 10 process and the nature of
divisibility by 9 to find out. A direction that might be promising: students might have
discovered that the numbers you arrive at after your first move subtracting a reverse are
all multiples of 9 (0, 9, 18, 27, 36, 45, etc.). One way to think about why:

Consider a number like 74 = 7 tens + 4 ones.

It’s reverse is 47 = 4 tens + 7 ones or equivalently 7 ones + 4 tens.

The difference 74 - 47 = (7 tens - 7 ones) - (4 tens - 4 ones) = 7 nines - 4 nines = 3 × 9.

This argument may be too abstract for students; don’t belabor it if so.

A great closing project is to try to do just enough experimenting to arrive at a conjecture

for a question to send students home with: will three digit numbers end at 9 as well?

Example: 321 - 123 = 108. What next?

[It turns out that three digit numbers tend to end at 99.]

Tips for the Classroom

1. Make sure you open with a Number Talk or other exercise that let’s you know that
students are competent with two-digit subtraction.
2. Use base 10 blocks for students who have trouble with subtraction.
3. The hundred chart itself can also be a tool to help with subtraction. Take a number
and its reverse (74 and 47) and find the difference by traveling between: 47, 57, 67,
77 (+30), 76, 75, 74 (-3)… total distance traveled: 30 - 3 = 27.
4. Try 3-digit numbers if students need additional challenges.
5. The hundred chart is also a wonderful way to record data. Students can use colored
pencils to note how many steps it takes a number to arrive at 9 (and where else it
might end up, if not 9).

133 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Name____________________

Subtracting Reverses

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70

71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80

81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90

91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100

134 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Day 15
Goals
1. Use Cuisenaire rods to extend the concepts between multiplication and division into
fractions.
2. Play a fraction game.
____________________________________________________________

Opener
Unit Chat - see Appendix 4
____________________________________________________________

Activity
Cuisenaire Rod Fractions
____________________________________________________________

Game/Puzzle
Don’t Break the Bank - Pattern Block Fraction Variation
____________________________________________________________

Choice Time
Prime Climb
Don’t Break the Bank - Pattern Block Fraction Variation
Horseshoes
Challenge Problems - see Appendix 3
____________________________________________________________
Closer
In Cuisenaire Rod Fractions, we decided what rod would equal 1, and figured out what
the others would equal based on that. We do that in life too! For example, we might talk
about 1 pair of shoes, and each shoe is half of a pair. Or we might think about 1 shoe, and
talk about a pair as being 2 shoes.

Ask students to think of other examples. How common is it in their lives that the
meaning of "1" changes like this?

[Note: there are a lot of great food examples. If you'd like more inspiration for this
discussion, there's a nice TED-Ed video on it here: tinyurl.com/ted-ed-unit-video]

135 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Cuisenaire Rod Fractions
Topics: Fractions, equivalent fractions, determining fractions
Materials: Cuisenaire rods, Pencil and paper, 1cm graph paper
Common Core: 3.NF, 4.NF.4, 4.NF.5, MP1, MP3, MP5, MP6, MP7, MP8

Cuisenaire rods, used appropriately, help to create a foundational understanding and

representation for fractions, which makes the development of more sophisticated,
advanced understanding of fractions much smoother.

Why We Love Cuisenaire Rod Fractions

This lesson—a natural continuation of Cuisenaire Rod Multiplication and Division—
helps students understand fractions in a concrete way that connects naturally to both
length and area, while also introducing the flexibility with the idea of a base unit that
any study of fractions requires.

Launch
This lesson proceeds in a series of problems: the teacher poses a new situation, and the
students need to decide what all the rods are worth given that information. If students
have already played with Cuisenaire rods, part 1 and 2 can be relatively quick. Still, they
are a good place to start to remind students how Cuisenaire rods work, and to get the
idea of “proving” rods values.

Have students work alone, in pairs, or in small groups. Give students enough rods so
that everyone has access to at least one of each color. Be ready with challenge questions
in case some students finish the basic questions early (see Tips for the Classroom
below).

Part 1.
The white rod is worth 1. (You can write “White = 1” or “W = 1.”) What is the value of
every other rod?
(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)

If students are accustomed to the rods, this won’t take them long.

Challenge questions.
1) What is the value of an orange and a brown rod together?
2) What is the value of one rod of each color put together?

136 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Part 2.
The white rod is worth 5. (W = 5.) What is the value of every other rod?
(5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50)

Note: variations on this kind of question (W = 8, W = 13, etc.) are great warmups for
future days of working with C. Rods.
Note: students may say the red rod is 6, light green is 7, and so on. A good way to test
this is to create a model to “prove” it: if two whites make a red, and each white is five,
that means two fives make a six. Is that true? If not, the red must not be 6. These kinds
of argument can help us check the value of each rod without having to resort to appeals
to authority. (“The teacher said it was 10.”)

It’s after the question in Part 3 is posed that the students can work on their own for
longer. Note that Part 3 may be a big step forward for students, and will need some
discussion after they’ve had work time in order to fully integrate the different angles of
attack and different ways to understand the fractions.

Part 3.
Suppose the purple rod is worth 1. What is the value of the other rods?

The Work
Students can work on this problem until they are able to put forward a good idea for
what all the Cuisenaire should be called if the purple equals 1. The teacher can circulate
among the groups to see that they have a way to understand what any Cuisenaire rod is.
For instance, what is brown? (2.) What is red? (1/2.) What is white? (Half of 1/2, or 1/4.)
Once the students have white, they are likely to be able to figure out the other colors,
even if it’s as simple as 1 fourth, 2 fourths, 3 fourths, … 10 fourths.

But there’s another opportunity here, which is to consider other possibilities for what
the numbers could be called. For example, if purple is red, it would make sense to call
red 1 half (r = 1/2), since 2 halves make a whole, and 2 reds make a purple.

But that would mean that orange, which we called 10 fourths, is also five halves. It’s also
2 and a half, or 2 and 2 fourths. All are reasonable names, depending on how we see it,
or how we build it with Cuisenaire rods!

Prompts and Questions

• What is the brown worth? How do you know?
• What does white equal?
• You say blue is 2 and a quarter. What is dark green in your scheme? What’s light
green? I see that dark green plus light green is blue. Does that work as an equation as
well?
• What are 2 orange rods equal to? Show me how you know.
• (If a student can completely solve the problem.) Suppose the dark green rod equals 1.
Then what is everything else worth?

137 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

The Wrap
Bring the class together and ask different students to give the values they got for the
different colored rods. Keep a list as students go. Ask for defenses: how do they know for
sure what the values are? Be sure you underline how different ways of building a given
rod corresponds to different ways of expressing the fraction. For example, red is half of 1
(hence 1/2), but also two whites, hence 2/4. The dark green rod could be see as 1 and a
half, or 6/4, or 3/2, or 1 and 2 fourths.

As a final challenge, you can ask students what they would call an orange and yellow rod
put together. What are two different names this train could have? (3 and 3/4, or 15/4.)

Tips for the Classroom

1. For students who are really on a roll, we include the page of Cuisenaire rod
challenges on the next page. These can also be used as Challenge Problems during
Choice Time.
2. Using white boards that allow students to put their rods on top of the white board
and write their values underneath is very helpful.

138 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Cuisenaire Rod Challenges
For each of the following situations, find the value of all the other rods besides the one
given. These questions go roughly from easier to harder. Note that each situation is
completely separate from every other.

Situation 1. The dark green rod equals 42. Find the other rods.

Situation 2. The brown rod equals 1. Find the other rods.

Situation 3. The orange rod equals 2. Find the other rods.

Situation 4. The blue rod equals 3. Find the other rods.

Situation 5. The brown rod equals 6. Find the other rods.

Situation 6. The yellow rod equals 7. Find the other rods.

Situation 7. The blue rod equals 15. Find the other rods.

Bonus Challenge. Find how all the rods can be fractions (not whole numbers), but that
the sum of all the rods is a whole number. What could the white rod be in this situation?

139 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Don’t Break the Bank!
Pattern Block Fraction Variation
Topics: Fraction Addition, estimation
Materials: 6-sided dice, pencil and worksheet, pattern blocks
Common Core: 3.NF.1, 3.NF.3a-d, 3.G.2, MP1, MP6

How close can you get to 10 wholes without going over?

Why We Love DBtB - Pattern Block Fraction Variation

This game continues the fun of Don’t Break the Bank while creating a bridge to thinking
about fraction representation and addition. At the same time, students who haven’t fully
understood how fractions work can still play the game, and reason about how physical
fractions of shapes form wholes, giving them a new way to understand and reason about
fractions.

The Launch
Students should have access to pattern blocks and a game board as they play this game.
In this case, hexagons count as “1,” and students will try to get as close to 10 as possible
without going over and “breaking the bank.”

Here’s how to play the game. The teacher (or a student) rolls the die. Whatever number
is rolled, everyone may take that many ones (hexagons), halves (trapezoids), thirds
(rhombuses), or sixths (triangles). After exactly seven rolls, everyone adds up their total,
either by combining their blocks into hexagons and counting them (using the game
boards), or by computing directly on paper or a white board. Note that everyone must
take some type of block after each of the seven rolls! If you fill up 10 hexagons after 6
rolls, you'll bust on the 7th roll. (That's called "Breaking the Bank.”)

To simplify launching the game, play first with the following simpler versions. You can
stick with them if they feel complex enough for where students are.

For game 1, roll five times, and let students choose between taking ones or halves
(hexagons or trapezoids).

For game 2, roll six times, and let student choose between taking ones or halves or
thirds (hexagons or trapezoids or rhombuses).

For game 3 go to the full game: roll seven times, and let students choose between
taking ones, halves, thirds, or sixths (hexagons, trapezoids, rhombuses, or triangles).

You can take blocks and project them via a document camera, or use the game board to
record what you got after each turn.

140 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

See below for what a finished game might look like after seven rolls. The numbers in the
chart represent what shape each roll was used to take. At the end I write in my total,
which I can read off using the number of hexagons I filled in (or shaded). In this case, I
1
got 8 . I didn’t bust, since I didn’t go over 10!
6

141 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Explore
Play three or four games with students, and build up the writing component of the
game. Starting out, just building the blocks and successfully playing the game is a good
start, but students should also be able, at least, to write out what numbers they made by
naming how many ones, halves, thirds, and sixths they have altogether.

Students can continue playing on their own. For students who need a different challenge
(and this may be all students), give them the following:

Challenge. You need to design a new block that is one fourth of a hexagon. What could
it look like? Write down how you know it’s really one fourth.

Prompts and Questions

• Have you already “broken the bank?” How can you tell?
• Where kind of block are you going to take 5 of?
• What’s a good strategy for this game?
• What fraction are you at now?
• We’ve only got one more roll. Is there anything you’re hoping for?
• How much space do you have left to fill?

Summarize/Discuss
Ask students to share one thing that’s strange or surprising or confusing about fractions,
first in pairs, and then altogether.

If nothing else comes up, you can mention one thing that you are wondering about: is it
possible to make ten ones using nothing but halves? How many blocks would it take?
How do students know?

What about nothing but thirds? How many blocks would that take?

Nothing but sixths? How many of those blocks would it take?

Let students share their ideas for answering these questions, and see if they have any
other questions of their own to share.

Tips for the Classroom

1. When you play with the full class, let students take turns rolling.
2. You can narrate your own thoughts when placing digits in the grid.
3. You can play the simpler games with just ones and halves longer if students need
more time to get comfortable with the game.
4. This is a great game to return to in the future, even for early finishers.
5. Don’t get into the fine points of how to do the fraction addition using pencil and
paper algorithm - emphasize it as a way to track what you rolled and how it is
arranged.

142 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Name____________________________________

Don’t Break the Bank

(Pattern Block Fraction Variation)
After each roll, you must take that number of pattern block hexagons, trapezoids,
blue rhombuses, or triangles.

Your goal is to get as close to filling all 10 hexagons below as you can without going over
10 total. You must roll exactly 7 times, and take one type of block each time you roll.
When you are done, write the total number of hexagons you got this game.

Ones (hexagons) Halves (trapezoids) Thirds (rhombuses) Sixths (triangles)

Total: ____________
143 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com
 Day 16
Goals
1. Take postassessment.
2. Play math games and celebrate the end of the class!
____________________________________________________________
Opener
Penny Nickel Dime
____________________________________________________________

Activity
Postassessment
____________________________________________________________

Choice Time
Any class favorites!

____________________________________________________________
Closer
Students have played a lot of math games and explored with blocks to solve all kinds of
problems at this point. Ask them what they think they learned from playing these games
and exploring these activities. Has their sense of what math is changed at all? What will
they take away from this class?

144 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Name_________________________

Postassessment
1) How many dots? Write an equation and solve.

Equation: _______________________________________________

2) How many dots? Write an equation and solve.

Equation: ___________________________________________

145 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Fill in the blanks to make the equations true.

3) 8 × _________ = 72

4) 48 ÷ 3 = ____________

Use the area model to solve.

5) 14 × 9 = ____________

146 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Name_________________________

6) Dora gets seven pennies each day for eight days. How many pennies
does Dora get?

Explain with equations, words and/or pictures.

7) I had 5 cartons of eggs. Each carton holds 12 eggs. I cooked 17

eggs.
How many eggs were left?

Explain with equations, words and/or pictures.

147 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

8) I have 28 books.
I put all my books in a pile, then split them into four equal groups.
How many books are in each group?

Explain with equations, words and/or pictures.

9) There are 46 people going to the festival. Each van can hold 6
people. How many vans to they need?

Explain with equations, words and/or pictures.

148 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

10) Gum balls cost 3¢, and licorice costs 8¢ per piece.
I want to buy 7 gum balls and 5 pieces of licorice.
How much will it cost?

Explain with equations, words and/or pictures.

149 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Name_________________________

3rd Grade Postassessment

1) How many dots? Write an equation and solve.

Equation: __________8 × 8 = 64 dots________________________

5 points for correct expression (8 × 8 or other correct option)
5 points for correct answer (64 or 64 dots)

2) How many dots? Write an equation and solve.

Equation: ______12 × 4 = 48 dots_________________

5 points for correct expression (12 × 4 or 6 × 8 or other option)

150 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 5 points for correct answer (48 or 48 dots)
Fill in the blanks to make the equations true.

3) 8 × _________ = 72

10 points for correct answer: 9

4) 48 ÷ 3 = ____________

10 points for correct answer: 16

Use the area model to solve.

5) 14 × 9 = ____________

5 points for correct use of area model

5 points for correct answer: 126

151 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Name_________________________

6) Dora gets seven pennies each day for eight days. How many pennies
does Dora get?

Explain with equations, words and/or pictures.

5 points for clear, correct explanation, equation, and/or drawing

5 points for correct answer: 56 pennies
Subtract 1 point if there are no units in final answer

7) I had 5 cartons of eggs. Each carton holds 12 eggs. I cooked 17

eggs.
How many eggs were left?

Explain with equations, words and/or pictures.

5 points for clear, correct explanation, equation, and/or drawing

5 points for correct answer: 43 eggs
Subtract 1 point if there are no units in final answer

152 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

8) I have 28 books.
I put all my books in a pile, then split them into four equal groups.
How many books are in each group?

Explain with equations, words and/or pictures.

5 points for clear, correct explanation and/or drawing

5 points for correct answer: 7 books
Subtract 1 point if there are no units in final answer

9) There are 46 people going to the festival. Each van can hold 6
people. How many vans to they need?

Explain with equations, words and/or pictures.

5 points for clear, correct explanation and/or drawing

5 points for correct answer: 8 vans
Subtract 1 point if there are no units in final answer

153 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

10) Gum balls cost 3¢, and licorice costs 8¢ per piece.
I want to buy 7 gum balls and 5 pieces of licorice.
How much will it cost?

Explain with equations, words and/or pictures.

5 points for clear, correct explanation and/or drawing

5 points for correct answer: 61¢

The gumballs cost 7 × 3¢ = 21¢

The licorice costs 5 × 8¢ = 40¢
Altogether that’s 21¢ + 40¢ = 61¢, or $0.61.

Subtract 1 point if there are no units ($ or ¢ or cents) in final answer.

154 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Appendix 1:
Games to go Home

It’s nice to give families a way to playfully explore math. The games on the following
pages are quick, light, and easy. We recommend sending one or two home a week for
kids to share with parents.

155 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Blockout
For 2 players.

Rules. Players take turns rolling two dice, and drawing a rectangle on the game board with side
lengths given by the two numbers they rolled. For example, if you rolled a 3 and a 6, you would
draw a 3 by 6 rectangle, placed horizontally or vertically on the board.

Your rectangle cannot intersect or be contained in any previously drawn rectangles. If you
cannot add a rectangle to the board on your turn, pass the dice to the next player. If all players
pass in a row, the game is over.

Players get a point for each square they’ve drawn a rectangle around. For example, a 3 by 4
rectangle is worth 12 points. Whoever boxes the most squares wins.

156 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Pig
Take turns. Roll as many times as you want on your turn and record your rolls.
End your turn by moving all your points to your bank. If you roll a 1 before you bank
your points, your turn ends immediately and all your unbanked points are lost.
Whoever reaches 100 first wins.

Rolls Rolls

Bank Bank

157 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Odd Pig Out
Roll two dice and write down their product. You may choose to continue rolling as long
as the products are even. End your turn to bank your points.
If you roll an odd product, end your turn and lose all unbanked points.
Play to 200.

Product Product

Bank Bank

158 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Multiplication Table Tic-Tac-Toe
Example.
To start the game, Player 1 puts their paperclip over one of the bottom numbers, say, 5.
Player 2 might put their paperclip on 6, and cover one of the “30” spots on the board
with their color counter.

16 20 24 28 32 36

20 25 30 35 40 45

24 30 36 42 48 54

28 35 42 49 56 63 Next, player 1 moves their paperclip on 5 to

8, and covers the product of 6 and 8 on the
32 40 48 56 64 72
board.
36 45 54 63 72 81

4 5 6 7 8 9 16 20 24 28 32 36

20 25 30 35 40 45

24 30 36 42 48 54

28 35 42 49 56 63

32 40 48 56 64 72

36 45 54 63 72 81

Player 2 moves their paperclip on 6 to 7, covering 56, 4 5 6 7 8 9

the product of 7 and 8. This also threatens to make 3-in-a-row!
Player 2 just needs to cover 42. However, Player 1 can
move to block by moving their paperclip on 8 to 6.
And so the game continues until someone gets 3-in-a-row.

16 20 24 28 32 36

20 25 30 35 40 45

24 30 36 42 48 54

28 35 42 49 56 63

32 40 48 56 64 72

36 45 54 63 72 81

4 5 6 7 8 9

159 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Multiplication Table Tic-Tac-Toe

16 20 24 28 32 36

20 25 30 35 40 45

24 30 36 42 48 54

28 35 42 49 56 63

32 40 48 56 64 72

36 45 54 63 72 81

4 5 6 7 8 9

160 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Damult Dice
Materials: Three dice. Pencil and paper.

Damult dice can be played with 2-4, but fewer players is usually better.
Players take turns rolling three dice on their turn. On your turn, you add
two of your rolls together, and multiply by the third. That is your score for
the turn.

Basic scorekeeping. At the end of each round, whoever got the highest
score wins a point. First to ten points wins.

Advanced scorekeeping. Players record their scores, and add on to them as

they go. The round ends after a player reaches 300 points. The highest
scorer wins the game.

Example. You roll 3, 5, 6 on your turn. You could add 6 + 3 to get 9, and
multiply by 5 to score 45 points on the turn. But wait! If you add 5 + 3 to
get 8, and multiply by 6 you can get 48 points! So scoring 48 points is
actually the better option.

161 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 The 1, 2, 3, 4 Puzzle
Materials: Pencil and paper.

The rules of this puzzle are simple: using the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 exactly, make equations
that have the answers 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. How high can you go?

Examples.

To get started, I can make 1 with the equation (2 - 1) × (4 - 3) = 1. That equation uses
each number exactly once. I could have also used the equation (3 + 2) - (4 × 1) = 1 as
well.

To make 2, I might build the equation (2 + 4) ÷ 3 × 1 = 2.

How high can you go?

162 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Horseshoes
Materials: Pencil & paper, and cards, or another way to pick random numbers.

Remove all face cards and tens from a deck of cards, so the only cards are from 1 to 9.
Pick out two cards to form a two digit number. This is the target number.

Pick four more cards. Those are the digits you’ll get to use to make the target number.

The goal of the game is to create an equation using only the four digits that were drawn
that equals an amount as close as possible to the target. Whoever is closest to the target
wins that round. It doesn’t matter whether someone goes over or under.

Example Game
You draw a 3 and a 7, and so the target number is 37. Then you draw the four digits 2, 4,
4, and 9. Then everyone writes their attempts and equations down on their own paper.

When a few minutes are up, see who’s closest to 37.

Example 1: 49 - 4 - 2 = 43
Example 2: 9 × 4 + 4 - 2 = 38
Example 3: 44 - 9 + 2 = 37 exactly!

163 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

164 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com
 Appendix 2:
Math Games and Movement Breaks

Great to pull out any time students need a break but you still want to keep their minds
on math! Quick, easy, and fun.

165 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Math Games and Movement Breaks
Topics: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division
Materials: none
Common Core: K.OA.A.2, K.OA.A.4, K.OA.A.5, 1.OA.C.6, 2.OA.B.2

When kids get antsy, it is time to break out these quick, fun, physical math games. They
are perfect for a class break between stations, or a moment of flagging energy.

Why we love these games

Getting kids moving is a win-win. Movement refreshes your students while giving them
another take on math concepts. These games are super quick and fun for everyone.

Teacher-led Games
• Mingle (2-5 minutes)
The teacher calls out a number (3), and the students get themselves into groups of that
size as quickly as they can. It might be impossible for everyone to get in a group every
time, but each new number gives everyone another chance.

Once students are in groups, the teacher can lead an optional skip-count with the class
by counting the students in the class by group size (i.e., 3, 6, 9, …)

In the basic game, just call out single numbers. Once students get the gist, you can call
out addition or subtraction problems (i.e., “get into groups of 7-4”). Don’t forget to call
out a group of 1 and a group of however many students are in the entire class at some
point in the game.

This is also a good game to play as a name game: once students get in groups, they can
learn each other’s names.

• Stand Up/Sit Down (2-5 minutes)

The rules are simple: if the teacher gives the number 10, students stand up. Any other
number, they sit down. The trick is, the teacher will say things like “7+3” and “14 -
5” (pick appropriate sums, differences, products, or quotients for your students to
solve mentally). This is a great game to try to “trick” the students by standing up or
sitting down on when they should be doing the opposite.

There are endless variations. For example:

-stand when the number is larger than 5; sit if it is 5 or below
-stand when the number is even; sit when it is odd
-stand if the digit 1 appears on the number; sit otherwise.

166 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

• Bigger/Smaller/Equal (2-5 minutes)
If the teacher says a number greater than 10, students expand their bodies to take up
as much space as they can (while keeping their feet firmly planted on the ground—no
running around). If the teacher says a number less than 10, students shrink their
bodies to take up the least space they can. If the teacher gives the number 10 exactly,
students hold their body neutrally and make an equals sign with their arms.

As before, the teacher moves to sums, differences, products, and quotients once
students get the rules.

• Rhythmic Clapping/Counting (2-5 minutes)

The teacher claps/counts out a rhythm. Students imitate the rhythm of the clap and
the count.

• Skip Counting with Movement (2-5 minutes)

Make up a movement that comes in 2, 3, or more parts. Whisper the first parts, and
call out the final move loudly.

Example: Windmills. Whisper “1” and touch your right hand to your left foot. Whisper
“2” and touch your left hand to your right foot. Call out “3” and do a jumping jack!
Continue counting like this up to 30, calling out the multiples of 3 and whispering the
numbers in between.

Example: http://mathandmovement.com/pdfs/skipcountingguide.pdf

• Circle Count (2-5 minutes)

Stand in a circle and try to count off as quickly as possible all the way around the
circle. Start with 1, then the student on your right says “2,” and the student on their
right says “3,” and so on until the count comes back to you. Challenge the kids to go as
quickly and seamlessly as possible.

When everyone can do this proficiently, count by twos, fives, tens, or threes. You can
also start at numbers greater than 1, or try counting backward.

• Circle Tens (2-5 minutes)

Stand in a circle. Start with 1, then the students to your left says either 2, OR 2, 3.
Continue around the circle, with each student saying the next one or two numbers in
the sequence. Whoever says a multiple of 10 (10, 20, 30, 40 etc.) has to sit down. Play
continues until only one person is standing.

167 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Student-pair Games
• Finger Speed-Sums (1-5 minutes)
Students meet in pairs with one hand behind their back. On the count of three, they
each put forward some number of fingers. Whoever says the sum first wins. Then the
pair breaks up and each person finds a new person to play with. Advanced players can
use two hands instead of just one.

• Finger Speed-Differences (1-5 minutes)

Same as speed-sums, except whoever finds the difference between the two numbers
first wins.

• Finger Speed-Products (1-5 minutes)

Same as speed-sums, except whoever finds the product of the two numbers first wins.

• High Fives/High Tens (1-5 minutes)

In this cooperative game, students meet in pairs. One student throws forward some
number of fingers. The second student must throw forward however many fingers will
make the sum 5 (or 10). For example, if two students meet and one student puts
forward two fingers, the other student should, as quickly as possible, look, think, and
throw forward three fingers. Then they part and each finds a new partner.

Tips for the classroom

1. Make sure kids never feel ashamed if they don’t already know the right answer. You
can also tweak competitive games to make them collaborative.

2. Your enthusiasm is critical in these games. Figure out your favorites, and expand
on them, or get the students to come up with their own variations. If you’re into
them and having a good time, the kids will have a good time too.

168 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Appendix 3:
Challenge Problems
Use at Choice Time for an extra challenge!

Need more challenge problems? Find our full collection at

tinyurl.com/3rdgrademathchallenges

169 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Name_________________________

Dice Patterns
Write a multiplication equation for the total number of dots or sum of the numbers in
each picture below. (One answer is already filled in.)

14 groups of 2
14 × 2 = 28

170 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Name_________________________

Dice Patterns

Which picture has the largest sum?

What did you notice about the way the pictures changed?

171 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Name_________________________

Count the Dots

Write as many equations as can you write that model the picture below.

1 = Fair
2 = Good
3 or more = Excellent!

Draw your own pictures if necessary to show how your equations work.

Example.
Group by rows: 2 rows of 9 plus 2 rows of 6

(2 × 9) + (2 × 6) = 18 + 12 = 30

172 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Name_________________________

Count the Dots

How many equations can you write that model the picture below?

1 = Fair
2 = Good
3 or more = Excellent!

Draw your own pictures if necessary to show how your equations work.

173 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Name_________________________

Count the Dots

How many equations can you write that model the picture below?

1 = Fair
2 = Good
3 or more = Excellent!

Draw your own pictures if necessary to show how your equations work.

174 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Name_________________________

Count the Dots

How many equations can you write that model the picture below?

1 = Fair
2 = Good
3 or more = Excellent!

Draw your own pictures if necessary to show how your equations work.

175 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Dots that Count
Draw a dot picture that matches the equation below. Then challenge a classmate to
guess the equation you started with.

(4 × 6) + 6 = ____

176 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Counting in the Classroom
Solve. Draw pictures, write equations, or use scratch paper as necessary.

1. How many people are in the classroom today?

2. How many arms are in the classroom today?

3. How many fingers?

4. How many toes?

5. How many limbs? (Limbs means arms or legs)

6. How many right hand fingers?

7. How many left hand fingers?

8. How many fingers total, not counting thumbs?

9. If each person in class had 7 books, how many books would that be total?

10. If each person had 15¢, how much money would that be total?

177 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Name______________________

Spending Spree
Karin won a spending spree at a bookstore!
The only catch is, she has to spend every dollar in each round. If any is left over, she
doesn’t get to keep anything she bought.

Hardback books cost $15 each.

Paperback books cost $8 each.
Comic books cost $3 each.

What should she buy in each round so that every dollar gets spent?

Round 1. $50

Round 2. $100

178 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Round 3. $200

Round 4. $500

Bonus Round: $654

179 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Number Search
The small square is worth 1.

What are the other areas worth?

Label them all, if you can!

Hint: Cuisenaire rods could help in this activity.

180 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Number Search
Now the small square is worth 5.
That changes everything else.

What are the other areas worth?

Label them all, if you can!

Hint: Cuisenaire rods could help in this activity.

181 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Number Search
The labeled shape is worth 20. 20
What are the shapes worth?
Hint: If you have Cuisenaire rods, use them! The red rod is the same size as the shape
above.

Example
The longer shape is twice as long as 20, so must be worth 20 + 20 = 40.

20 20
40
Label all the shapes in the drawing below.

182 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Number Search
Now labeled shape is worth 48.
What are the other shapes worth? 12
Example
The smaller shape is half as long as 12. Half of 12 is 6, so the small
shape must be worth 6.
6 6
12

Label all the shapes in the drawing below.

12

183 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Number Search
1. If the orange rod and the red rod together are worth 96, what is
the white rod worth? (see picture)

96

2. If 2 brown rods are worth 144 together, what is one purple rod
worth? (see picture)

144

184 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Number Search
The labeled shape is worth 12.

What are the other shapes worth?

Label them all, if you can!

Hint: Cuisenaire rods could help in this activity.

The labeled shape is the same as a light green rod.

12

185 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Number Search
Now the labeled shape is worth 1.

What are the other shapes worth?

Label them all, if you can!

Hint: Cuisenaire rods could help in this activity.

The labeled shape is the same as a purple rod.

186 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Appendix 4:
Unit Chats
Want more unit chats? You can find them at
mathforlove.com/lesson/unit-chats

187 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Thanks to Christopher Danielson for this image

188 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

189 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Copyright 2018 Math for Love

 Copyright 2018 Math for Love

190 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

191 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com
 Unit Chats
For unit chats, the best prompt is simply “How many?”

The opportunity is that the images contain different choices for

what to count. This means the conversation can differentiate as
students decide what they want to count, and also connect these
choices via multiplication and division.

The unit chat images below go roughly from less difficult to more
difficult. Feel free to use them in the order that works for you and
your students.

In general, 1 - 2 unit chats is right as an opener.

Type of Image Natural things to count

Dice number of dice, number of dots, and colors

Dominoes number of dominoes, number of dots, lines on the

dominoes.

Cuisenaire rods number of rods, total number of rods if they were all
replaced by white rods, number of each color.

Pattern blocks number of blocks, number of each color block, number of

triangles, number of triangles that would cover the shape

Teachers - please use in your classrooms!

To share, please refer colleagues to

mathforlove.com/lesson/unit-chats

Unit chats first developed by Christopher Danielson These images created by Daniel Finkel Copyright 2018 Math for Love

192 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

193 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Copyright 2018 Math for Love

194 Copyright 2018 Math for Love
Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com
 Copyright 2018 Math for Love

195 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Copyright 2018 Math for Love

196 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Copyright 2018 Math for Love

197 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

 Copyright 2018 Math for Love
198 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com
Thanks to Lee Dawson, @CDawson18 for this image.

199 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

Thanks to Lee Dawson, @CDawson18 for this image.

200 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com

About the authors

Dan Finkel and Katherine Cook are the people behind Math for Love.

Curriculum authors, puzzle designers, math evangelists, and game creators, they believe
that everyone has a right to experience beautiful, empowering mathematics.

They live in Seattle with their son, Asa.

Follow their work at mathforlove.com.

201 Copyright 2021 Math for Love mathforlove.com