#2114. Twenty-four

Mathematics, level: Elementary
Posted Wed Jan 24 07:45:39 PST 2001 by Melissa Gonzales (missy_g_1@yahoo.com).
IUP, Indiana, Pennsylvania
Materials Required: Manila folders, mathematical cards, game peices, markers, scissors, scratch paper, pencils, dice
Activity Time: 1 hour
Concepts Taught: simple equations

Rationale and Background
The purpose of this lesson is for students to gain practice of the basic math skills used daily. The students will have had previous practice of these skills. The students will have participated in a two-week unit on these skills. This lesson is to be used as a review at the end of a unit on these skills. This will be helpful to the students in preparation for a test. This lesson will also be helpful for the conclusion of the unit. It can also serve as an activity for successful completion of the unit or a test.

Learner Objectives
This lesson is designed for a fifth grade class. This may also be used as a review for higher grades or as an introduction to a lower grade. The concepts in this lesson may be too difficult for a grade lower than fifth. This lesson is appropriate for 16-20 students. The class will have an even distribution of boys and girls. The groups will be assigned so that there are two boys and two girls in each group if possible. This lesson is appropriate for any area to be taught in. Since this is in the form of a game, this lesson may be appropriate for learners who adapt to this type of learning better than more traditional methods of teaching. This may include special education or inclusive classrooms. This may also include less motivated learners. Some students may not be motivated to learn by traditional methods. This lesson is also very appropriate for motivated students and even accelerated students. In general, this lesson is appropriate for any student, regardless of socioeconomic status or background. The students will be reviewing addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. The students will also be reviewing the concept of equations.

Lesson Objectives
The students will demonstrate the ability to perform mathematics more efficiently.
The students will develop an understanding of an equation.
The students will work effectively in groups.

Resources
Manila folders
Mathematical cards
Game pieces
Markers (to make the game)
Scissors (to make the game)
Scratch paper
Pencils
Dice
Kristine M. Reed. "24". Teaching Children Mathematics, 1998: 191-195.
Concepts
The students will apply their ability to perform the basic addition, subtraction, multiplication
and division facts in simple equations.

Procedures
Upon completion of a unit on equations, the students will begin a review session on this concept. They will do this by participating in the File Folder Game, "Twenty-four". The teacher will randomly select the students and place them into groups of four. The youngest player will roll the dice and move their game piece first. There are many different blocks the player may land on, based on the roll of the dice. If the player lands on a "24", he/she must pick up a red card and solve the problem. The player will plug in the correct mathematical sign to get the answer 24 (the students may use scratch paper if necessary). If the player does not get the correct answer, they will have to move back the indicated number of spaces on the card. If the player lands on a "pick blue" space, they will answer a more challenging problem. If the player answers this problem correctly, they will move the amount of spaces indicated on the card. This process will continue clockwise until a player reaches the finish block. The first person to reach this block wins.
The students may be assessed on this game. This can be done by the teacher monitoring each group or even by participating in the game with the students. The teacher can also assess the students in a more formal way. The students can be asked to get a blank piece of paper and fold in half. The first column will be labeled "24", and the second "Challenge". The students will record the number of correct answers in each column and record the problems they may have had trouble with. This paper will be turned in to the teacher upon completion of the game.

Notes
In the process of developing this lesson, I referred to many different sources to complete it. The idea for this lesson came from:
Kristine M. Reed. "24". Teaching Children Mathematics, 1998: 191-195.
I also joined an online discussion group called "Family Math". I received a lot of input from many other teachers, along with parents. This really helped with developing the lesson.
I also referred to some web sites to help with the process:
www.lessonplanspage.com
www.teachers.net