Math Games Played with Cards and Dice, Grades 7-8

Math Games Played with Cards and Dice (7-8) is the middle level collection of the Galaxy Series of supplementary activities for the mathematics student. This book contains puzzles, games, and other learning activities that are geared toward the middle school mathematics learner and are based on the curriculum focal points of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. The emphasis in most activities and games is on supporting the development of common skills of seventh and eighth grade mathematics. Heavy emphasis is placed on practicing skills of the basic operations on whole numbers, integers, fractions, and decimals through the medium of games. This book is not a basal text. Rather, it is supplementary to any traditional or reformed basal series. It provides practice in motivating situations both to improve skills and increase the learners interest in the study of mathematics. Solving algebraic equations and inequalities is given emphasis as well as some elementary statistical concepts and logical thinking skills. Metric measurement is treated through a game format. Geometric concepts such as symmetry, area, volume, perimeter, circle terms, and geometric shapes are covered in the Skill Builder section. Standard playing cards and standard dice are instructional devices that are used heavily in playing the games. Interesting statistical applications as well as card tricks provide motivational activities through which the student can develop logical reasoning skills as well as computational fluency in a variety of situations. The overall goal of Math Games Played with Cards and Dice (7-8) is to help the student, with guidance from the teacher and/or parent, develop those skills that will prepare him/her for the common beginning mathematics courses in high school, including plane geometry and second-year algebra. All of the activities are self-contained except that the instructional leader will have to provide playing cards, dice, and in some instances metric measuring devices.