"Create Your Own Math Game" Project for Grade 9 Math

Making Intermediate Math More Fun

It's a hot summer day. Your friends are all relaxing and taking selfies at the beach while you...are spending the next month back in the classroom for Summer Session. Just because school is back in session, doesn't mean it can't be at least somewhat fun!

Okay, so it is actually the middle of winter right now...but Summer Session is what sparked my interest in math games in the first place. The first time I taught Grade 9 Math during the Summer Session, many students expressed frustration with missing out on "just hanging out with their friends and having fun". Ever since then I have tried to incorporate more fun ways of practicing basic math concepts, such as Solving Equations Jenga and Linear Relations Guess Who. I have also included a Summative Project where the students are given the opportunity to create and play their own math games to review concepts outlined in the learning goals for the course. What better way to get students engaged in learning than for them to make their own activities and games!

Students making math games for assessment is definitely not a new concept. I have seen this many times before in different classrooms, but I had only ever seen it in Junior grades, and is usually specifically board games. No reason it cannot be adapted for Intermediate grades and with a wider range of options! For the Grade 9 students, their games can be an original concept or a modified version of an already existing game. It can be in any format--card, dice, board game, trivia, DPA style game, etc.--but must be playable in a classroom setting.

Below is a link to the package I give the students, which includes the following:

• Description of the project expectations
• Getting Started list of possible math topics/concepts for students to choose from (based on MPM1D curriculum and course learning goals)
• Project Outline: graphic organizer for planning out their projects
• Rough Copy Checklist (self-assessment)
• Finished Game Checklist (self-assessment)
• Rubric (used for final evaluation)

Create Your Own Math Game: Summative Project for Grade 9 Math 

When the students play each others' games, I give them each a Peer Assessment form to fill out for every game that they try. I take their feedback into consideration when marking, as well as my own observations while they are playing.

By creating their own questions, they gain a deeper understanding of their chosen math topic. By playing each other's games, they get to practice a variety of concepts relevant to the curriculum in a more enjoyable and collaborative setting. If they really enjoy any in particular and happen to let me reuse them the following year, bonus!