Students played a new game each week that focused on two multiplication fact families. The goal of these games was to increase student math fact fluency for multiplication facts. The games were taught during morning work on Mondays and then played with a partner for 15 minutes every single day from 12:30-12:45.

 

 On Fridays, students were given a short quiz over the facts that were focused on for that week. The multiplication facts that were being focused on were 0-9. This happened from January 30-March 10. I collected the data from the weekly quizzes, MAP data, a pre and post test and last but not least, student dispositions.  The weekly quizzes were 26 problems long and covered the facts that were reviewed that week.  Each fact was listed on each quiz.  

 

The pre-test was given in December and students were told to complete it and try their best.  Many of the students were nervous and hesitant because they did not know multiplication yet.  It was 27 questions long and covered random multiplication facts 0-9.  Students took the post test at the completion of the unit after taking all the quizzes and playing all the games.  It was the exact same test as the pre-test.

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The games I used focused on games the students

already knew how to play. According to Keith Devlin, a

math coach for elementary schools, using games that

students already know how to play increases student

participation and interest. The games I used are listed

below:

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-0's and 1's: Connect Four (Students

had a game board with 0 and 1

multiplication facts and had to 

answer the fact correctly before

putting their game piece on the

board. Player with four game pieces

in a row won). 

-2's and 3's: Snakes and Ladders (The 

game board was set up in the same

style as "Snakes and Ladders" but on

each game space there was a 2 or 3

multiplication fact.  The student 

would roll the dice and before 

moving to the space they had to

answer the fact correctly).

-4's and 5's: Tic Tac Toe (The students

had a normal tic tac toe board but on

each space there was a fact they had 

to answer before putting their X or O

on the board. General tic tac toe rules 

applied).

-6's ​​and 7's: Matching Game (There 

were two piles of cards. One pile had

math facts on them and the other 

pile had answers on them. Students 

split the cards up and then chose one 

card from each pile. They had to pick

the correct math fact and answer to

make a match).

-8's and 9's: Classic Board Game (This 

game used a generic board game 

style. The students rolled a dice and 

moved their pieces along the board

answering math facts along the way).

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