BEAT the TEACHER
Who
doesn’t enjoy a little competition-especially against their own teacher?
This lesson helped students to learn place value
while using strategy and a little friendly competition with their teacher. How
often do teachers hear the statements, “I love Math!" or "This is
fun!” I heard that in my class on Friday, and I have to say it made my heart
happy.
Beat the teacher is a very simple, yet engaging,
method of teaching place value. All that is needed is a pair of dice(0-5)(5-9),
beat the teacher tracking sheet (using a few spaces for a small number or more
for a larger number), and a little creativity. I made it more interesting by
introducing some clever claps to the students (Alligator clap, Princess clap,
and my favorite, the Oreo clap) along with making deals with the kids about
what ridiculous things I would do if they won or what they would have to do if
I won.
The strategy
Students rolled the dice and decided which place
value slot to place the number in on their tracking sheet. The goal was to make
the bigger number in order to beat the other player. Students compared numbers,
wrote the number in word form and vertical expanded form. Students didn't even
realize they were learning because they were so engaged. Students love to see
their teachers do outlandish things all in the name of learning! When I lost, I
did pushups and other things that would be embarrassing to those in the outside
world. We also extended the lesson by playing Beat the Principal!! I must say
that I beat Mrs. Bell three times! She was a good sport and displayed her
singing and dancing skills nicely as a penance for her loss! We would like to thank
Mrs. Bell for coming into our classroom and showing us that principals can be
fun, too!!
When kids do not want to leave the room, or stop
the lesson/game, that is definitely what I would call a successful
lesson. This is one to keep in the books!
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