Math Activity to Teach Using Known Facts / Familiar Facts: Salute

Math Activity: Salute

Strand: Number Sense and Numeration, Addition & Multiplication
Math Strategy: using known facts; using familiar facts

English:

French:

Materials: 
• 1 deck of cards with 10, J, Q and K removed
• A math tool to help solve the problem (rekenrek, counters or square tiles)
• 3 players

Overview: 
In this game students work to find the “missing part” or value of the card on their head. Students take turns being the “sum finder”, adding up the value of the two cards and shouting out the sum. Each student needs to use the part they see (the value of the card on the other players forehead) and the whole to determine the value of the card on their forehead. After each turn the players rotate their roles by one so that each player has a chance to be the sum finder or to find the missing part.
How this Supports Student Learning:
Students are able to practice a variety of math strategies through this game. Students can find the missing part by counting on, making ten, using doubles or familiar facts. In this game, each player could be practising a different strategy. Having a math tool nearby will support students in solving the problem.

Where to next?
For students that are developing their ability to join numbers, removing all cards greater than 5 may be helpful. As students become comfortable finding the missing part you can increase the complexity of the game by adding higher value cards, eventually including 10 - K, and assigning a value to each card. Alternately you can refer to each card as a decimal tenths. For example if player 1 draws a 7 and player 2 draws a 4 the sum finder would call out “1 and 1 tenth”. In order for the “part finders” to win the round they must refer to their card as a tenth (I.e.7/10 or 2/10 in this case).