Equation Concentration

by Blake Isaac

Blake teaches 7th and 8th grade mathematics. He loves song writing, making videos and computing. He lives with his beautiful wife, Myra and his five year old daughter, Nicolle.

Instructional Objective Given an equation, the learner will be able to solve an equation for the unknown.

Learners/Context The learners are Pre-Algebra and Algebra students who need supplement work in solving equations. This game is designed to give students extra practice in solving equations. The purpose is to increase speed and accuracy.

Rationale The cards provide a good medium to show the relationship between the problem and the solution. The idea of a card game and the skill of memory bring fun and motivation to solving equations.

Rules Equation Concentration is played in the following manner:

Place blue cards face down in 4 columns of 5.
Place red cards face down in 4 columns of 5.
Players take turns turning over one red and one blue card to find a match of a correct solution to an equation.
If a pair is found, the player collects the cards and takes another turn.
A player's turn ends when no recognizable match is found.
Players continue until no cards remain.
The player with the most pairs wins. (It is up to all the players to check each other)

Card Design

Blue Red

Deck Design There are forty cards. Twenty of which are red and contain an equation. The other twenty are blue and contain a solution to an equation.

Design Process I was trying to come up with a idea that would involve the students throughout the game and yet keep it simple. An old card game I used to enjoy was a variation of this one in the memory style. It provided a simple challenge to motivate students to play the game. It was from these thoughts that this game came forth. Students have to be involved with each person's turn to prevent errors or cheating. Although students can remember results from other turns, they still had to go through and solve the equation at one point or more during the game.