Math Games Using Calculator – Education and Transformation

In this post we selected four suggestions for math educational games to do with students in the early grades, using the calculator.

The objectives of these Math Games using Calculator are:

• Identify and recognize the features that the calculator can offer us.
• Recognize its use to develop logical reasoning, streamlining mental calculation, increasing concentration on problem solving process, operations and estimating concepts.
• Develop the investigation and exploration of concepts and ideas and complex calculations.
• Relate ideas, formulate and test hypotheses, make small explorations and conclude with mechanization.
• Use it as a resource for checking and analyzing the results of estimates, detecting errors in order to correct them.
• Know the history of Mathematics through the ages.

Explore the basics of the calculator with your students:

a) Connect the calculator with ON/C, which also works to clear the display;

b) The CE key serves to clear only the last entry;

c) The keys of the four operations + – x / are used to carry out the operations;

d) The numbers are almost always arranged in the same way: lined up, in descending order, from right to left, from top to bottom;

e) The Memory keys are initially used to store and retrieve numbers in memory. The M+ key saves the entered number or adds that number to what is already in memory. The M- key subtracts the entered number from the one stored in memory. The MRC key retrieves the number stored in memory and, if pressed twice, clears the memory.

f) If students have not yet mastered percent and square root operations, say that these keys will do in the future. Use them according to the series you are working on.

Have students draw the calculator on paper.
Explore some operations for each to perform on your machine.

Examples:

1) Choose a number from 1 to 9 (memorize) and type it eight (8) times in a row into your calculator. Divide the display number by 9 and press the (=) key.
Divide the number that now appears on the display by the number you initially chose. What is the result? Try with other numbers and see what happens.

2) Take the calculator and add 88 to 209 and press (=). Multiply the result that appears on the screen by itself and press (=). What is the result? What did you notice about the result? Comment with your teacher and your classmates.

3) Type into your calculator a sequence of three (3) numbers from 1 to 9 in ascending order. Add to display number 99 and press (=). What is the result? Use other sequences and watch what happens. Comment on your conclusion.

We also recommend: Memory game to print.

Math Games Using Calculator

We will need the following materials:

• One calculator per student or one for each pair.
• Pencils and Pens;
• Paper or notebook for notes on the findings.
• cardboards
• Search for newspaper ads, magazine ads for food, cars and other text with prices.

First Math Game

In pairs, with paper, pencil and calculator, ask them to calculate a series of numbers, from 3 to 3, starting at 5, that is, 5, 8, 11, 14 and so on.
A student does the math mentally and notes the results. The other uses the calculator and also records the results.

After a time determined by the teacher, each one counts the total of notes made. Whoever scored the most results wins: what counts is the mental exercise performed in the race against the machine.

Second Math Game

In pairs, a student performs an operation and, knowing the result by the calculator, writes three result alternatives, so that the other student, mentally and through estimation, ticks a of the answers.

•Then he will solve it with the calculator and check if his estimate was correct. Next, the duo's tasks are reversed. Whoever gets the most estimates right wins the game.

Important: determine the answer with a specific number of digits, so that the result is not too large a number and difficult to mentally calculate.

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Other suggestions

Ask students to conduct a search of newspapers, magazines with advertisements and price lists. The material will be taken to the classroom.
Each student will take their research and formulate a problem.

They should glue the cutouts, write down the problems and solve them on paper.

After solving the problem, check the results with the calculator.

Draw up on the class wall with the results of the games with a graph.

Exposition of the problems carried out with the research of clippings, of the poster with the history of Mathematics and with the results of the competition winners.

interdisciplinary work

History: research the history of mathematics through the ages; identify the processes by which some mathematical concepts were developed, based on the needs of different peoples and cultures. Develop a poster with the history of Mathematics through the ages.

PE: prepare a scavenger hunt in groups, with math games using a calculator: hopscotch multiplication, multiplication tables or operations, distance traveled to a certain point (arrival) etc.