I love using dice in my math classes. They are versatile and students can use them to reinforce a variety of concepts – from fractions to probability. The main problem I’ve had with dice in the past is that students tend to lose them. Students love rolling the dice, but sometimes their desks (and even the floor) don’t give them enough distance. Looking for dice during the course of a math lesson can take away from valuable instructional time.
Once I saw a picture
of dice in a plastic container on Pinterest and a couple of other websites, I
knew I had to make dice poppers. To implement my plan, I headed to my local
dollar store and picked up 2 packages of dice (ten per pack) and a package of
clear plastic containers (package of 10). Based on my experience and other
photos I’ve seen, the containers shouldn’t be more than 4 ounces. In total, I
spent $3.00 plus tax.
Set up is easy; open
up a container, throw in some dice, and cap on the lid. Students shake the
containers instead of rolling the dice. I like having two colors of dice per
container because it allows me to better identify what I want students to use
the dice for when working on an assignment or activity. The probability of picking
dice off the floor all day long has pretty much been reduced to zero.
I thought about
sealing the containers with glue or tape because I know some of my more “innovative”
students will want to open the containers, but I decided against it. I want the
ability to reuse the containers for something else at a later date.
Local dollar stores
should have the materials teachers need to make dice poppers: (1) dice and (2)
containers.
This week, I’m
blogging each day about some things that have helped me along the way and some
things I want to try as the new school year approaches. On my TPT store, I’m
giving away five days of FREEBIES! Today’s entry: a quick review of the
commutative property.
Stay tuned…
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