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Race up, race down

Strand Number
Topic Addition, Subtraction
  • 1
  • 5-10 mins
    Prep 5-10 mins
  • 5-10 mins
    Play 5-10 mins
  • Pairs
    Pairs
Complexity: Complex
Teaching style: Guided
Movement level: Active
Race up, race down

Summary

Students use addition and subtraction to move up and down the number line in a race to the top or bottom.

Curriculum content

  • Counting on or back to add or subtract (within 30)

Materials

Card sets

  • 1 set of Mathletics number cards 1 to 6 1-6
  • 1 set of Mathletics word cards 1 to 6 1-6

Race Up Race Down

Concrete

  • Counters
  • Whiteboards and pens or scrap paper and a pencil (optional)

Printables

How to play

Set up

  1. Arrange students into pairs.
  2. Allocate whiteboards and pens or scrap paper (optional).
  3. Give the pair a number line from 0 to 30 and a counter.
  4. Place the counter on number 15 on the number line.
  5. Name one student in the pair ‘add’ and the other ‘subtract’.
  6. Give each student in the pair one set of cards 1 to 6. One student will have the number cards 1 to 6 and the other will have words cards 1 to 6.
  7. Have students shuffle or mix up their piles and place them face down.

Rules

  1. The ‘add’ player goes first. Player 1 selects 2 cards, one from each pile.
  2. Player 1 calculates the total of the cards. They use this total to move the counter in the correct direction. (The ‘add’ player should move the counter towards 30 and the ‘subtract’ player should move the counter towards 0.)
  3. Players take turns to select 2 cards, 1 from each pile and ‘add’ or ‘subtract’.
  4. If the counter reaches 0, the ‘subtract’ player wins. If the counter reaches 30, the ‘add’ player wins.
  5. Swap roles and play again.

Variations

CHANGE it down

  • Play as a whole class divided into two groups.
  • Encourage students to work collaboratively.
  • Instruct students to select only 1 card.

CHANGE it up

  • Use two sets of 0 to 10 cards. Students to find the difference between their 2 cards.
  • Use three sets of 0 to 6 cards and select three cards to find the total.
  • Use a 0 to 50 number line.
  • Use a hundreds chart.
  • Ask students to record the calculations they perform throughout the game.
  • Ask students to select the rules of whether they need to reach 0 and 30 exactly or just pass these points.

What to look for

  • Are students using efficient mental strategies to add 2 single-digit numbers or are they relying on less efficient strategies such as counting on their fingers?
  • Are students secure in their understanding of addition and subtraction? Are they confident choosing which way to move their counter?
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