Back to card games

Card games

More, less or the same

Strand Number
Topic Compare and order
  • 1
  • < 5 mins
    Prep < 5 mins
  • 5-10 mins
    Play 5-10 mins
  • Pairs
    Pairs
Complexity: Medium
Teaching style: Independent
Movement level: Passive
More, less or the same

Summary

Students use cards to make sentences to compare numbers.


Curriculum content

  • Compare numbers using ‘is more than’, ‘is less than’ or ‘is equal to’
  • Read number words 1 to 10
  • Write numbers 1 to 10

Materials

Card sets

  • 1 set of Mathletics number cards 1 to 10 1-10
  • 1 set of Mathletics word cards 1 to 10 1-10
  • Mathletics operation word cards ‘is more than’, ‘is less than’ and ‘is equal to’

More, less or the same

How to play

Set-up

  1. Arrange students into pairs side-by-side.
  2. Arrange the operation word cards face up one below the other.
  3. Shuffle or mix the number and word cards together. Place them in a pile face down above the operation word cards.

More, less or the same

More, less or the same

Rules

  1. Player 1 turns over a card from the number pile and places it either side of any operation word card.
  2. Player 2 turns over a card from the number pile and places it either side of any operation word card.
  3. Players who create a true sentence keeps both cards.
  4. Players take turns.
  5. A player can choose to move a card on their turn rather than pick up a card.
  6. The winner is the player with the most cards when all the number cards have been used.

Variations

CHANGE it down

  • Use 2 sets of number cards rather than a mix of numerals and words.

CHANGE it up

  • Ask students to record their comparison sentences.
  • Use operation symbol cards instead of words.
  • Use cards 10 to 20.

What to look for

  • Can students read number words?
  • Can students correctly compare 2 numbers?
  • Do students notice that it is unlikely that they will win if they use the ‘is equal to’ card?
  • Do students begin to notice that the magnitude of the number affects the probability of making a true sentence? For example, if a student turns over a 7, they should choose to place it before the ‘is more than’ card rather than the ‘is less than’ card.
#{AuthenticationJS}