Supplies:
A set of problems for the teacher to read/ write on the board/ display on the document camera
One or two bingo cards per students
A pile of markers per student to cover the numbers on their card
Bingo! What do you get when fun games collide with math practice? Learning! What is triple the fun of one Bingo game? Three games in one!
You and your class can use question 1-25 (volume), 26-50 (area), 51-75 (surface area) or all three! The answer to each question is its problem number. (Note you may wish to read questions out of order, or students may notice a pattern.) To win students must cover one row horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Playing for blackout (all numbers covered) would be fun too, if time allows.
http://www.dltk-cards.com/bingo/bingo1.asp is a convenient site to general Bingo cards with numbers ranging from 1-75. Note that the site will also create cards with review terms, pictures, etc. Sadly, it prints only one card at a time, so I suggest training your student TA for this rather repetitive task. For those who have not the patience to print a class set one at a time, swing by your local dollar store. Packs of Bingo cards have been spotted on their shelves.
Should you have cards with numbers 1-75 and wish, for example, to play using only the area problems, do not fret. Simply, inform students that each correct answer they calculate gives them not one, but THREE, opportunities to cover numbers! Have students take their answer, say 45, add 25 (=70) and subtract 25 (=20). Now, they can cover the numbers 20, 45, and/or 70 on their card.
If you are playing the full game with problems 1-75 and want to encourage more winners consider handing each student 2 cards for double the fun. To support struggling students pair them and allowing students to help each other find the answers and mark them on either person’s card. Displaying questions on the document camera or simply writing them on the board can support visual learners in a game that might otherwise be auditory only. To encourage all students to play have everyone turn in their scratch paper and give full credit for everyone who shows their work on every problem.
So, pull out you formula lists (using the same list as the state exams helps to familiarize students with it) and have some fun with math, Bingo style!