In the
Factor Game,
students start with a number and find its factors. In the Product Game, students
start with factors and multiply to find the product. The two games work well
together because they help students to see the relationship between products and
factors.
There are four lessons in this unit. Student play the product game in
the first lesson. In the second lesson, they make their own game boards. The task of creating
a new game is challenging to most students. They learn a lot by experimenting
and by making mistakes about what factors and products to include in a game. In the third lesson, students use Venn diagrams to represent the relationships between the
factors or products of two numbers. The fourth lesson contains extensions and connections.
Individual Lessons
Lesson 1 - Playing the Product Game
Students learn how to play the Product Game. As they play the game, students develop understanding of factors, multiples, and the relationships between them. Winning strategies are discussed. The Product Game was adapted from
Prime Time: Factors and
Multiples, part of the
Connected Mathematics
Project, and was written by G. Lappan, J. Fey, W Fitzgerald, S. Friel and E. Phillips (Dale
Seymour Publications, 1996, pp.17-25.)
Lesson 2 - Making Your Own Product Game
Students work in pairs to create their own game boards, a worthwhile challenge. They learn by experimenting and by making mistakes about what factors and products to include in a game.
Lesson 3 - Classifying Numbers
Students use Venn diagrams to represent the relationships between the factors or products of two numbers.
Lesson 4 - Connections and Extensions
Students make connections and expand on what they have learned in the first three lessons. Students explain the effects of different moves on the game board. Finally, students "Guess My Number" using various clues.
