Going for Gold

Curriculum Goal

Primary: Number Sense

Use knowledge of numbers and operations to solve mathematical problems encountered in everyday life.

Junior: Number Sense

Use the properties of operations, and the relationships between operations, to solve problems involving whole numbers, decimal numbers, fractions, ratios, rates, and whole number percents, including those requiring multiple steps or multiple operations.

In-person version

1 standard 52-card deck with face cards removed

Online version

Game File (PlayingCards.io upload instructions)
Video conference capabilities

Lesson

Primary (Going for Gold 15)

The aim is to get as close to 15 as possible without going over.
Dealer deals 3 cards to each player, face down.
Players simultaneously flip over their cards.
Each player tries to think of a way to combine their 3 cards using addition or subtraction to get a result of 15 (e.g., 8+2+5 = 15).
Winner is the player who can the closest to 15 without going over.

Junior (Going for Gold 24)

Same rules as Primary except kids get 4 cards and they can use addition, subtraction, multiplication and/or division to get a result of 24.

Look Fors

How flexible are children with number facts and operations?
Can children find multiple ways to get to the target number?

Extension

Add in a wild card that the students can elect to incorporate into their equation.
Have the students pick the cards up into their hands to calculate themselves before laying their equation down.