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An Explorer lesson plan. Download a Claris Works or Acrobat file from the Explorer site. Also information on grades, availability, description, curriculum, process skills, author, and publisher.Author: Don Buckeye
Grade Level: 4-9
Objectives: To review the "rules of divisibility" and the concept of the least common multiple (lowest common denominator) as associated with addition and subtraction of fractions.
Resources/Materials:
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 to 4 players
PREPARATION OF CARDS: The deck of cards consists of:
- 35 FRACTION cards: 5 each of 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/5, 1/6, 1/7, and 1/8
- 50 DENOMINATOR cards, 2 each of the following denominators (leave the numerators blank): /2, /3, /4, /5, /6, /7, /8, /9, /10, /12, /14, /15, /16, /18, /20, /21, /24, /25, /28, /30, /32, /40, /42, and /44
- 1 each of the WILD cards as shown below.
It is suggested that the color of the FRACTION cards be different from the color of the DENOMINATOR cards.
Activities:
RULES:
The dealer shuffles the FRACTION cards and DENOMINATOR cards separately. Place the common denominator) at the center of the table. Deal 7 FRACTION cards, one at a time, to each player. Any excess FRACTIONS cards should be placed aside.
To begin play, the player to the dealer's left draws a DENOMINATOR card and uses it or discards it to the left of the DENOMINATOR pile in the center of the table. To use a DENOMINATOR card means that it is played face up with any FRACTION Card(s) whose denominator(s) is (are) a factor(s) of the numeral on the DENOMINATOR card. For example, /24 could be played with 1/2, 1/3, 1/3, 1/6, 1/6.
If a DENOMINATOR is played and it is not the least common denominator for the set of fraction cards played, then it may be replaced with a smaller DENOMINATOR card by the original player or any other player in the player's turn. When the original player replaces a DENOMINATOR card with another card which is the least common denominator, he has protected his set of cards.
In the example above, /6 will protect the set of FRACTION cards given since 6 is the least common denominator. When a player replaces an opponent's DENOMINATOR card with a smaller DENOMINATOR card, that player claims the set of FRACTIONS cards for which he has played a smaller denominator as his own. In the first example above, /24 was played with the fractions given. If a player replaced the /24 with a /12, he could claim all five of the FRACTION cards as his own and play them with the /12 card.
Any player may add to a set of FRACTION cards that has already been played only when he replaces a DENOMINATOR card with a smaller DENOMINATOR card. In the example above, additional fraction cards may be played when the /24 is replaced by a /12 or /6.
The replaced DENOMINATOR card is discarded on top of the discard pile in the center of the table. To continue the play, the players in turn draw a denominator card from the denominator deck or use the top card in the denominator discard pile. (A player must use or discard a DENOMINATOR card. He cannot hold them in his hand.)
The game continues until a player plays his last FRACTION card and calls "NULLO."
A player can take only 1 set of cards at a time by replacing DENOMINATOR cards. When playing and using a "WILD" card, the player must choose only 1 of the denominators on the card and must tell the other players what denominator is being used.
SCORING:
The object of the game is to accumulate a score of 21 points. A player receives 1 point for each FRACTION card played. (Deduct 1 point for each card remaining in a player's hand at the time of "NULLO.")
Evaluation: Students should check each other's hands.
Followup: Have the students play other fraction card games like ONE or ZERO IN.
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