Multiply and Game On!
Practicing multiplication has never been this much fun!
Since September, fourth graders have been hard at work creating board games to help with memorizing multiplication facts. They explored many retail math games like Prime Climb, Yahtzee and Sushi Go, and then researched and discussed game design, the fun factors, randomizers and objectives. They also had the opportunity to ask questions of an expert panel that included a Roblox game designer, the Faculty Lead for Computer Sciences at Reach University, and even LS Science Teacher and game designer hobbyist Elizabeth McDonald! Then it was time to prototype!
The game-designing process honed their skills across many disciplines, including math, art, language arts, social-emotional learning and of course, design. Some students recreated classic board games like Chutes & Ladders, Monopoly and Slapjack, but with their own creative and mathematical spins, where the only way to move forward or gain points is by getting a multiplication fact correct. There was even a makeshift soccer game that involved flicking a ball into a goal guarded by an opposing goalie. And watch out—get a multiplication fact wrong and you’ll get booed!
All the different games went through product testing before the grand reveal, with the Burke’s community providing critical feedback on the playability of the games, the clarity of the written instructions, and of course, whether or not the games challenged our knowledge of multiplication facts! The fourth-grade game designers then conducted more trial runs, focus groups and revisions. At the games expo on January 19, the fourth graders revealed their final games to their peers, families, and Burke’s community. With the board games in a solid state, it’s time to do what these fourth graders know best: multiply, and game on!
Burke's mission is to educate, encourage and empower girls. Our school combines academic excellence with an appreciation for childhood so that students thrive as learners, develop a strong sense of self, contribute to community, and fulfill their potential, now and throughout life.
Burke's admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.