One more, one fewer - math freebie!

This is such a great activity to use in small groups and then transition into a math center/workshop.  It is also a nice way to informally assess your students' understanding of the plus and minus symbols, as well as the ability to easily add or subtract 1 from a number mentally and easily.

After reviewing what it means to add 1 or take away 1 from a number, as well as a review of our plus and minus symbols, the students get rollin'!  I have students roll the dice, record the number rolled, and then roll a dice with + and - symbols on it.  After circling the whichever symbol was rolled, they add or subtract 1 and record the answer.

I up the ante by having some students roll 2 die at the same time, adding the rolls together, and recording that number in the first column.

Even more challenging, I have other students roll dice labeled with numerals so they can not rely on counting the dots to find the sums.  Witness some fabulous finger-countin' action!

For my most advanced students, we use these decahedron dice that are labeled with the numerals 2-12.  After rolling 2, they find the sum, and then continue the game as usual.

 

You know it's a kid-approved math center when students turn over the page to continue!  Love it!  :)

 

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