Individuals play a computer game to terraform planets. Learners add plants, animals, fungi, and minerals to the planet surface by creating numerical expressions that represent the objects. After playing the game for a while, the class joins in a discussion on strategies used up to this point in the game. Using a supporting activity, scholars develop more complex equivalent expressions for the same number before creating more complex plants within the game.

Concepts

equivalent expressions, expressions, numerical expressions, basic operations, parentheses, order of operations

Show More Show Less

Additional Tags

math

Show More Show Less

Instructional Ideas

• Pick a target number and have students come up with different ways to write an equivalent expression

Classroom Considerations

• Entire game takes a couple hours to play 
• Pupils should know the basic order of operations

Pros

• Provides a list of vocabulary along with definitions
• Contains discussion questions to ask about the game

Cons

• There is no video or guide to show how to use the game for instruction 

Common Core

MP2 MP6 MP7 4.OA.A.2 4.OA.A.3 5.OA.A.1 5.OA.A.2 6.EE.A.3