“Guess My Number” has been an engaging mathematical experience for many students because they get to act like math detectives, solving each clue to the riddle to figure out all the possible numbers. The riddles require the students to process the information at a critical thinking level as well as their strategic thinking and reasoning. “Living in the struggle,” clue by clue, students build their own number sense to identify the digits of the missing number. The mixed-skills clues incorporate place value, even-odd, less than-greater than, operations (sum, difference), and multiples. Students must squeeze every bit of knowledge from each clue to eliminate possible digits until they finally identify the missing digits.
Students were selected to lead a discussion of their solutions at the whiteboard, thinking aloud the strategies they applied to each clue. During this time, students learned form one another, supporting and/or challenging their solutions. Often students who were sharing their solution recognized their own misconceptions and mistakes in their work, which led to rich discussions as a class.
We will be continuing to explore number riddles this week and the students will be assessed on Friday, November 1st.
We will be continuing to explore number riddles this week and the students will be assessed on Friday, November 1st.