I chose this game because I found it fairly easy to play through so that when presenting my classmates could get a good idea of the game without taking up too much time. Also, the benefits and drawbacks of many of the games are similar and so this game gives a good idea of how a teacher may want to use these games in the classroom.
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Overview of game
Click here to Play!!
Overview of game
How well does it work and is it easy to use?
All of the games on this site are very well developed, and run without any issues. Unlike many applets, you do not need to update Java or anything to run these games; you only need access to the internet. Many of the games do not allow full access unless the teacher and students are signed up through their school so many of the features that record student progress are not available without logging into the site. However, students can still play through the games without having to log in. The game come with full instructions, and they generally walk students through how to play during the first level of the game. This makes the games easy to use and play. For the teacher with access through the school, student progress is recorded and made easily available to the teacher on the class roster.
Written Materials
Each game has a full page of instructions which include:
These are all very helpful and useful tools which are very well organized and explain ideas clearly enough for students to comprehend.
All of the games on this site are very well developed, and run without any issues. Unlike many applets, you do not need to update Java or anything to run these games; you only need access to the internet. Many of the games do not allow full access unless the teacher and students are signed up through their school so many of the features that record student progress are not available without logging into the site. However, students can still play through the games without having to log in. The game come with full instructions, and they generally walk students through how to play during the first level of the game. This makes the games easy to use and play. For the teacher with access through the school, student progress is recorded and made easily available to the teacher on the class roster.
Written Materials
Each game has a full page of instructions which include:
- Game goals
- How to play
- Game Controls
- Special Features of the Game
- Game levels or Stages
- Scoring
- Strategies
These are all very helpful and useful tools which are very well organized and explain ideas clearly enough for students to comprehend.
Purposes and Goals
I think that the goal of "Piñata Fever" is to allow students to practice integer addition and subtraction. It gives students the number line to help students make more sense of the mathematics. As a tool for students to practice, I think that it is fairly effective. The game changes the number line throughout so that the units or range of the number line is different in different levels, and the game represents addition and subtraction by moving right and left on the number line. However, there is no representation of the numbers other than the symbolic representation and the number line. Also the problems are always given in the same representation with the missing value in the same location for every problem. Even with the limitations, I think this game can provide students with good practice because the number line provides students with enough to make sense of the problems that they are trying to solve.
I think that the goal of "Piñata Fever" is to allow students to practice integer addition and subtraction. It gives students the number line to help students make more sense of the mathematics. As a tool for students to practice, I think that it is fairly effective. The game changes the number line throughout so that the units or range of the number line is different in different levels, and the game represents addition and subtraction by moving right and left on the number line. However, there is no representation of the numbers other than the symbolic representation and the number line. Also the problems are always given in the same representation with the missing value in the same location for every problem. Even with the limitations, I think this game can provide students with good practice because the number line provides students with enough to make sense of the problems that they are trying to solve.
Teaching and Learning Process
This game is not a game in which students can really learn the mathematics, but it is meant as a way for students to practice what they have learned. For integer addition and subtraction, the game can explain the ideas to students, but this should just supplement what teachers have already taught. The game gives no new ways of thinking or doing the mathematics. However, the game does use the number line which is a way in which many students begin to learn integer addition and subtraction, and it provides many different problems so that students can become proficient at doing these types of problems. So this tool may be a good tool to use after teaching students integer addition and subtraction on the number line. The game is a fun way to think and practice the mathematics.
Would I recommend to purchase?
Since the games are free online, I would not recommend that a school purchases this tool. Although with more access teachers can track student progress, I do not think that completing these games really gives teachers a way of knowing what the students understand, but rather, it tells the teacher whether or not the student is completing the procedure with some level of skill. I am fairly sure that you can sign up for access through Edmodo so if the school has access to Edmodo then the teacher has access to Mangahigh. Since many schools are using Edmodo, this may be a technology that teachers do not know is available to them.
This game is not a game in which students can really learn the mathematics, but it is meant as a way for students to practice what they have learned. For integer addition and subtraction, the game can explain the ideas to students, but this should just supplement what teachers have already taught. The game gives no new ways of thinking or doing the mathematics. However, the game does use the number line which is a way in which many students begin to learn integer addition and subtraction, and it provides many different problems so that students can become proficient at doing these types of problems. So this tool may be a good tool to use after teaching students integer addition and subtraction on the number line. The game is a fun way to think and practice the mathematics.
Would I recommend to purchase?
Since the games are free online, I would not recommend that a school purchases this tool. Although with more access teachers can track student progress, I do not think that completing these games really gives teachers a way of knowing what the students understand, but rather, it tells the teacher whether or not the student is completing the procedure with some level of skill. I am fairly sure that you can sign up for access through Edmodo so if the school has access to Edmodo then the teacher has access to Mangahigh. Since many schools are using Edmodo, this may be a technology that teachers do not know is available to them.
Standards
These standards address students understanding the number line in terms of rational numbers, but students are also learning how negative integers fit into the number line as well. This game helps students connect what they already know about addition and subtraction of the natural numbers to the integers.
Since the game is mostly helping students with procedural fluency with integers, none of the practice standards are really addressed because students are not making mathematical connections through this game.
- MCC6.NS.6a Recognize opposite signs of numbers as indicating locations on opposite sides of 0 on the number line; recognize that the opposite of the opposite of a number is the number itself, e.g., –(–3) = 3, and that 0 is its own opposite.
- MCC6.NS.6c Find and position integers and other rational numbers on a horizontal or vertical number line diagram; find and position pairs of integers and other rational numbers on a coordinate plane.
- MCC6.NS.7 Understand ordering and absolute value of rational numbers
These standards address students understanding the number line in terms of rational numbers, but students are also learning how negative integers fit into the number line as well. This game helps students connect what they already know about addition and subtraction of the natural numbers to the integers.
Since the game is mostly helping students with procedural fluency with integers, none of the practice standards are really addressed because students are not making mathematical connections through this game.