Lobster Mobsters (best math game ever!)

Years ago, my colleague Cathy introduced me to a game that she learned from her mother in the UK.  We were pooling our seventh grade math classes together to play a game the last day before a vacation, and she enthusiastically explained this "lobster pots" game that sounded really complicated to me.  I had my doubts, but she insisted it was great.  Then we played, and I was amazed by how good it was.  It became an instant favorite.  It engaged all learners, but was challenging.  It involved higher order math applications and connections, yet allowed students to work on developing number sense, too (keep those calculators away!).

With a few revisions, the game became an excellent "low floor, high ceiling" game capable of inviting in and sustaining all learners.  I have played the game with students as young as second grade, and it would certainly challenge high school students, too.

How to play

Game players are cast as "lobsterpeople" who trap lobsters in "pots" to sell them at the lobster pound.  You can play as a whole class (this is how we prefer it), in small groups or individually. Students can work in a group as a part of a crew or solo.  They start the week with a certain amount of money and a certain number of pots.  Each day, students decide where to place their pots: how many in the harbor and how many off shore?


The harbor pots earn less money than off-shore pots, but the harbor pots are safe in bad weather.  Off shore pots earn more money, but are destroyed in bad weather.  Weather can be determined by a probability event.  Each day, students record what happened on a table (or ledger).  At the end of the week, they review their accounts and reflect on strategies.

There are many ways this could look, but here's how I've played it with elementary students:

Students start with $100 and 6 pots.  They may purchase additional pots at the end of any day for $10 each.  Roll two dice and a sum greater than 7 means good weather, a roll of 7 or fewer means the weather is bad.

• In good weather, harbor pots earn $2 and off shore pots earn $8.
• In bad weather, harbor pots earn $4 and off shore pots are destroyed and earn nothing.

 Students decide where they want to place their pots (and if they want to purchase more pots).  I use a map and concrete "pots" (beans are cheap and work well) to help them visualize and keep track like this:

You can have a great discussion about how to keep track and record what's happening each day.  Then, students can record how they have placed their pots in a table.  You roll the dice to determine the weather, and students find their balance for the day by adding in their earnings after subtracting any money spent on additional pots.

Generally, it takes about 45 minutes to play a week.  Throughout the "week," I ask questions about how students are making decisions about both calculations (did I mention the strict no calculator rule?) and strategy.  At the end of the week, I usually have students act as "accountants" trading ledgers and checking their calculations (attending to precision).  Then, we spend some time reflecting on strategy.  How did they make their decisions?  What was their plan or strategy?  What worked, and what didn't?  The overarching high ceiling question is: How can you find the best strategy for making the most money in the long run?

Possible Adaptations

There are so many ways you can alter this game to serve instructional needs... You can switch up the fixed costs (the amount pots the various bring in, for example) depending on the students (using amounts that target needed math facts or decimals rather than whole numbers).  I taught this game to my own children as an alternative to practicing "math facts."

Another easy and fun addition is to change up the weather component.  For example, I sometimes allow students to respond to a "weather forecast."  So, if we're rolling two dice to determine the weather, I'll roll one first and call it the forecast.  Then, I'll allow students to adjust their choices (harbor vs. off-shore) based on the forecast. If we're playing as a whole class, I might allow them a forecast two or three days out of seven, just to mix it up.  Then we can have a discussion later about how getting a forecast affects their strategy.

Beyond that, we have seen some students get really into this game (like Dungeons and Dragons... seriously).  For example, some enterprising individuals have developed insurance schemes, become lenders charging interest, etc...  After they've played the game some, students get creative and start asking to expand the rules.  Generally, I let it all go wherever they want to take it... keeping the focus on the math connections.

Resources

This would be a great way to ease into things after this holiday vacation... Here are some resources, if you're looking to give it a whirl:

• For those interested in the version that I use, here is the file.
• Here is a version imported from the UK. (They call it "Lobster Pots" like Cathy does, but I renamed it "Lobster Mobsters" because I have a thing for dumb rhymes.)
• Here is my "low floor high ceiling task assessment" of this game.

Thanks to Cathy (and her mum) for this great game...  I hope you enjoy!