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?

We've Been Sharma-ed - Mahesh's Visit to Grade 3

It's always exciting (for me, at any rate) to have the opportunity to come together with colleagues to improve our understanding of math and math instruction.  This week we had a special guest, Mahesh Sharma, who came to WCSU for clinical rounds.  Lots of folks were able to attend various "rounds," but since I was able to attend all four rounds, I thought it might be helpful to document and share what went down... 

Monday, December 7 

After some delicious beverages and treats (and I spilled an entire cup of tea all over the lovely spread because obviously, someone needs to have caffeine before leaving home), we started with a discussion of place value...

Ever wonder why the names billion trillion, quadrillion, etc.?  Pictured at left, Mahesh explained that the word "million" comes from mille which means "one" and llion which means "group."  

I was unable to substantiate this (fact checking found that the etymology of million is that mille means "thousand" and  the addition of the suffix -ion changes the meaning to "a great thousand").