Factors: Math Games for Class and Play
Purpose: To make disadvantaged students in special education programs & special education with special needs knowledgeable about factors and know how to calculate them quickly.
The Game: You can ask yourself the questions and verify your answers by using a textbook.
A teacher or an knowledgeable adult may make students form a circle and ask them questions in turns, and whoever gets the answer wrong leaves the circle. The winner is the last student in the circle.
A teacher or an knowledgeable adult may make students form two or more teams of equal members and ask questions in turns. When a team gets it right, they get 2 points, but if they get it wrong, they lose 1 point. If Team A gets it wrong, they lose a point and Team B gets a chance to get 1 point. If Team B misses the opportunity, they do not lose 1 point because it was not their question originally, then Team C gets the chance to gain the extra point. The teacher or adult can then answer the question with explanations if all the teams missed it. Team A loses 1 point, no other team loses a point, and Team B gets the next question.
Game Items: Pencils, pens, and papers are allowed, but each question must be answered within 5 seconds after the teacher or adult finishes the question. A time keeper and a score keeper may be required to assist the teacher or adult. The game is good for classrooms, parks, picnic, field trips, on the bus, parties, or family time.
Reward for winners: Extra cookie or scope of ice cream at picnics, first to get in and out of the bus on field trips (seat anywhere), special treatment to any game at the park, early lunch, exemption from time-out or non-academic work for the day in class, and exemption from cleaning dishes or extended video game or movie time at home.
The game is best for teachers and parents who have explained to their children that the factors of a number are all the possible numbers you can multiply amongst themselves to get that number and divide that number by. For instance, what are the factors of 60? I will have to divide 60 by the smallest possible number before I can move up to the next possible number until the numbers start to repeat themselves during the process. I must start with 1 though because every number has 1 as the smallest factor that can divide any number.
60/1 = 60 (1 is the smallest number that can divide 60)
60/2 = 30 (2 is the next smallest number that can divide 60)
60/3 = 20 (3 is the next smallest number that can divide 60)
60/4 = 15 (4 is the next smallest number that can divide 60)
60/5 = 12 (5 is the next smallest number that can divide 60)
60/6 = 10 (6 is the next smallest numberr that can divide 60)
60/10 = 6 (10 is the next smallest number that can divide 60; but Oops!!!, I see 6 and 10 repeating themselves as denominator and answer)
so the factors of 60 = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20, 30, and 60. These are the numbers you can always multiply to always give you 60 and divide 60 by.
Some Questions:
Find the factors of 8, 12, 15, 17, 20, 50, 66, 100 etc. Factors of a prime numbers will always be 1 and itself because nothing can divide it.