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This is a game similar to chess as there is no chance.  You always have to calculate the best move.  It teaches you strategy, factoring, subtraction, and at the end, long addition (also, the sum of  an arithmetic sequence -- can you figure out why?)

Polyominoes is the general name given to plane shapes made by joining squares together. Note that the squares must be 'properly' joined edge to edge so that they meet at the corners. Each type of polyomino is named according to how many squares are used to make it. So there are monominoes (1 square only), dominoes (2 squares), triominoes (3 squares), tetrominoes (4 squares), pentominoes (5 squares), hexominoes (6 squares) and so on.

We spent the last two weeks reviewing Best Practices for the math MCAS in preparation for the upcoming exams to be given the second week in May. 

We even had the first and second graders work on the 3rd Grade test as appropriate for them.  They definitely rose to the occasion.

The first week of this unit, we had the children take the 3rd, 4th or 5th grade MCAS test given Spring 2009.  If they completed it in class or brought it to the following class, I graded it and had them correct all incorrect responses.

Preparation: Take a deck of cards and separate out all of the face cards (eliminate

Jacks, Queens, and Kings);You should have 40 remaining cards from Ace to 10 in

four suits.

1. draw 5 cards face up.

This is a fascinating game in which players pick a card with four numbers.  Players have to rearrange the numbers using addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division to result in 24.  There are usually multiple ways to solve each set of numbers.

On an attached file, I listed all of the number combinations in Levels 1, 2, and 3 in the actual game.

Also, I have attached a file on which players can write their numbers and rearrange them.