COURSE TITLE

Brain Games and Puzzles

LENGTH

One Semester

DEPARTMENT

STEM Department

SCHOOL

Union Middle School

Primary Content

Mathematics

 Initial Board of Education Approval Date (Born on): 4/4/2016

Revisions:  4/25/2022

Embedded Content

 Career Readiness, Life Literacies and Key Skills

 Initial Board of Education Approval Date (Born on): 4/25/2022

Computer Science and Design Thinking

 Initial Board of Education Approval Date (Born on): 4/25/2022

Brain Games and Puzzles

I.        Introduction/Overview/Philosophy

This course will allow students to infuse mathematical thinking into engaging activities that will allow them to solve problems through reasoning.  Students will discover techniques for solving problems through appropriate activities, which will include Sudoku, Rummi Cube, and other logic puzzles and games.  Students will use deductive reasoning and adaptable thinking skills while fostering imagination and creativity. All of the work and activities will increase the student’s appreciation for and understanding of mathematical ways of thinking.

II.        Objectives

Course Outline:

1. Probability and Statistics

1. The Factor Game
2. Probability/Gaming
3. SKUNK
4. Prime Time

2. Expressions and Equations

1. Equate
2. One Grain of Rice
3. Supreme Court Handshake
4. Baseball Towers

3. Geometry

1. Blockus
2. Blockers
3. Puzzling Pentominoes
4. Pattern Blocks
5. Counting Embedded Figures
6. Four Quadrant Graphing
7. Pythagorean Theorem Activity

4. Number Systems

1. Magic Squares
2. Sudoku
3. Mathduko
4. Balance Quest
5. 24
6. Contig
7. Mancala
8. Tri-ominoes
9. Rummikub
10. Backgammon
11. Logic Puzzles

5. Culminating Project

1. BreakoutEdu
2. Create your Game
3. Planning an Amusement Park
4. Strategy Guide

Student Outcomes:

After successfully completing this course, the student will:

• Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
• Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
• Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
• Model with mathematics
• Use appropriate tools strategically.
• Attend to precision.
• Look for and make use of structure.
• Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

New Jersey Student Learning Standards

Career Readiness, Life Literacies, and Key Skill Practices

CRLLKSP 1   Act as a responsible and contributing community members and employee.

Students understand the obligations and responsibilities of being a member of a community, and they demonstrate this understanding every day through their interactions with others. They are conscientious of the

impacts of their decisions on others and the environment around them. They think about the near-term and long-term consequences of their actions and seek to act in ways that contribute to the betterment of their teams, families, community and workplace. They are reliable and consistent in going beyond the minimum expectation and in participating in activities that serve the greater good.

CRLLKSP 2   Attend to financial well-being.

Students take regular action to contribute to their personal financial well-being, understanding that personal financial security provides the peace of mind required to contribute more fully to their own career success.

CRLLKSP 3   Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions.

Students understand the interrelated nature of their actions and regularly make decisions that positively impact and/or mitigate negative impact on other people, organization, and the environment. They are aware of and utilize new technologies, understandings, procedures, materials, and regulations affecting the nature of their work as it relates to the impact on the social condition, the environment and the profitability of the organization.

CRLLKSP 4   Demonstrate creativity and innovation.

Students regularly think of ideas that solve problems in new and different ways, and they contribute those ideas in a useful and productive manner to improve their organization. They can consider unconventional ideas and suggestions as solutions to issues, tasks or problems, and they discern which ideas and suggestions will add greatest value. They seek new methods, practices, and ideas from a variety of sources and seek to apply those ideas to their own workplace. They take action on their ideas and understand how to bring innovation to an organization.

CRLLKSP 5   Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.

Students readily recognize problems in the workplace, understand the nature of the problem, and devise effective plans to solve the problem. They are aware of problems when they occur and take action quickly to address the problem; they thoughtfully investigate the root cause of the problem prior to introducing solutions. They carefully consider the options to solve the problem. Once a solution is agreed upon, they follow through to ensure the problem is solved, whether through their own actions or the actions of others.

CRLLKSP 6   Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management.

Students consistently act in ways that align personal and community-held ideals and principles while employing strategies to positively influence others in the workplace. They have a clear understanding of integrity and act on this understanding in every decision. They use a variety of means to positively impact the directions and actions of a team or organization, and they apply insights into human behavior to change others’ action, attitudes and/or beliefs. They recognize the near-term and long-term effects that management’s actions and attitudes can have on productivity, morals and organizational culture.

CRLLKSP 7   Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals.

Students take personal ownership of their own education and career goals, and they regularly act on a plan to attain these goals. They understand their own career interests, preferences, goals, and requirements. They have perspective regarding the pathways available to them and the time, effort, experience and other requirements to pursue each, including a path of entrepreneurship. They recognize the value of each step in the education and

experiential process, and they recognize that nearly all career paths require ongoing education and experience. They seek counselors, mentors, and other experts to assist in the planning and execution of career and personal goals.

CRLLKSP 8   Use technology to enhance productivity, increase collaboration and communicate effectively.

Students find and maximize the productive value of existing and new technology to accomplish workplace tasks and solve workplace problems. They are flexible and adaptive in acquiring new technology. They are proficient

with ubiquitous technology applications. They understand the inherent risks-personal and organizational-of technology applications, and they take actions to prevent or mitigate these risks.

CRLLKSP 9   Work productively in teams while using cultural/global competence.

Students positively contribute to every team, whether formal or informal. They apply an awareness of cultural difference to avoid barriers to productive and positive interaction. They find ways to increase the engagement and contribution of all team members. They plan and facilitate effective team meetings.

9.1 Personal Financial Literacy

9.1.8.PB.5: Identify factors that affect one’s goals, including peers, culture, location, and past experiences.

9.2 Career Awareness, Exploration, Preparation, and Training

9.2.8.CAP.12: Assess personal strengths, talents, values, and interests to appropriate jobs and careers to maximize career potential.

9.4 Life Literacies and Key Skills

9.4.8.CI.1: Assess data gathered on varying perspectives on causes of climate change (e.g., crosscultural, gender-specific, generational), and determine how the data can best be used to design multiple potential solutions.

9.4.8.CT.1: Evaluate diverse solutions proposed by a variety of individuals, organizations, and/or agencies to a local or global problem, such as climate change, and use critical thinking skills to predict which one(s) are likely to be effective

9.4.8.IML.3: Create a digital visualization that effectively communicates a data set using formatting techniques such as form, position, size, color, movement, and spatial grouping (e.g., 6.SP.B.4, 7.SP.B.8b).

9.4.8.IML.4: Ask insightful questions to organize different types of data and create meaningful visualizations. 9.4.8.IML.5: Analyze and interpret local or public data sets to summarize and effectively communicate the data.

9.4.8.TL.2: Gather data and digitally represent information to communicate a real-world problem.

9.4.8.TL.3: Select appropriate tools to organize and present information digitally.

Computer Science And Design Thinking

8.1 Computer Science

8.1.8.DA.1: Organize and transform data collected using computational tools to make it usable for a specific purpose.

Mathematics

7.SP.C.5 Understand that the probability of a chance event is a number between 0 and 1 that expresses the likelihood of the event occurring. Larger numbers indicate greater likelihood. A probability near 0 indicates an unlikely event, a probability around 1/2 indicates an event that is neither unlikely nor likely, and a probability near 1 indicates a likely event.

7.SP.C.6 Approximate the probability of a chance event by collecting data on the chance process that produces it and observing its long-run relative frequency, and predict the approximate relative frequency given the probability

7.SP.C.8 Find probabilities of compound events using organized lists, tables, tree diagrams, and simulation.

7.RP.A.1 Compute unit rates associated with ratios of fractions, including ratios of lengths, areas and other quantities measured in like or different units. For example, if a person walks 1/2 mile in each 1/4 hour, compute the unit rate as the complex fraction 1/2/1/4 miles per hour, equivalently 2 miles per hour.

7.RP.A.2 Recognize and represent proportional relationships between quantities.

7.EE.B.3 Solve multi-step real-life and mathematical problems posed with positive and negative rational numbers in any form (whole numbers, fractions, and decimals), using tools strategically. Apply properties of operations to calculate with numbers in any form; convert between forms as appropriate; and assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies.

7.EE.B.4 Use variables to represent quantities in a real-world or mathematical problem, and construct simple equations and inequalities to solve problems by reasoning about the quantities.  

8.G.B.6 Explain a proof of the Pythagorean Theorem and its converse.

A-CED.A.1 Create equations and inequalities in one variable and use them to solve problems.

F-IF.A.3 Recognize that sequences are functions, sometimes defined recursively, whose domain is a subset of the integers.

F-IF.C.9 Compare properties of two functions each represented in a different way (algebraically, graphically, numerically in tables, or by verbal descriptions).

Mathematical Practices

1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
4. Model with mathematics.
5. Use appropriate tools strategically.
6. Attend to precision.
7. Look for and make use of structure.
8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

English Language Arts

SL.8.1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

A.   Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.

B. Follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.

C. Pose questions that connect the ideas of several speakers and respond to others’ questions and comments with relevant evidence, observations, and ideas.

D.   Acknowledge new information expressed by others, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views in light of the evidence presented.

III.         Proficiency Levels

This course is open to students in grades 7 and 8.

IV.        Methods of Assessment

Student Assessment

The teacher will provide a variety of assessments during the course of the year. The assessment may include but is not limited to: projects, teacher observations, presentations, open-ended problems, cooperative work, and homework.

Curriculum/Teacher Assessment

The teacher will provide the subject area supervisor with suggestions for changes on an ongoing basis.

V.        Grouping

This is a middle school elective course offered to students in grade 7 and grade 8.

VI.        Articulation/Scope & Sequence/Time Frame

Course length is one semester.  

VII.        Resources

Texts/Supplemental Reading/References

Resources include but are not limited to:

1. NCTM Illuminations
2. Online Videos
3. Various Board Games
4. Various Strategy Games

VIII.        Suggested Activities

Appropriate activities are listed in the curriculum map.

IX.        Methodologies

The following methods of instruction are suggested: teacher guided explorations, working in groups/working with a partner, working with manipulatives and discovery activities.

X.        Interdisciplinary Connections

The primary focus of this course is to allow students to connect concepts learned in the regular mathematics classroom to activities and situations in the real world. Applications to business, science, geography, and art will be made on a daily basis through a variety of projects and explorations.  

XI.         Differentiating Instruction for Students with Special Needs: Students with Disabilities, Students at Risk, Students with 504s, English Language Learners, and Gifted & Talented Students

Differentiating instruction is a flexible process that includes the planning and design of instruction, how that instruction is delivered, and how student progress is measured. Teachers recognize that students can learn in multiple ways as they celebrate students’ prior knowledge. By providing appropriately challenging learning, teachers can maximize success for all students.

Differentiating in this course includes but is not limited to:

Differentiation for Support (ELL, Special Education, Students at Risk, Students with 504s)

• Peer mentoring on problems
• Differentiated teacher feedback on assignments
• Modeling out problems on whiteboard
• Visual aids as we project problems on whiteboard
• Study guides
• Tiered assignments
• Scaffolding of materials and assignments
• Re-teaching and review
• Guided note taking
• Exemplars of varied performance levels
• Multi-media approach to accommodating various learning styles

• Supplemental reading material for independent study
• Flexible grouping
• Tiered assignments
• Topic selection by interest
• Enhanced expectations for independent study
• Elevated questioning techniques using Webb's Depth of Knowledge matrix

XII.        Professional Development

The teacher will continue to improve expertise through participation in a variety of professional development opportunities.

XII.        Curriculum Map/Pacing Guide