Number Bonds to Ten – Dragon Eggs

*** Number Bonds to 10 *** – Print out this game and use it straight away to have students learn the number bonds to 10. 

$3.50

Number Bonds to 10 – Dragon Eggs

an Addition Game

Addition Game - Dragon Eggs

Addition Game – Dragon Eggs

Game in a Nutshell:

Two players take turns throwing the die. The total thrown indicates the number bond focus. The player then chooses 2 numbers that

make up the number thrown and places a counter on corresponding eggs.

Aims of the Game:

– to explore number bonds for numbers below 10
– to develop a working knowledge of number bonds for numbers below 10.

What You Need:

2 players
1 ten-sided dice OR 2 normal dice
10 counters of one color
10 counters of another color

Number Bond Game - Rules

Preparation:

– Each player places their counters in from of them.
– The person with the shortest little finger is Player One.
– Player One plays the top set of eggs
– Player Two plays the bottom set of eggs.

How to Play:

1. Player One throws the dice. The number thrown determines the number the player’s focus on e.g. If 8 is thrown, the student covers a number bond for 8 e.g. 8+0, 7+1, 6+2, 5+3 or 4 on its own.
2. Player Two then rolls the dice and repeats Step 1.
3. Play continues in this fashion until one of the players covers all of their dragon eggs.

How to Win:

The player who is the first to cover all their eggs is declared the winner.

Teaching Tips:

Before the Game:

– Explore number bonds using concrete materials
– Explore number bonds with ten frames.
– Discuss – ‘People who are successful in Mathematics spend a fair amount time practicing number bond mental strategies’
– Discuss – ‘Being able to break numbers down to their component number bonds means some mental computations become more efficient’ – explore examples.
– Discuss – Knowing number bonds makes computation easier – explore examples.

During the Game:

– When roving the room encourage the use of number strategies.
– Strategy Talk –  When the opportunity arises to cover only one number, should a player take it? Why or why not?
– Strategy Talk – When you use 2 dice it is way more likely you will throw a 7. Is there a way to use this knowledge to help you win the game more often?

Number Bond Game - Teaching Tips

Number Bond Game – Teaching Tips

After the Game:

– Discuss with the students anything they may have discovered while playing the game. The number 7 will be the most commonly thrown number when using two dice.
– With a partner – What strategies did they put in place to cover their eggs first? Share ideas and discuss.
– With a partner – Is it a helpful strategy to only cover one egg if the situation arises? Why? Why not? Share ideas and discuss.
– Students keep a tally of the numbers thrown in a series of games and graph their results, compare with other pairs. What were the similarities and differences?
– What could this mean? Some people do mental arithmetic ‘in their head’ and some do it, ‘with their head’?