Playing Card Facts

Submitted by: Jennifer Smithenry

Objective:
Students will increase their basic math fact knowledge and response time.

Resources:
Decks of regular playing cards

Procedure:
Place students in groups of two. Explain the card game “war” to them. This game is very similar. Each player has the same number of playing cards turned upside down in a pile. They turn the cards over together and the first to get the math fact wins that group of cards. (Make each face card worth 10 or 9- make it teacher’s choice.) For example, a 5 of hearts and a 7 of clubs is flipped. The first to say “12” for addition facts, wins those 2 cards. Then they flip again and so on and so on. Once the deck is used up, they can shuffle their group of cards and start again. The person with the most cards wins.

Real World Usage:
Use the cards to do multiplication facts or subtraction facts. Have the students make up values for the face cards. To really get students practicing their facts at home, make it a tournament.