Math JENGA!

My students are begging to do worksheets. Why? Because they get to play JENGA while doing them. 

I invested in 7 JENGA games this summer (I figured 28 students could be divided into 4 per game). Because I teach high school students I wanted to add some challenge to the game. I divided the blocks into six different colors and created dice with those same colors. 

Here is how it works in my classroom. I print out a worksheet for every group. I then cut the problems into strips. Every group gets a worksheet in the form of strips and put them face down. Individuals in the group take turns picking a problem. Everyone in the group does the problem on a separate piece of paper. Once they confer and agree on an answer the student who picked the problem rolls the dice. If they roll red, then they have to move a red block. And repeat! I collect the papers of work at the end for grading.

My students love this. Especially when I allow 5-10 minutes of free play at the end. If a tower falls, I am always pleasantly surprised when a group rebuilds it so they can keep working on their problems.