DIY Dice - Idea #4

In a previous post, I talked about filling your classroom with math visuals and manipulatives for little, to no money. One of my suggestions was making your own dice...quiet dice that is!

I found some great foam cubes at my local Dollar Tree, grabbed myself a fine-tip Sharpie, summoned my creativeness, and came up with a few different ways to use them in my math classroom.

If you want to check out the previous DIY dice ideas, you can do so here.

This idea is about 8 months overdue. The resource mentioned in this post was about 85% done...then I had my son...and now you understand the long delay in between this post and my last DIY dice post...

DIY Dice - Idea #4

Algebra Dice 

Again, the thing I love most about using these dice is it allows for easy differentiation. These activities allow students to develop their understanding at their own rate, thus becoming more confident learners. Each set of dice can be slightly different to accommodate each student's abilities. . One group could be working with single digits, one with double digits, etc. Plus, you can easily keep them organized by color-coding them, i.e. single digits are red, double digits are blue, etc.

I also love that the possibilities with these dice are endless. For this set of activities, all you really need are some different number dice, but just for fun I also create some variable dice.

 Create dice with different letters on the sides to represent variables, or 3 x’s and 3 y’s. Students can roll them along with the number dice to create a whole equation.

Here is an activity my students complete with algebra dice.

Students roll the dice to determine the value of x. Using substitution they then solve the equation. If the students are working in partners or groups they can race each other, and then compare answers in order to correct. I think a little competition always helps keep them engaged.

...and here is a game my students play with algebra dice.

Similar to the game of war, students have to use their skills of substitution to determine who has the highest answer.

You can find the whole collection of activities and games using DIY Algebra Dice here. There are over 10 activities and printables included in the pack!