Quadrilaterals game
Quadrilaterals Game printable sheet - instructions
Quadrilaterals Game printable sheet - cards
This is a game for 2 or more players. You will need a set of cards; you can get a copy to print here.
Shuffle the cards well.
Now deal 8 to each player (face down), and place the rest in a pile in the middle of the table, again all face down. Turn over the top card of the stack onto the table (face up): this forms the discard pile. You can look at your own cards, but not those of anyone else.
Your aim is to make two 'tricks', where each trick has to consist of a picture of a shape, a name that describes that shape, and two properties of the shape. For example, you might have a picture of a kite, the word 'kite', and then two properties of a kite. But you could also have a picture of a kite, the word 'quadrilateral', and then two properties of a kite.
This game is based on the game Quadrilateral Rummy from "Geometry Games", a photocopiable resource produced by Gillian Hatch and available from the Association of Teachers of Mathematics
These printable worksheets may be useful: Quadrilaterals Game
Quadrilaterals Game Cards
Why play this game?
This game fits in well into a unit of work on the properties of polygons, that could also include the problems Property Chart and Shapely Pairs
There is an excellent article by Gillian Hatch on the NRICH site, Using Games in the Classroom
She analyses what goes on when geometrical mathematical games are used as a pedagogic device.
These are the headings from the article:
Learning
A game can generate an unreasonable amount of practice
Geometric games create a context for using geometric reasoning
A game will often result in the making of generalised statements
A game can allow the introduction of ideas that are difficult to develop in other ways.
Games seem to be able to lead pupils to work above their normal level
Ways of working
A game leads pupils to talk mathematics
A game can create discussion of all kinds
Games put pressure on players to work mentally
A game does not define the way in which a problem is to be solved or worked out
A game often can be played at more then one level
Pupil experience
It is acceptable to learn the rules of a game gradually
Games are played in a context in which there is usually unthreatening help available
The pieces used in a game are concrete objects
A game allows a pupil to hide until he feels confident
Possible approach
You could introduce the game by showing a possible 'trick', and four cards which do not form a trick. Ask students to identify the collection of cards that 'match', and to explain why.
Demonstrate the game by playing against a pair of students in front of the whole group. Don't worry about the students' strategy at this point - they just need to understand the rules of the game.
Although the game is for two players, having students play in pairs against other pairs will encourage them to justify their reasoning and improve their strategies (such as holding onto more general properties that could apply to more than one shape). Insist that each pair agrees on every move before they discard. Also ensure that opponents check each others' tricks every time a game is finished.
After students have had a chance to play the games, bring the group together to share their strategies. Are there some cards that are better to keep, or discard? Did they find some shapes easier to use in their tricks than others? Encourage students to explain why, referencing the properties of the quadrilaterals.
You could let the pairs play new opponents, and finish the activity by seeing if the whole group can collaborate to beat you.