Recently, a friend introduced me to this game/puzzle, and I wanted to be sure to share it with you. It might be a great thing to use your PTO money or ask a generous parent to pick up for the class.
The only problem I really have with this game is its name: Genius Star. I hate for that to cause students to believe they aren't capable of solving it, or vice-versa, that if they are able to solve it, it makes them a genius!
This puzzle explores spatial relationships which for so many of our students can be a challenge. It also offers students the opportunity to distinguish pieces they should prioritize as well as a trial in perseverance!
Here's how it works:
Roll the die that come with the game:
Lay the little white triangles onto the corresponding triangles on the board:
Students can also reflect on what made the puzzle challenging or easy.
The box comes with two black trays to solve the puzzle on, but you could maybe get more than one game so that more students could work to solve. I find it quite fun, and it highlights the spatial skills of math. The company makes other similar games that will show up when you follow the above link to this game.
Students can solve the puzzle in pairs and discuss their findings, they can investigate the dice and the regions of the board that each one covers, they could create their own puzzle numbers that they think are unsolvable and ask classmates to prove them wrong, they could create fractional questions about the puzzle or its pieces, or you could use two solutions for the same numbers as a same/different discussion. It seems to me like there are a lot of ways that this little puzzle could be used!
Let me know in the comments if you have found or find other ways to use this puzzle in the classroom!
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