GAMES:

Mountain Goat Scramble II

About this game:

Goats cavort, leap and bound, and generally entertain as they ascend the mountain to graze on something yummy, or not! It is up to the player who got the goat to the top to say what it finds there. This is one of our most popular games and the game we recommend for the first game you play.

Players roll three dice and use a single die or any two of the dice to calculate an elevation gain, using addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division. Each player can then move any of the goats on one of the staircases where a combination of steps exactly equals the elevation gain. As more goats get to the top it becomes more challenging to find legal moves to get the remaining goats up too! While the stated objective is to get the goats to the top, our real goal is to have players use math skills to further reasoning and problem solving abilities.

Ages: 8 & up
Number of Players: 2 - 4
Length of Play: 20 - 30 Minutes
Collaborative/Competitive: Collaborative (players share one goat per staircase) or competitive (players each have their own goat on each staircase).
Activity Sequence Number: C.6

Skills:

Uses: Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication

Develops & Uses: Factors, Problem Solving, Creativity

NCTM Standards:

Pre-K - 2

N/A

Grades 3 - 5

1.1.2 Recognize equivalent representations for the same number and generate them by composing and decomposing numbers.

1.2.0 Understand meanings of operations and how they relate to each other.

1.2.3 Understand situations that entail multiplication and division, such as equal groupings of objects and sharing equally.

1.2.1 Understand various meanings of multiplication and division.

1.2.2 Understand effects of multipying and dividing whole numbers.

1.2.3 Identify and use relationships between operations, such as the inverse of multiplication to sove problems.

1.3.2 Develop fluency in adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing whole numbers.

6.1.0 Build new mathematical knowledge through problem solving.

6.3.0 Apply and adapt a variety of appropriate strategies to solve problems.

Grades 6 - 9

N/A

Tips & Tricks:

*If the players vary widely in ability and any of the players with less skill are a little intimidated, allow them to record the roll of the dice, and what each player decided to move. By the end of the game, it is likely they will be writing number sentences of possible moves on their own.

*The competitive version takes longer, particularly if the players are not skilled in calculations or making choices quickly. Consider reducing the number of players.