GAMES:

Robot Miner

About this game:

Jewels, jewels, and more jewels. Zillio Mountain is covered with them. The Mountain is ripe for an enterprising company to collect as many jewels as they can and then, hop, skip and jump their way to the bank to deposit the rewards of hard work. Each team programs a robot, fueled by jewels themselves. The robot can only move diagonally up and down the mountain and if it proceeds to a location without any jewels, its collecting days are over. Some jewels are worth more than other and the company that knows how to select the most valuable jewels before running out of fuel, wins.

Ages: 8 & up
Number of Players: 2 teams
Length of Play: 30 - 45 Minutes
Collaborative/Competitive: Competitive
Activity Sequence Number: F.4

Skills:

Develops: Multiplication, Number Sense

Develops & Uses: Factoring & Common Multiples, Problem Solving, Strategy

NCTM Standards:

Pre-K - 2

N/A

Grades 3 - 5

1.1.0 Understand numbers, ways of representing numbers, relationships among numbers and number systems.

1.2.1 Understand various meanings of multiplication and division.

6.1.0 Build new mathematical knowledge through problem solving.

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

8.1.0 Organize and consolidate their mathematical thinking through communication.

8.3.0 Analyze and evaluate the mathematical thinking and strategies of others

9.1.0 Recognize and use connections among mathematical ideas.

Grades 6 - 9

1.1.6 Use factors, multiples, prime factorization and relatively prime numbers to solve problems.

6.1.0 Build new mathematical knowledge through problem solving.

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

8.1.0 Organize and consolidate their mathematical thinking through communication.

8.3.0 Analyze and evaluate the mathematical thinking and strategies of others.

9.1.0 Recognize and use connections among mathematical ideas.

Tips & Tricks:

*If you want to encourage creativity, have players create rules for claim jumpers – opponents who steal jewels so the robot will not have enough fuel to continue.

* This is a good activity to introduce Zillio to Middle School students. It gives you the opportunity to remediate basic multiplication while developing fluency in factoring & common multiples. The score sheet for this game presents a 2 dimensional view of the Mountain. It can be used to introduce the concept of slopes, x y coordinates and graphing, as well.