Playing Corn Hole Leads to Understanding Integers

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The question facing Erin Egbert, a7th grade math teacher at SFJH, was this: “How can I help my students understand integers—the set of whole numbers and their opposites?”  Positive and negative numbers an often confuse students, so Ms. Egbert needed to turn on the creativity to create the engagement needed for solid understanding.

What did she do?  She had her students play Corn Hole!  Also known as Tailgate and Doghouse, this uniquely American game I played by throwing bags of corn at a raised platform with a hole in the far end. Points are scored in a variety of ways.

The game allowed students to see what happened when positive and negative number came together.  It also offered an opportunity for students to learn in kinesthetic ways.

Just another example of teachers and students reaching for higher levels of learning here at SFJH.

 

Attributions
by Rillene Nielsen & Eric Ferrin, Pictures by Eric Ferrin