"I Like This Game Because You Have to Think Hard."

    A Monday afternoon, working with one of my second graders, helping him fill in a blank hundreds grid.  Suddenly it hit me.  What if...

...using different colored pencils, players alternate capturing squares on a hundreds grid...

...while trying to get 4 squares in a row, column, or diagonal.

It would work  just like tic-tac-toe.

Each tic-tac-toe is worth a point, and you can keep track with tallies.  Play until the board is filled up.

   Theresa and I played a practice round:

Initially we tried 3 in a row, but things got very confusing and we decided that 4 in a row was better.  We also tried a game where a square could be used in multiple tic-tac-toes, but didn't like that either.  We also decided that the 0 and 100 would not count towards any player's tic-tac-toe.

And then it was time to take newly christened Number Grid Tic-Tac-Toe for a test drive.  (Apologies if someone holds the patent on this!)  Jane's class was first, and we decided to get crazy and use a grid that went from 1 to 120.  It took only about 5 minutes playing a demo game with a volunteer under the document camera and they were ready to rumble.

"Hmmm.  Where should I go?"

"I think I can figure this out in my head."

Playing it safe.

Using a number grid to help is so SMP 5.

A barn-burner.  You can see here that 34 was used twice, as was 46. 

   Over the next several weeks I tried it out with 3 more second grade classes and 1 third grade class.  I asked each to write down their reflections and reactions on the back of their game boards.  Here's a sample:

• I liked this game because it was fun to figure out where the numbers go.
• I like this game because you need strategy.
• I loved it so much but hard.  So hard!!!
• I think the game helps because to put the right number in the right place you have to count by numbers and learn to do that in the game.
• I liked it because I outsmarted (my opponent) when he tried to outsmart me.
• I like this game because you have to think hard.

The kids came up with some awesome suggestions for modifying the game, including:

• If someone gets stuck, the other player gets a point.
• If you get three in a row you get half a point.
• Add a few numbers scattered around the board.  (Love it!  This child wants it differentiated!)
• If you get five in a row you get 2 points.

Jane's class experimented with a 3 player game:

They found that 3 in a row was better with 3 players.

Maggie's class tried something a little more difficult:

"What goes here?"

Many possibilities...

If it's green's turn, where should he go?  Why?  Defend your answer.

     I'm happy to report that the game is wildly popular; for some reason it hits that elusive kid sweet spot.  I suspect it's because the cognitive demand is just right. (I like this game because you have to think hard.  Unspoken: But not too hard?)  And because the kids already know how to play tic-tac-toe, they can expend their mental energy on strategy and on figuring out which number goes in what square without worrying about a bunch of rules.   The teachers love it too because it's easy to explain and takes almost no effort to prepare.
   So grab a blank grid and some colored pencils and have some fun!