For this activity, a large illustration paper will be prepared with a chart divided into nine rows and nine columns. These rows and columns will be numbered from one to nine. The class is divided into two or more groups, each group to have its own chart. The game can be played focusing on addition, subtraction or multiplication. For example, the teacher starts the first game and announces that the operation to use is addition. The first student in each group will run to the group's chart and write a number in one box of the chart. When the first student is seated, the next student follows by putting the sum of the numbers corresponding to the row and column where the first student wrote her number. The third student is allowed to correct the answer before choosing the next block. The team to finish first with all answers correct is the winner. The teacher can start the next game and change the operation to subtraction or multiplication. This activity helps to develop not only the students' skills with numbers and simple operations, but also quick thinking and teamwork.
One way to increase the students' interest in math lessons is by relating math problems to actual situations. Teachers can express math problems by asking students to portray them in a skit. The students can be divided into groups to develop actual situations involving math problems and present them to the class. For example, a group is assigned to portray a math problem in a post office. The post office was given a monthly budget of $10,000, and one employee used it up to buy postage stamps worth 33 cents and 20 cents. The problem starts when a new announcement was released that increased the rate of mailing letters from 33 cents to 34 cents. The employee fortunately discovers that most of their mailed items are larger packages that costs $6.80 to deliver, which means they can still use the 33-cent stamps. Students now need to help the post office employee come up with other postage amounts that will be able to use the 33-cent and 20-cent stamps.
To develop a student's skill in determining numerical patterns, a project can be assigned to direct students to form "trains" of a specific length but composed of different number of cars or coaches. For example, a train that is specified with a five-meter length can be designed in several patterns, such as a five-car pattern with each car measuring 1 yard, a three-car pattern with two cars measuring 2 yards and the third car measuring 1 yard, and so on until all the possible patterns are explored. All the trains made are then displayed in a table to showcase the different patterns created by a single train with a specific length. This activity is ideal for seventh-grade students since it requires some physical dexterity in creating the trains and a good comprehension of numerical patterns.
The simplest method to illustrate probabilities is by using dice or card examples. Students can conduct an experiment to test the probability of arriving at a certain number using different combinations of dice or cards. For example, the problem is to find out if a combination of two 10-sided dice will have higher probability to get a sum of at least 15 than a combination of three six-sided dice. Students can start the experiment by rolling the two sets of dice 100 times and recording the sum of each combination. The results are reviewed to check which set of dice resulted to a higher probability of getting a sum of 15 and higher. The actual results are then compared with calculated results.