In my experience, 2nd graders LOVE to play games, especially games with dice and spinners.
The joy of using spinner games in the classroom is that they can be re-used many times with different results. All you need to do is print the games on cardstock and slip the page inside a sheet protector. Students can write on them with a dry erase marker. Anytime I can save copies, it’s a WIN! Almost all of my games survive the entire year in the same sheet protector….sometimes 2-3 years! Here’s a peek at my core supplies:
When I use spinner games in the classroom, I always make sure my students know exactly how I want them to use the materials:
Recently, I used the Numbers in Base-10 standards for 2nd grade as my guide while creating a new set of games. If you use the Common Core Standards, there are posters for each of the NBT standards included as well as a checklist for the dates you teach and/or assess your students.
Enough chit chat – let’s take a closer look at some of the games!
Spin for 10 will have your students adding and subtracting 10 from both 2-digit and 3-digit numbers. There are multiple versions of the sheets so your students work with a variety of numbers.
Four Times the Fun has your students adding four, 2-digit numbers. Boxes are provided to keep those numbers lined up. This student even had enough room to show thinking strategies!
Spin, Graph, and Build will keep your students engaged with different results each time. In a small group setting (or intervention group), I have students verbally share the expanded form of the numbers created. There is a version for 4-digit numbers, too!
Spin, Then Extend will have your students creating 3-digit numbers and counting on by 1s. There is also a version with 2-digit numbers where students count forwards or backwards by 1s and 10s.
Spin and Build to Win is a game for 2-players. Students spin and write the digit into either the ones, tens, or hundreds place. Once it is written, it cannot be moved. After both players have a 3-digit number, they compare using >, <, or =. This game also has a version for 4-digit numbers.
Spin It, Write It, Build It, Expand It is great for individual practice OR small group intervention. Students use spinners to create their number. They are practicing standard form, written form, expanded form, and using base-10 blocks to represent a number. There are versions for 2-digit and 3-digit numbers. You could use this with even larger numbers.
Use Your Brain is just one of the many games to practice addition and subtraction strategies. This one has students adding 20, 30, or 40 using a count-on strategy. The other games in this section have students practicing with a hundreds grid, the standard addition algorithm, using place value blocks, and mental math. For each of the strategies mentioned, there are 2-digit and 3-digit versions included.
That’s just a SMALL sampling of the pack (there are about 75 pages total). If your students love games as much as mine do, you should check out this pack! Oh, and it’s on SALE for the next 2 days!
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