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What Does Not Belong?

 Hi All,


 

"What Does Not Belong" is such a great little concept and can be applied to so many different areas of math as well as other content areas.

Great little game when you are waiting, like for buses to be called or for the day to begin. Also a great game for long car or bus rides where if there are no written numbers or pictures you really have to do the mental math.

Present a group of numbers. Start with maybe six. Say,

10    56    17    122    4    98

Ask the players to identify which number does not belong and have them explain why.

We want players to look at the characteristics of the numbers and compare them to try to find the selection criteria or "rule" so they can determine which does not belong. For example, we have a mix of 1, 2, and 3 digit numbers, so it's not the "rule" is not the number of digits. We have five even numbers and only one odd number. That's it! 17 does not belong, because it's odd. All the rest are even.

Here's another:

2    99    15    35    101    88

We've got a mix of odd and even this time, so that's not the rule. We have a mix of 1, 2, and 3 digit numbers, so that's not it. Wait! We only have one number over 100. It's 101! So, the "rule" or criteria was that all numbers had to be lower than 100.

Other criteria could include higher than, lower than, equal to, prime numbers, square numbers, fractions, decimals, improper fractions, unit fractions, non-unit fractions,  

This works very well with geometry as well. Put a group of shapes out, and have players decide which does not belong. Rules could include symmetry, number of sides, straight sides, curved sides, number of corners, 3D vs. 2D, and so on.

The possibilities are limited only by our imaginations and math knowledge. Students love to take a turn creating a set of numbers or shapes, selecting a ruler, and challenging others students. Displaying these, with answers on the back or a separate card, makes a very interactive bulletin board. Try this throughout the years as students learn more and more math concepts and fun with your kids at home too!

Best,

Bob

PS - In the photo above, which does not belong? Right! It's the third shape because it is not symmetrical.


Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 19, 2021 at 7:03 AM

    or the first shape because it does not have any curved edges! Love that there's multiple solutions.

    ReplyDelete

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