You CAN'T call them MATH LIBS! Try some Wacky Math Fill-Ins instead!

Hi All,

What is this?

As a kid I always loved Mad Libs. That was back in the sixties. They are still around today amusing a new generation of kids who like to fill in the blanks with words like "fart" and "butt." What could be more fun!?

Being a big Mad Libs fan and kind of a math guy, a few years back I started writing what I called "Math Libs." Same premise, "Give me a noun. Give me an adjective," but now I would include, "Give me a 3-digit number. Give me an odd number," and the end result was a wacky math word problem.

For example, here's a simple one to try out.

Chief Super Spy_____ (NAME OF GIRL)_____ had _____(TWO-DIGIT EVEN NUMBER)____ __(ADJECTIVE)____ _____(PLURAL NOUN)______. She gave ____(ONE DIGIT-NUMBER EXCEPT FOR 0 OR 1)____ to her fellow _____(ADJECTIVE)______spies. How many does she have left?

My agent at the time advised me, "Yeah, nice idea, but you can't call it Math Libs. Mad Libs will sue you." We pitched the Mad Libs publisher instead and they passed on it, although they did let me ghost write Fairy Tale Mad Libs. Which was a blast and an honor.

Anyway, I ended up pitching Scholastic and they had me do a whole series of what they titled, 50 Fill In Math Word Problems books, which are essentially Math Libs. You can still find cheap copies on ebay and amazon. Attached are a couple of problems typical of that series you can try out with your students.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZPRDAFLJ4HCBfxLdgKX0--QqJ7w3souB/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1muXPlfxC6Go-z3PRlrP7m_IXjgwkIt2R/view?usp=sharing

I'm also attaching a page that explains the different kinds of words like verbs, adjectives, pronouns, etc. Students might find this handy.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bYCufWcrAUiiNsD29SUI3iFmWjKmEcfr/view?usp=sharing

After students do enough of them, you may want to have them try writing their own. It's a lot of fun either way. Just be ready for those words. :)

All the best,

Bob

Comments

Piaget Would be Proud! Assessment, Mental Math, Manipulatives, Thinking, Missing Addends, and Kumquats!

Hi All, This is a super simple, but very revealing activity and so works as a good assessment. Fantastic for Pre-K, Kindergarten, and Grade 1. Try it out and see what you learn about your students. Display a small number of objects in your open hands. Here we have 4 kumquats. (Because I have a kumquat tree in my yard. Any small manipulative will do.) Put your hands behind your back. Close one hand and bring both hands back out in front of you to display 2 kumquats visible in one hand and a closed hand with the rest of them. Remind students that you started with 4 and there are still 4 all together. Ask students, what is in the closed hand. Ask how they know this. Then reveal and discuss. Try another one. Show the 4 objects again, 2 in each hand. Put your hands behind your back and redistribute with 1 object in one hand and 3 objects in the other. Bring your hands to the front and ask how many are in your closed hand. Ask how they know this. Then reveal and discuss. Yo...

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,...

Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum? No! FIDDLE, FADDLE, FLOP!

Hi All, Ready for another great game? Ready for Fiddle, Faddle, Flop? It's a great game for place value, mental math, and number work. You can play anywhere at any time. All you need is a pencil and paper or board and markers. Tell students that you are thinking of a number. Explain that it has two digits. Invite them to guess the number. You will respond to their guesses by saying one of four words: Fiddle, Faddle, Flop, or Correct. Here is the translation for those words: Fiddle: one of the digits is correct, but is in the wrong place Faddle: one of the digits is correct and in the correct place Flop: none of the digits is correct Correct: both digits are correct For example, if you are thinking of the number 17 and my guess is 68, you would say Flop since none of the digits is correct. On your next guess, if you were to say 76, I would say, Fiddle, because one of the digits is correct, but in the wrong...

MathStuff

Search This Blog