Let It Grow is a game I like to play with my students as they are working toward refining their skills with addition and subtraction of decimal numbers (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.NBT.B.7).  This is a free resource provided by MathFactLab.  Enjoy!

Number of players: Ideally 2, but 3 could also work

Objective: To have a higher final score than one's opponent.  This is the box in the bottom right corner of the sheet.  This means that when adding students should be arranging their dice to make the largest number 

Materials:

• 4 dice per game, ideally ten-sided; six-sided will still work
• 2 copies of the game sheet (There are two sides to the game sheet: one for a longer game, the other for a shorter game.)

Rules: 

1. Players roll to see who goes first.
2. The first player rolls 2 dice to make a number to go in the first box (top left) arranging the digits to make a bigger number.
3. The first player repeats this to fill in the second box.
4. Player 1 then adds these numbers. Player 2 checks for accuracy.
5. Player 2 goes and repeats Steps 2-4 on their sheet.  Player 1 checks for accuracy.
6. Play alternates.  On each turn, students roll the number of dice to match the number of blanks in the next available box.  They then add (first and third columns) or subtract (second and fourth columns).  The opposing player is responsible for checking that calculations have been made correctly.
7. The student with the higher score at the end of the game is the winner.  

While MathFactLab is a site dedicated to the strategy-based teaching of math facts, as a fifth grade math teacher, I cover a lot more material than multiplication facts, etc.  I enjoy making my own resources, and I enjoy sharing them even more.   I hope your students like the game and I hope you find it a good source of practice of addition and subtraction of decimals.

This resource helps meet the following CCSS Grade 5 Math Standard:

Perform operations with multi-digit whole numbers and with decimals to hundredths.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.NBT.B.7
Add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals to hundredths, using concrete models or drawings and strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction; relate the strategy to a written method and explain the reasoning used.

Download Let It Grow.  

This blog was written by Mike Kenny, grade 5 teacher and founder of MathFactLab.