I just finished looking at Dan Meyer's blog and saw that part of the most recent posting discussed uses for dice in class. I have a trick I use with my students, let me tell you about it.
I give out 5-6 sets of three dice. I have the students roll them and then add up all the numbers which cannot be seen (bottom, middles and middles). Once they have the sum, they sit back with the dice still stacked and I "read their minds" to get the sum. I have math on my side, and as long as they add correctly I can get the sum.
Last year I tied this activity into expected value in probability and it was a hit. I don't want to give too much away, as my students have been following my blog as part of their summer enrichment. Suffice it to say I can "read" the answer from their thoughts from across the classroom pretty well as there is only 1 piece of information I need.
It's a great mini lesson that is always great for engagement and I like that it's the kind of thing that the students take home and show their families.
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