Plot Four: Positive and Negative Numbers

Suggested Grades

6+

Objective

Students will practice recognizing the nature of positive and negative numbers, as well as practice plotting graph coordinates.

Materials

  • a game board for each pair of students: a 12X12 grid divided into quadrants by vertical and horizontal axes. Mark the intersection of the axes with a zero, and number the other axis/grid-line intersections from 1-6 (positive numbers above and to the right of zero, negative numbers below and to the left of the zero).
  • 2 sets of dice per pair in two different colours. One set will be positive and the other will be negative.
  • markers

Method

  • The first player rolls all the dice, then chooses any two of the four numbers in any order to plot, and marks the area with a dot from a marker.
  • The second player then repeats the process.
  • The goal of the game is to get four points in a row in any direction.
  • If the player is unable to work out a combination of numbers that isn’t already taken up, the player loses his turn.
  • If both of the players reach a stalemate before anyone has been able to receive four in a row, the player with the most points on the board wins.