Download Given two digits, can you make the greatest fraction? The least

Given two digits, can you make the greatest fraction?
The least fraction?
Goal: Students play a game in which they create and compare large and small fractions.
Materials: 1-6 number cubes, index cards.
1. Have students form pairs. Provide each pair with two number cubes. Tell students that
they will play a game in which they create fractions with a roll of the number cubes.
2. Present the rules for play:
a. Each player rolls the number cubes to get two digits.
b. The player uses those digits to write the greatest possible fraction the digits can
make. (This will always be a whole or mixed number.)
c. The player with the greater number wins a point; no points are given for a tie.
d. The first player to reach 10 points wins.
3. Have pairs play several times to provide adequate practice and to sharpen their
understanding of the strategy of the game.
4. Vary the rules so that players try to form the least possible fraction using the two digits
rolled. In this variation, the winner each time is the player with the smaller fraction. Or
vary the game to include three players; in this case, the winner can be the player with
the greatest (or least) fractional number or the one with the number in the middle.
5. For a more challenging game, have players use three number cubes to build their
numbers in any fashion they wish. For instance, a roll of 1, 3, and 6 can be interpreted
not only as a mixed number such as 1 3/6, 3 1/6, or 6 1/3, but also as 1/36, 1/63, 6/13,
and so on.
6. For whichever version of the game your students play, have them summarize the
components of a winning strategy.