How to Play Pizza Math
Pizza math is an excellent tool for teaching fractions to elementary school students. This game is designed for children approximately ages nine to 11. Pizza math helps students to comprehend fractions because it gives fractions a real-life application that kids can understand. By following some preparatory steps and a few simple rules, you can use this game to reinforce the concept of fractions to your child or class.
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Things You'll Need
- Cardboard
- Poster board
- Construction paper
- Markers
- Ruler
- Plastic containers or bags
- Paper shredder (optional)
- Scissors
- Dinner plate
- Quarter or 50-cent piece
- Small box
Instructions
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Preparing the Game
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1
Cut a circle out of a piece of tan poster board or cardboard. You can use a plate to trace a circle that will be big enough to manipulate in this game. This will be your "pizza."
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2
Use a marker and ruler to equally divide the pizza into eight slices.
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3
Cut small circles (about 20) out of a piece of red construction paper or poster board. You can use quarters or half dollars to trace these circles. These will be your "pepperoni."
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4
Cut about 20 small strips of green construction paper or poster board. These will be your "peppers."
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5
Shred a piece of yellow construction paper or poster board to make the "cheese."
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6
Place each "topping" in its own small plastic container or plastic bag.
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7
Use index cards to make game cards. On one side write a pizza order, such as, "1/2 cheese, 1/4 pepperoni, and 2/8 peppers." On the other side (the answer side), sketch what the pizza should look like if prepared correctly according to the directions. Place the index cards in a small box so that the answer side is hidden from the players.
Playing the Game
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8
Draw a card and place the instruction side face-up. Do not look at the answer side.
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9
Read the instructions aloud.
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10
Prepare the pizza according to the instructions.
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11
Flip the card over once you are done to see if you are correct.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Children can play this game by themselves or with others. For instance, a pair of students could play this as a competitive game, taking turns drawing a card and preparing the pizza. The students could keep score by awarding one point for each pizza that is prepared correctly. Make sure you vary the game cards to allow for different possibilities. You also can add other "toppings" or increase your pizza size up to 10 slices for use with additional fractions.
