ABSTRACT
A typical example in a Key Stage 1 class involved the children in tabletop maths games every Wednesday. The teacher provided a range of board and other games. Some games involved combining throws of two or more dice. Children played the games of their choice with a partner and all moves were calculated mentally with the aid of fingers and a large number line on the wall where necessary. The lessons always ended with a ten minute teacher-led discussion of interesting games and fascinating scores. The children had to retell some of the more interesting scores and describe how they had calculated them. The teacher then invited other children to carry out the same calculation in another way. The teacher drew children’s attention to particularly efficient and easy strategies, like rounding up to the nearest decade, counting on in twos or fives, and doubling and halving.
