Thursday Tool School: iPad Apps for Kids- 5 Dice: Order of Operations Game

Title: 5 Dice: Order of Operations

Description: The "5 Dice" game requires students to roll a set of five dice and create an expression that simplifies to a target number after the order of operations are applied. There are five games of play available: addition/ subtraction, multiplication/ division, all four operations, all four operations with parenthesis, and all four operations with parenthesis and exponents. The game can be played by a single player or multiple players on different devices.

Advantages: This app is both fun and challenging! Being able to choose the type of game makes the game adaptable to individual student needs. It also allows beginners to get the hang of the game before moving on and using more operations. In addition, the interface allows players to remove and replace dice and operations as needed until they get it right. The whiteboard tool provides students with a work space to record the expression and simplify it there before submitting the final expression for official checking. 

The 5 Dice Game in action.

Disadvantages: While this game is a good challenge for students, depending on whether only a few operations are available or the size of the target number is incredibly large, like 1,440, the task can be hard. This can most definitely be discouraging to some players and make them want to give up. (In this case, it might be worth it to click the home button and start again to get a different set of dice and target number.)

One final note: When you first open the app, there is an option to receive a downloadable version of the game via email. This would be great for the classroom and make a fabulous fast finisher activity. Game scores can also be sent to parents and teachers via email. Score sheets include the expression created, the target number, time elapsed to complete the task, and the date of task completion.

Cost: Free

Check out the app here!