In many classrooms, the day begins with “Morning Work,” an assigned activity to kick start the day. I don’t know about you, but “Morning Work” doesn’t sound like a particularly exciting way to dive into the day. Think about tweaking your terminology and see the response you get when “work” time is transformed into a Thinker’s Paradise!
Looking for ways to ignite your students’ minds in the morning? Get their brains in gear with a fun brainteaser challenge! Here’s a great example that would work well for a 4th Grade classroom:
Stacking the Dice Puzzle
Suppose seven dice are stacked as shown, and you can see all the exposed faces, including the Back view shown in the upper right corner. Find the sum of the pips (black dots) on the hidden faces of the dice.
Bonus fun fact: The dots on a die are officially called “pips”
Want more? Here is a fantastic collection of brainteasers sorted by grade that work well as solo or collaborative warm-up exercises in the classroom! Once your students have completed several, have them create their own modified versions and challenge one another!
How do YOUR students begin their day in the classroom? What do you call this time? Please share your ideas by commenting here!
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Charlotte Fixler, Charlotte. Charlotte said: Looking for ways to ignite students’ minds in the morning? Get their brains in gear with a fun brainteaser challenge! http://bit.ly/9DuPPD [...]
What a cute brainteaser!
And I did know that dots on dice are called “pips” — but it fits in perfectly to The Game Aisle’s Facebook question of the day which is “What’s your favorite word that has to do with games?” Pips would be a good answer!!
Glad you liked it! Will comment on your post too – what a great question!
I start my grade 7 math blocks with a WARMUP which is a puzzle-type question or problem on the overhead. Your Puzzle.com pages are ideal for this. Kids work together for a few minutes before the lesson begins.
So glad this page is a great resource for you! Would love to hear what your students’ favorites are!
[...] -Smart Play: Engage your students and children with boggling brain games, such as the “Stacking the Dice Puzzle.” [...]