Math Teaching Tools


The following is a list of ways to practice math by using a deck of cards.
Remember an Ace counts as One.


pdf version


Topic Use Of Cards
Addition
  1. Use a single deck.
  2. Take out the Jacks, Queens, Kings and Jokers.
  3. Turn up two cards.
  4. Write the numbers down on a piece of paper with a plus sign between them and then an equals sign.
  5. Count the pips (hearts, diamonds, spades, clubs) in the center of the cards to find the answer.
  6. Write the answer on the piece of paper after the equals sign.
Subtraction
  1. Use a single deck.
  2. Take out the Jacks, Queens, Kings and Jokers.
  3. Turn up two cards.
  4. Put the larger card in front of the smaller card.
  5. Write the numbers down on a piece of paper with a minus sign between them and then an equals sign.
  6. Count the pips (hearts, diamonds, spades, clubs) in the center of the first card.
  7. Count the pips backwards on the second card to find the answer.
  8. Write the answer on the piece of paper after the equals sign.
Multiplication
  1. Use a single deck.
  2. Take out the Jacks, Queens, Kings and Jokers.
  3. Turn up two cards.
  4. Write the numbers down on a piece of paper with a multiplication sign between them and then an equals sign.
  5. Draw a grid on the piece of paper with the first card number of columns and the second card number of rows.
  6. Count the squares in the grid to find the answer.
  7. Write the answer on the piece of paper after the equals sign.
  8. For a visual demonstration of this go to the Multiplication Grid Applet. Refresh the screen to see random grid examples.
Exponents
  1. Use a single deck.
  2. Take out the Fives, Sixes, Sevens, Eights, Nines, Tens, Jacks, Queens, Kings and Jokers.
  3. Turn up two cards.
  4. Write the numbers down on a piece of paper with the first card as the base and the second card as the exponent and then an equals sign.
  5. Use multiplication to find the answer. Example: 2 raised to the 3rd power would be 2 x 2 x 2 = 8.
  6. Write the answer on the piece of paper after the equals sign.


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