+Two Dice Bingo+

A fun game for the whole class to play requiring strategies based on probablilty.

!

Instructions

Make your own bingo card using the same format as the one above. It can easily be sketched in your exercise book or you could print these Two Dice Bingo Cards. Select your own numbers to go on the card.

If you are in a class you can play against your classmates. If you are alone you can play against the computer.

For the whole class game, when everyone has made a card the teacher begins the game by rolling the dice. Each person should cross a number off their card if it matches the total of the two dice. The first person to cross off all ten of their numbers should call out 'Bingo' and they are declared the winner.

The strategy for this game is to choose numbers which will get crossed off before anyone else has called out 'Bingo'. You may repeat a number on your card as many times as you wish but you can only cross off one instance of that number each time it appears as a total. Is it wise to fill your bingo card with the most likely total or should you aim for a selection of numbers?

The computer has chosen numbers for the card above but the dice are quite fair and will generate random numbers unknown to the computer in advance.

This activity can be developed by constructing a table showing the possibility spaces for addition, subtraction and multiplication of the numbers on two dice.

There are more online probability activities to spice up your Maths lessons.

See also Maths Bingo for a numeracy practice game.

Extension: If 7 is the total that is most likely to occur when adding the numbers on two dice together, why is filling your bingo cards with sevens not the best strategy?

Transum.org

This web site contains over a thousand free mathematical activities for teachers and pupils. Click here to go to the main page which links to all of the resources available.

Please contact me if you have any suggestions or questions.

Email address

More Activities:

Mathematicians are not the people who find Maths easy; they are the people who enjoy how mystifying, puzzling and hard it is. Are you a mathematician?

Comment recorded on the 24 May 'Starter of the Day' page by Ruth Seward, Hagley Park Sports College:

"Find the starters wonderful; students enjoy them and often want to use the idea generated by the starter in other parts of the lesson. Keep up the good work"

Comment recorded on the 1 May 'Starter of the Day' page by Phil Anthony, Head of Maths, Stourport High School:

"What a brilliant website. We have just started to use the 'starter-of-the-day' in our yr9 lessons to try them out before we change from a high school to a secondary school in September. This is one of the best resources on-line we have found. The kids and staff love it. Well done an thank you very much for making my maths lessons more interesting and fun."

Each month a newsletter is published containing details of the new additions to the Transum website and a new puzzle of the month.

The newsletter is then duplicated as a podcast which is available on the major delivery networks. You can listen to the podcast while you are commuting, exercising or relaxing.

Transum breaking news is available on Twitter @Transum and if that's not enough there is also a Transum Facebook page.

Featured Activity

ChristMaths

ChristMaths

Christmas activities make those December Maths lessons interesting, exciting and relevant. If students have access to computers there are some online activities to keep them engaged such as Christmas Ornaments and Christmas Light Up.

Numeracy

"Numeracy is a proficiency which is developed mainly in Mathematics but also in other subjects. It is more than an ability to do basic arithmetic. It involves developing confidence and competence with numbers and measures. It requires understanding of the number system, a repertoire of mathematical techniques, and an inclination and ability to solve quantitative or spatial problems in a range of contexts. Numeracy also demands understanding of the ways in which data are gathered by counting and measuring, and presented in graphs, diagrams, charts and tables."

Secondary National Strategy, Mathematics at key stage 3

Go Maths

Learning and understanding Mathematics, at every level, requires learner engagement. Mathematics is not a spectator sport. Sometimes traditional teaching fails to actively involve students. One way to address the problem is through the use of interactive activities and this web site provides many of those. The Go Maths main page links to more activities designed for students in upper Secondary/High school.

Dalia, Italy

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

"I love this!! What a great idea! I will write again after using it with my classes."

Do you have any comments? It is always useful to receive feedback and helps make this free resource even more useful for those learning Mathematics anywhere in the world. Click here to enter your comments.

Transum.org is a proud supporter of the kidSAFE Seal Program