Activity: Algebraic Charades
A fun, active way to practice translating words into algebra.
How to Play
- Prepare a set of cards with simple word problems or expressions (see examples below).
- Divide the class into two teams.
- One student from a team comes to the front and draws a card.
- The student must act out the phrase on the card without speaking. They can use gestures, numbers, and mathematical symbols.
- Their team has one minute to guess the correct algebraic expression or equation.
- If they guess correctly, they get a point. Then it's the other team's turn.
Example Cards to Create:
- A number plus five (n + 5)
- Ten minus a number (10 - n)
- A number multiplied by three (3n)
- A number divided by two (n / 2)
- A number plus four equals ten (n + 4 = 10)
- Fifteen minus a number is six (15 - n = 6)
- Two times a number plus one (2n + 1)
Curriculum alignment
- Number — Practices: - Locating negative and positive numbers on a number line - Comparing and ordering negative and positive numbers using a number line (e.g. −3.4 < −3) - Evaluating expressions …
- Measurement — Practices: - Locating negative and positive numbers on a number line - Comparing and ordering negative and positive numbers using a number line (e.g. −3.4 < −3) - Evaluating expressions …
- Statistics — Practices: - Locating negative and positive numbers on a number line - Comparing and ordering negative and positive numbers using a number line (e.g. −3.4 < −3) - Evaluating expressions …
- Algebra — Practices: - Locating negative and positive numbers on a number line - Comparing and ordering negative and positive numbers using a number line (e.g. −3.4 < −3) - Evaluating expressions …
- Geometry — Practices: - Locating negative and positive numbers on a number line - Comparing and ordering negative and positive numbers using a number line (e.g. −3.4 < −3) - Evaluating expressions …
📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot
Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions
Students will develop algebraic thinking and pattern recognition (tātai tauira) through te ao Māori contexts, connecting mathematical reasoning to cultural and real-world problem-solving in Aotearoa.
Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria
- ✅ Students can identify, describe, and extend patterns using algebraic notation.
- ✅ Students can explain their mathematical reasoning and connect it to real-world contexts.
Differentiation & Inclusion
Scaffold support: Provide concrete materials and visual representations before moving to abstract notation. Offer entry-level tasks using number patterns, and extension challenges involving proof or generalisation for capable learners.
ELL / ESOL: Pre-teach key mathematical vocabulary (variable, expression, equation, pattern). Allow diagrams and tables as alternate representations. Bilingual glossaries recommended.
Inclusion: Neurodiverse learners benefit from structured step-by-step templates and multiple representations (visual, numeric, algebraic). Avoid time pressure on procedural tasks.
Tātai (to reckon, count, calculate) reflects the deep mathematical tradition within te ao Māori — from whakapapa genealogy structures to wharenui proportional geometry, navigation, and seasonal calendars. Mātauranga Māori holds rich pattern-based thinking: tukutuku panel sequences, kōwhaiwhai scroll patterns, and fishing seasonal cycles all encode algebraic relationships. Algebra taught through these lenses makes abstract thinking visible and culturally grounded.