Curse Reverse

Teaching With Curse Reverse

Addresses Common Core standards and helps teachers guide students in building skills with algebraic expressions and patterns. In Curse Reverse, players build platforms and paths using algebraic expressions. Understanding that variables can represent quantities is key to students’ pre-algebra learning.

Curse Reverse Teacher Guide contains ideas and extra activities to use with this game.

Download Teacher Guide PDF Play Game in English


Curse Reverse Common Core Standards

Standard Standard Description
4.OA.C.5 Generate a number or shape pattern that follows a given rule. Identify apparent features of the pattern that were not explicit in the rule itself. For example, given the rule “Add 3” and the starting number 1, generate terms in the resulting sequence and observe that the terms appear to alternate between odd and even numbers. Explain informally why the numbers will continue to alternate in this way.
5.OA.A.1 Use parentheses, brackets, or braces in numerical expressions, and evaluate expressions with these symbols.
5.OA.A.2 Write simple expressions that record calculations with numbers, and interpret numerical expressions without evaluating them. For example, express the calculation “add 8 and 7, then multiply by 2” as 2 × (8 + 7). Recognize that 3 × (18932 + 921) is three times as large as 18932 + 921, without having to calculate the indicated sum or product.
6.EE.A.4 Identify when two expressions are equivalent (i.e., when the two expressions name the same number regardless of which value is substituted into them). For example, the expressions y + y + y and 3y are equivalent because they name the same number regardless of which number y stands for...
6.EE.B.6 Use variables to represent numbers and write expressions when solving a real-world or mathematical problem; understand that a variable can represent an unknown number, or, depending on the purpose at hand, any number in a specified set.
Mathematical Practices MP1: Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
MP4: Model with mathematics.
MP6: Attend to precision. I can match an expression with a visual representation

Math Snacks Game Guidelines

  1. We know you may not have time to play the game all the way through. Play through at least the first level, and watch the Gameplay video for each one, to get an understanding of what changes from level to level.
  2. Watch the Teaching video for each game. Each is shorter than 10 minutes, and gives really important strategies for teaching with the game, and engaging students in follow up activities to help them apply what they’ve learned.
  3. Secure lab time and secure the proper number of computers or iPads for students. All games and animations are available online. Ratio Rumble, and Pearl Diver are also on the iPad. Most games will take 2-3 hours for students to play.
  4. Games can be played in different ways: students can play individually, in pairs, in small groups or in one large group using a smartboard, depending on the technology available in your classroom or computer lab.
  5. Don’t be afraid to let the game teach. Math Snacks games aren’t designed to measure what your students already know, but to give students the chance go understand concepts. They won’t succeed at every level their first time playing, and they aren’t supposed to. Let your students make mistakes, talk with each other, create strategies and learn from those mistakes.
  6. Refer to the Teaching With guide for each game for more recommendations.