Wishball

Challenge your understanding of place value in whole numbers and decimal fractions, from 0.001 to 9999. Either add or subtract numbers to reach a target number. For example, receive a starting number of 39.61. Spin the number 5 and decide whether to add or subtract 0.05, 0.5, 5 or 50 to reach your target number of 70.12 within 20 turns. Use the ‘Wishball’ to select your final digit. Try to reach the target in as few turns as possible. Play a random game, replay a previous game or play a game with the same target number as someone else. This learning object is one in a series of 15 objects.

Key learning objectives

•Students identify the place value of each digit in four-digit numbers from 0.001 to 9999.
•Students add and subtract in thousandths, hundredths, tenths, ones, tens, hundreds and thousands.
•Students read and interpret different representations of numbers from 0.001 to 9999.
•Students apply mental computation skills.

Educational value

•Develops students’ understanding of place value.
•Stimulates students’ mental calculation strategies.
•Uses three different methods of representing numbers to assist students’ visualisation of place value.
•Scaffolds students’ attempts with immediate feedback.
•Encourages repeated use through randomisation of activity elements.
•Includes an option to print a record of turns taken for each game.
•Includes options to play a random game, repeat a game, or to play the same game as others.

Year level
6