Introducing Integers

This 2-4 player game uses a regular deck of cards with face cards and jokers removed. Black cards are positive integers. Red cards are negative integers. The game is played similar to the traditional card game, War. All cards are dealt out to players, who place them face down in a pile before them. Players turn over the top card and decide who has the largest integer. That player wins all turned up cards. Players continue to turn over cards one at a time and each time the player with the largest integer wins those cards. If there is a tie, players turn over the next card in the pile and place it on top of the previous tie card. The player with the largest integer takes all of the turned up cards and play resumes normally.

Younger students might benefit from using a number line and paper clips to represent the integers. This manipulative visually reinforces the size of the integers as the integer farthest to the right is always the larger integer. Some students have difficulty mastering the concept that -8 is actually smaller than -2. Placing the integers on a number line helps these students resolve that issue. Student number lines may be downloaded as part of the Number Line Madness Game file.

Download directions for Integer Showdown Game: Easy Version which also includes a Challenge Version, in which students turn over two cards each time. Players find the sum of their two cards and the player with the largest sum wins and takes all cards.

• Number Line Madness Game