The Horse Race Game is targeted towards students of grade levels 3-6. Prior to each game, the students were asked what grade they were in. We also asked each student if they knew what probability was. We then explained that there are 12 horses in the game numbered 1-12 and with the sum of two rolled dice, the horses advance towards the finish line. An example was given to the students: If you roll a 5 and a 2 with the two dice, the sum would be 7, therefore the number 7 horse would advance one spot closer to the finish line. Before each game started we asked the players choose a horse (number) that they think will make it to the finish line first. The assumption behind choosing a horse is that the player will pick a horse with a greater probability of having that number rolled with the sum of two dice. The next step was to place a game piece at the starting line on the game board for each individual horse to start the game. Each player had their own game board and dice to play the game. The students would begin rolling the dice and moving the horses according to the sum that appears with the dice roll. The horse that makes it through the six spaces on the game board and crosses the finish line first is considered the winner. After each game ended the students were asked why they thought the race resulted in the way it did.

After the first game was played, the nerves went away and I was able to concentrate on the whole math night scene. The initial idea was for Christine and me to watch over each game together and work together on assuring the students learned something about probability. Chaos prevailing, we were required to split up and at times we had six separate students each playing a Horse Race Game. Before each game started, we assessed students on their knowledge of probability. We based our assessment on the students’ grade level and their explanation of probability, if there was one at all. The students of grades 3 and 4 often chose horses with no particular strategy. For some, they chose horse 11 and 12, horses that had 1/36 and 2/36 chances respectively. This was a clear sign that the student didn’t have a grasp on probability and that I needed to help them learn about it. The ease of playing the Horse Race Game allowed those with little conceptual knowledge of probability to still play the game and have fun with it. Those students were keyed in on and after each game. They were deliberately asked what horse they would choose if they were to play again while we showed them a graph displaying the outcomes and the number of possibilities. Most of the participants would just simply say they would pick the horse that won the previous game, and the students that had an idea of what was really happening in the game, would choose the horses with a greater chance of winning (6, 7, 8). Throughout the night the students and parents shuffled around from table to table in seemingly no order, with the exception of them going to their first assigned table. While some students paid little to no attention to our instructions for the game, had a similarity: their parents were not even present or their parents wanted to talk over us. The students that listened to what we were saying were usually able to learn the idea of probability from our description and from playing the game. I could tell that the students were learning probability or knew what probability was when after the game was over. When asked, they chose the 6,7 and 8 horses to be the ones they would pick when playing another game. Some parents were shocked to learn that horse 7 had a greater probability of moving a space than horse 6. Nobody picked horse 7 to win the race before play started, with the exception one student who claimed she had played the same game at last year’s math night.

There were a few things that I learned from the Math Night experience. One prominent thing I learned was that no matter what I said, the parent had the ultimate say. For instance: I would go on to explain the rules and the idea of the game and some parents would just instinctively take over, leaving me no time or way to say anything. This was a bit frustrating, especially when the parents were saying things to the students that had little relevance or even contradicted the game we were playing. One parent said to their son “this game is like hockey and shooting from the blue line when referring to the chance of any given horse to have their number come up”. This particular interpretation gave the student the idea that each horse had an equal chance to win, when rolling two dice and adding their sum. I made an attempt at explaining the odds through our charts, but it did little good to the student since their parent was blabbing away the entire time I was talking. A few parents would also just take over the game for the student and didn’t let their child play the game or even add up the two dice. As soon as the two dice settled on the table, a couple parents couldn’t resist shouting out the sum of the two die and moving the horse game piece. This helped to raise awareness that I will have some parents that interfere with my future teaching. I also noticed one other important thing. The different levels of explanation required also reminded me of how I must alter my teaching style to cater to each individual’s needs. For some I would need to roll the dice and move the game piece, for others I would just verbally explain the game, and others required me to keep them on track throughout the entire game.

In closing, Math Night was great. There was a fairly diverse group of students that required me to do things I hadn’t planned on to keep the game going. The flexibility is a necessary trait of a teacher, and I found that I am very capable of being so versatile. I also gained experience in that I was perceived as a teacher by some parents/guardians and which required me to display professionalism and maintain a sort of calmness despite a few hectic moments.