Unplugged: Keeping score

The objective of this activity is to experience creating and working with variables by pairing up and playing Rock Paper Scissors.

Ask students to keep track of their scores on paper. You can also have students play in groups of three with the third student acting as the scorekeeper.

Students will keep track of how many times each player wins as well as the number of times the players tie.

Play: Have students play Rock Paper Scissors for about a minute. When done, ask the students to add up their scores and how many ‘rounds’ they played.

Play again: Tell students they will now start over and play again for another minute. When done, ask the students to add up their scores and how many ‘rounds’ they played.

Ask some students to share how they kept track of player scores. There may be some variety, but most will have written down the players’ names and then beside or below the names, marks representing the ‘wins’ of each player. And they may have made a separate place for recording ties.

Sample score-keeping sheet

Ask the students what parts of the score sheet represent constants, values that do not change through the course of a gaming session.

Example: The players’ names are constants.

Ask the students what parts of the score sheet represent variables, values that do change through the course of a gaming session.

Example: The players’ number of wins are variables.