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Dot to Dot Middle Path Puzzles ™

Like Gandalf in the caves of Moria, these puzzles give you three choices at each dot… choose wisely or forever be lost. As you move from dot to dot you will be revealing a secret picture.

Each puzzle starts with a lot of lines, dots, and a single red dot indicating where you should start.

Put your pen or pencil on the start. You have three choices how to proceed.

Do you choose the longest path? No!

Do you choose the shortest path? No!

Choose the shortest path. That takes you to the top left dot. You have three more options.

Do you choose the longest path? No!

Do you choose the shortest path? No!

You choose the middle length path again. In fact for the whole puzzle, you will always be making the same choice… the middle length path.

Again – choose the path of middle length.

Let’s fast forward through the puzzle…

Let’s fast forward through the puzzle…

Let’s fast forward through the puzzle…

Let’s fast forward through the puzzle…

Let’s fast forward through the puzzle…

Let’s fast forward through the puzzle…

Let’s fast forward through the puzzle…

Let’s fast forward through the puzzle…

Let’s fast forward through the puzzle…

Finally we have arrived back at the starting point. The puzzle is complete…

It revealed a crown.

Download other Dot to Dot Middle Path Puzzles here.

Dot to Dot Middle Path Puzzles

(MathPickle, 2012)

This puzzle is excellent to work at with a WHOLE class. It is less good for students to work at in small groups, because errors propagate… One error will wreck the solution.

Standards for Mathematical Practice

MathPickle puzzle and game designs engage a wide spectrum of student abilities while targeting the following Standards for Mathematical Practice:

 
MP1 Toughen up!

Students develop grit and resiliency in the face of nasty, thorny problems. It is the most sought after skill for our students.

MP2 Think abstractly!

Students take problems and reformat them mathematically. This is helpful because mathematics lets them use powerful operations like addition.

MP3 Work together!

Students discuss their strategies to collaboratively solve a problem and identify missteps in a failed solution. Try pairing up elementary students and getting older students to work in threes.

MP4 Model reality!

Students create a model that mimics the real world. Discoveries made by manipulating the model often hint at something in the real world.

MP5 Use the right tools!

Students should use the right tools: 0-99 wall charts, graph paper, mathigon.org. etc.

MP6 Be precise!

Students learn to communicate using precise terminology. Students should not only use the precise terms of others but invent and rigorously define their own terms.

MP7 Be observant!

Students learn to identify patterns. This is one of the things that the human brain does very well. We sometimes even identify patterns that don't really exist! 😉

MP8 Be lazy!?!

Students learn to seek for shortcuts. Why would you want to add the numbers one through a hundred if you can find an easier way to do it?

(http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Practice/)

Please use MathPickle in your classrooms. If you have improvements to make, please contact me. I'll give you credit and kudos 😉 For a free poster of MathPickle's ideas on elementary math education go here.

Gordon Hamilton

(MMath, PhD)