Petals Around the Rose

The name of the game is "Petals Around the Rose" and it is a fun way of starting off the new school year. My students hear me say hundreds of times each year that math is a study of patterns and I explain to them they are going to solve the way to play this game by looking for patterns. The whole idea in this game is to figure out "how" it is played.

I start by rolling five dice (number generators) and I display the results of the roll on an overhead. I do not give any hints. I do start by giving the answer and asking if anyone can figure out "how" I am playing the game. After several rolls I ask what do we know about the correct answers so far. Usually they notice that the answer is always an even number or zero. It takes several displays of the dice before anyone in my fifth grade class gets it. They have to do three alone before I agree they really do know how to play Petals Around the Rose or Stars Around the Moon. They are then sworn to secrecy never to reveal how to play the game. The only clue I say over and over is, "The name of the game is Petals Around the Rose and the way that you play it is in the title." Some students have more luck when you call it Stars Around the Moon. Here is a worksheet that I give the students to have in front of them while we look for patterns. The first ones I have filled in but then we do a few together I usually leave about 4 for the student to do at home that evening with their parents. You might enjoy going to a site that is professionally done on playing Petals Around the Rose