Go fish (relationships)
A thinking mathematically context for practise resource focused on building number relationship knowledge of 1 or 2 before or after a number.
Syllabus
Syllabus outcomes and content descriptors from Mathematics K–10 Syllabus (2022) © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2024.
Outcomes
- MAO-WM-01
- MAE-RWN-01
- MAE-RWN-02
- MAE-CSQ-01
- MAE-CSQ-02
- MAO-WM-01
- MA1-CSQ-01
Collect resources
You will need a set of playing cards (Ace–10).
Go fish (relationships)
Watch the Go fish (relationships) video (7:34).
(Duration: 7 minutes 34 seconds)
Michelle
Hi Barbara.
Barbara
Hey Michelle.
Michelle
How are you today?
Barbara
I'm very well.
Michelle
We're ready to play a game, 'Go fish.'
Barbara
Great, I'll shuffle.
[Barbara has a deck of playing cards with all the picture cards removed. She shuffles the pack.]
Michelle
Well, that's good. 'Cause you gotta shuffle the cards first.
Barbara
That's some mad shuffling skills!
So, we need to get 7, is that right?
Michelle
Yes, seven cards each.
Barbara
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
[Barbara deals out 7 cards to each player and the remainder of the pack is placed down. Each player holds the cards they were dealt.]
Michelle
And then that's our fishing pile here in the middle.
Barbara
And we're trying to make pairs of the same card, is that right?
Michelle
Yes, you can play like that, but today we're looking for one or 2 away.
Barbara
Oh ok.
Michelle
So, I'll show you.
I'll show you what I mean.
Oh, I won't show you all my cards 'cause I've lost to you lots of times before, but for example, I could make 7 and 5 a combination.
Barbara
Because it's 2 away, right.
Michelle
Because there's a difference of 2 between them, like either 5, I need 2 more to get to 7.
Or from 7, I need 2 less to get to 5.
[Michelle places the 5 and 7 playing cards down on the table. She circles the 2 cards with her finger before picking them back up.]
Barbara
Yes, ok.
Michelle
Or I could also have made a pair with 4 and 5.
[She places the 4 and 5 playing cards down on the table and then picks them up again]
Barbara
Because it's one away.
Michelle
A difference of one.
Barbara
But ones that are the same number, they can't be a pair.
Michelle
No.
Barbara
So, it's different to regular Go fish in that way.
Michelle
Yep.
Barbara
Ok.
Michelle
So…
Barbara
I think I've got some pairs here.
Michelle
So, we can put them down to start.
I'll put it like that so that mathematicians watching can view, can see. Ok.
[From the cards Michelle and Barbara were dealt, they place pairs of playing cards on the table. Michelle places down the 6 and 7, and 5 and 4 playing cards into pairs. Barbara places down the 9 and 7, 6 and 7, and 3 and 4 playing cards into pairs.]
Barbara
Ok, so now I've only got one card left.
What's the next thing? We need to have cards in our hand all the time, don't we?
Michelle
Well, just after you deal, if you've only got one card left, pick up another 2 so we can get started.
Barbara
Ok.
[Barbara picks up 2 cards from the top of the deck.]
Michelle
But you can't put them down.
Barbara
Ok.
Michelle
Alright, and since you are the most amazing shuffler on Earth, you can ask first.
Barbara
Ok.
Michelle
So, you're asking me for a quantity that's one more or 2 more, or one less or 2 less than a card that you have.
Barbara
Ok, that's great, but if I have got pairs now, I can't use them yet.
Michelle
Not yet.
Barbara
Not yet.
Michelle
You just picked up from a deal.
Barbara
Ok, do you have a 2?
Michelle
Go fish.
[Barbara picks up a card from the top of the deck.]
And so now, Barbara, I'm thinking why did you ask me about a 2?
Because you might have had a 4?
Or you might have had a 3? Or you might have had an ace.
So now…
Barbara
Oh, you know what I've got, ok.
Michelle
So now, I'm actually going to ask you, do you have a 3?
Barbara
I do have a 3.
[Barbara gives Michelle her number 3 playing card 3.]
Michelle
And the reason I asked that is 'cause I had an ace.
[Michelle pairs the number 3 playing card she just received from Barbara, to an ace she had in her hand and places the pair down on the table.]
Barbara
Do you know what, I was gonna make my pair and I didn't do it quickly enough and now I've missed my opportunity.
Michelle
You did. Watch out. [Michelle and Barbara both laugh.]
Barbara
Oh wow, now I think I need a 3 but you've just used yours, but I'm still gonna ask it.
Do you have a 3?
Michelle
Go fish.
I feel like, it's very satisfying.
[Barbara selects a card from the top of the deck.]
Barbara
It is, but now I can make a pair.
[Barbara now makes a pair from her hand of cards using an ace and a 2.]
Michelle
Rats.
Barbara
Do you have a 6?
Barbara
Go fish.
Michelle
Oh, I should.
Do you know what? Can I talk to the mathematicians at home?
Barbara
You can.
[Michelle now displays the 7 and 10 playing cards in her hand.]
Michelle
I want to tell them I made a bad decision.
Because when I look at these cards, if I had of asked for, [Michelle tells Barbara] don't listen, [Michelle continues speaking to the mathematicians] an 8 or a 9, then I would have been able to maybe get a 7. The 7 could match or the 10 could match.
I made a bad choice.
Ok, you can listen again now.
Did you tell me to go fish?
[Michelle now picks up a card from the deck and draws a 6.]
Barbara
I did, yes.
Michelle
But I got lucky.
[Michelle places down a 6 and 7 playing card and shows she only has a 10 left in her hand.]
Barbara
I like this game because, you know, there's a bit of luck.
You need to be skilful, but there's also luck in there.
Michelle
Yes, so that's what makes a good game.
Barbara
Ok, my turn, oh.
Oh, do you have a 3?
Michelle
Go fish.
[Barbara selects a card from the top of the deck.]
Do you have, oh now, we're not. Ten is the biggest card, so there's no jacks.
Barbara
Oh, we've taken the picture cards out.
Michelle
So do you have a... 9?
Barbara
Go fish.
[Michelle selects a card from the top of the deck.]
Michelle
Oh rats.
Barbara
Do you have a... 4?
Michelle
Yes.
[Michelle gives Barbara a 4 from the cards in her hand.]
Barbara
Thank you very much.
[Barbara now places down the 4 and 5 playing cards from her hand.]
Michelle
Do you have an 8?
Barbara
Go fish.
[Michelle selects a card for the top of the deck.]
You know what's great is we can't cheat because the mathematicians are watching us, watching our cards.
Michelle
Rats.
Barbara
I'm a bit of a cheater sometimes.
Michelle
You know strategic decision making.
Ha-ha.
Barbara
Do you have … I've already asked about 3 so I might ask for a 2?
Michelle
Yes, I just picked it up.
[Michelle gives Barbara the number 2 playing card from her hand.]
Barbara
Yes.
[Barbara places the ace and 2 playing cards down.]
Michelle
Um, do you have an 8?
Barbara
Go fish.
[Michelle picks up a card from the top of the deck.]
Do you have a 3?
Michelle
Go fish.
[Barbara picks up a card from the top of the deck.]
Do you have a...4?
Barbara
Go fish.
[Michelle picks up a card from the top of the deck.]
Michelle
But I’ve got a pair.
[Michelle places the 6 and 5 playing cards down.]
Barbara
Oh.
Do you have ... you didn't have any twos, so I might go the other way.
Do you have a 10?
Michelle
Yes.
[Michelle gives Barbara the 10 playing card.]
Barbara
Ha-ha.
Oh, I didn't win though. I've still got one card to go.
Michelle
Well.
Barbara
You've won though.
Michelle
Well, yes, I suppose.
Well, here's how you can decide who wins.
Either by who runs out of their cards first.
Barbara
Ok.
Michelle
So, in that case, I win.
But you could also win based on the number of pairs that you've collected.
So, 5 and 6 is a pair for me because it's a difference of one.
Seven and 6 is a pair because 7 is one more than 6.
Seven and 6 is another pair, because 6 is one less than 7.
Four and a 5 is a pair because there's one more than the other card, like 5 is one more than 4, and ace and 3 are a pair because ace is 2 less than 3, so I got 5 pairs, but you got... 6, 7 pairs.
[Michelle picks up her cards, pointing out the different pairs, and then points to Barbara’s 7 sets of pairs.]
Barbara
So, we both won?
Michelle
Technically we both won because I lost my cards first and you've got 7 pairs, so we will leave it to the mathematicians to decide who won.
But it's a good game, yeah?
Barbara
I really like this game and you know what else we could do?
We could play this game, but we could play it as Snap.
Michelle
Oh yeah, so you're looking for speedy eyeballs when checking quantities.
Barbara
Yeah, the same way, plus or minus or minus one or 2.
You could also do it as Concentration.
[Michelle and Barbara start to flip the cards so that they are facing down.]
Barbara
Oh yes.
You know, I call that game Memory.
Michelle
Oh yeah, you could call it Memory too.
And you know what else, Barbara, is that we could change what we're looking for.
So here, we were looking for plus or minus one or 2, but you could say things like combinations that make 10.
Barbara
Oh, like 4 and 6.
Michelle
Aha, so if I had a 7, I could say ‘Do you have a 3?’
Barbara
Right.
That's a really good idea.
Michelle
Alright, over to you mathematicians to have some fun.
Go fish.
Barbara
Have fun.
Michelle
I should have said ‘Have some fun fishing’.
So, what is the mathematics here when we play this game?
Being confident with knowing and using important mathematical relationships is critical for our learning in mathematics.
So, knowing one more, 2 more, one less, and 2 less helps us with things like counting forwards and backwards, identifying and using the number before and after.
Using landmark numbers to solve problems, and many, many more things too.
So over to you mathematicians to have fun fishing.
Enjoy!
[End of transcript]
Instructions
- Each player gets 7 cards. The rest of the cards are placed in a pile in the middle.
- Players try to make pairs that are 1 more, 1 less, 2 more, or 2 less.
- Once they can't make any more pairs, they can take turns to ask their opponent
- If their opponent has a card of that number they must give it to the asking player
- If they don't, they say 'Go Fish' and the player gets a card from the central pile of cards.
- If their opponent has a card of that number they must give it to the asking player
- Play continues until one player has no more cards left in their hand. They are the winner!
Another way to play
Play continues until there are no cards left. The player with the most pairs is the winner.