Hook 'em

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What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players look at the rolled dice to evaluate which dice may be scored, which to set aside for subsequent rolls and whether they may take fish from an opponent

How Parents Can Assist Learning
No special parent support required.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
No special adult support required.

Determine

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players combine dice, including those set aside from prior rolls, to determine scoring, and whether to roll again. If the player rolls a hook and fish, they determine whether to take fish from pond or opponents. Additionally, players need to determine whether to roll again and to set aside any blue sided dice, in the event they decide to roll again.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
After rolling, encourage children to look at the dice that they set aside from prior rolls, if any. Those dice also are used in determining scoring. Also, to help children develop patience and precision, encourage them to look closely at the dice in order to ensure they are scoring properly.
Parents can also work with children on determining whether to take fish from opponents or from the pond when they roll a Hook. Ask the child to talk about the advantages or disadvantages of either option. Questions could include "How will another player react if you take his fish?" or "Is another player have more fish than you?"

Learning Implications and Educator Support
After rolling, encourage children to look at the dice that they set aside from prior rolls, if any. Those dice also are used in determining scoring. Also, to help children develop patience and precision, encourage them to look closely at the dice in order to ensure they are scoring properly.
Educators can also work with children on determining whether to take fish from opponents or from the pond when they roll a Hook. Ask the child to talk about the advantages or disadvantages of either option. Questions could include "How will another player react if you take his fish?" or "Is another player have more fish than you?"

Compare

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
When players trade 5 yellow fish for 1 orange fish, they are comparing the different values assigned to each fish. Children also compare possible options in terms of potential benefit.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
No special adult support required for the trade. However, this type of comparison involves symbolic thinking, i.e. understanding relative values of smaller denominations and larger denominations. This type of understanding is foundational for learning about money (ex: five cents equals a nickel) and time (ex: 60 minutes equals an hour). Young children may be inclined to act impulsively. Encourage children to think about what might happen with another roll, whether to take fish from the board or another player, etc.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
No special adult support required for the trade. However, this type of comparison involves symbolic thinking, i.e. understanding relative values of smaller denominations and larger denominations. This type of understanding is foundational for learning about money (ex: five cents equals a nickel) and time (ex: 60 minutes equals an hour).Young children may be inclined to act impulsively. Encourage children to think about what might happen with another roll, whether to take fish from the board or another player, etc.

Remember

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Children need to remember the meaning of each die and how to use them. After playing numerous times, players will begin to remember prior decisions and outcomes. This will influence their ability to make more accurate risk-reward analysis on current rolls of the dice.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
If you see a child in a situation that is similar to a prior game, ask them what happened last time. In particular, when a child rolls a blue side up, they need to remove that die (dice) from the next roll. Remembering the consequences of the choices that were made in previous turns to improve strategic thinking going forward. Remind them of what happened on previous turns. This will help the child think more thoroughly and reduce impulsivity.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
If you see a child in a situation that is similar to a prior game, ask them what happened last time. In particular, when a child rolls a blue side up, they need to remove that die (dice) from the next roll. Remembering the consequences of the choices that were made in previous turns to improve strategic thinking going forward. Remind them of what happened on previous turns. This will help the child think more thoroughly and reduce impulsivity.

Predict

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Predicting is essential feature of Hook Em. After many rolls, a player has an option to roll again. This requires assessing the probability of rolling a successful or unsuccessful combination of dice. Also, players need to predict the reaction of another player if they take fish from that player. Young children will typically predict an outcome in their favor. Experience will make them more realistic.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Playing Hook Em requires analyzing the odds of rolling scoring dice and whether the potential additional score is worth the risk of an unsuccessful roll (no fish are facing up). If a child rolls a hook and fish, there is additional risk-reward analysis in deciding whether to take fish from pond or opponent. All of this risk-reward analysis and choice-making is driven by making hypotheses and predictions, which is essential to strategic thinking.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Playing Hook Em requires analyzing the odds of rolling scoring dice and whether the potential additional score is worth the risk of an unsuccessful roll (no fish are facing up). If a child rolls a hook and fish, there is additional risk-reward analysis in deciding whether to take fish from pond or opponent. All of this risk-reward analysis and choice-making is driven by making hypotheses and predictions, which is essential to strategic thinking.

Experiment

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Children may experiment with different strategies in the same or different games.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
No special parent support required.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
No special educator support required.

Practice

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Each turn for a player involves one or more throws and opportunities to practice strategy. The process of playing the game numerous times leads to better strategies for gaining more points or taking points from an opponent.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
There is no special adult support required. However, the more proficient children become in understanding the odds and assessing the reaction of other players, the more accurate their risk-reward analysis and choices will be.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
There is no special adult support required. However, the more proficient children become in understanding the odds and assessing the reaction of other players, the more accurate their risk-reward analysis and choices will be.

Solve

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players win the game by having the most points (combination of yellow and orange fish) at the end of the game.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Encourage children to try different strategies to solve, i.e. win, the game. For example, in one game suggest the child tries taking fish from opponents whenever s/he has the opportunity. In another game, avoid taking fish from opponents. Then, try a combination strategy. If more than one child is playing, have them all try the same strategy for a game. Discuss the results together to learn what works, does not work and why.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Encourage children to try different strategies to solve, i.e. win, the game. For example, in one game suggest the child tries taking fish from opponents whenever they have the opportunity. In another game, avoid taking fish from opponents. Then, try a combination strategy. If more than one child is playing, have them all try the same strategy for a game. Discuss the results together to learn what works, does not work and why.

Review

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Children may voluntarily analyze their strategies during and after the game.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
If children do not spontaneously share their analysis, encourage them to discuss the results of different strategies. Adults can model this for them by sharing what happened as a result of their decisions about strategies.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
If children do not spontaneously share their analysis, encourage them to discuss the results of different strategies. Adults can model this for them by sharing what happened as a result of their decisions about strategies.

Demonstrate

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players may demonstrate if encouraged. See How Parents Can Assist Learning.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Encourage children to count all the fish aloud that they win on their turn.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Encourage children to count all the fish aloud that they win on their turn. This will help develop one-to-one correspondence. Educators can also ask the children to count by 2s, 3s and so on to extend the numeracy and counting skills.

Cognitive

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
To simplify the game and introduce some of the essential concepts, play as follows: For each turn, roll the dice. For any orange side facing up, take one fish from pond; for any blue side, set them aside; for any hook, take a fish from an opponent (if an opponent has a fish). Keep rolling until 4 blue sides have been rolled face up. Then pass turn to the left.
For children who do not yet understand multiplication, allow them to take 2 fish from the pond for each net rolled.

Communication

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Walk the child through the directions by demonstrating different options depending on what is rolled face up and which dice are already set aside. This will help children who have difficulty listening to directions and following them. Breaking up directions with a visual guidance supports memory. In addition, children may talk about their choices as they play. This is an opportunity for conversation about the various options, if available.
When playing Hook Em, have children do the math out loud. When they are deciding whether to roll again, have them discuss the advantages and disadvantages of re-rolling. What is the potential risk or reward? This encourages conversation and allows other players to contribute their ideas as well. If children play without discussing choices, ask questions to spark conversation. For example, "Whoa. I was lucky you didn't take fish from me. I have the most. I wonder what would have happened if you had taken my fish."
Encourage children to count one number at a time to total all the fish they catch on their turn. This helps develop counting skills. And, if all the fish are yellow, this helps children learn one-to-one correspondence, which is a critical foundational skill for higher level math.

Sensorimotor

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
This game is good for fine motor practice. For an extra challenge, have children pick up the fish with their non-dominant hand, tweezers, or chopsticks.
If children have difficulty manipulating all of the dice, allow them to use a cup as a holder to shake and then tip upside down to throw.

Social Emotional/Behavioral

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
When playing Hook Em, have children do the math out loud. When they are deciding whether to roll again, have them discuss the advantages and disadvantages of re-rolling. What is the potential risk or reward? This encourages conversation and allows other players to contribute their ideas as well. Pre-move discussion also encourages impulsive children to take their time to analyze options.
Have children play in teams of two. They can help each other with the mathematics and the strategic decisions regarding taking fish from another team or the pond. When children play in teams, they will practice negotiating, collaboration and turn taking.

Vision

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
The images on the dice may be too difficult for children with low vision to distinguish.
Try using a magnifying glass, or create your own larger versions of the dice out of small cube-shaped boxes (such as used for individual Christmas balls). Another option is to add tactile cues to the dice (one felt dot for one fish, two felt dots for two fish, a felt hook for the fish hook, and a tic-tac-toe felt cut out for the net).

Hearing

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
No special modifications required.

*Data compiled from CCSSI ELA Standards, WA Science Standards, and Washington Social Studies Standards

Extra Ways to Play the Game
To simplify the game and introduce some of the essential concepts, play as follows: For each turn, roll the dice. For any orange side facing up, take one fish from pond; for any blue side facing up, set them aside; for any hook, take a fish from an opponent (if an opponent has a fish). Keep rolling until 4 blue sides have been rolled face up. Then pass turn to the left. For children that have not learned multiplication, try having the net result in picking 2 extra fish from the pond.

Materials Needed
No additional materials required.

Developmental Benefits
This variation allows children to get accustomed to some novel rules of the game prior to incorporating more sophisticated math concepts.

Extra Ways to Play the Game
Add some scoring variations such as: if a player rolls 4 hooks, take 4 fish from the pond; or if a player rolls 4 waters, throw 4 fish back into the pond.

Materials Needed
No additional materials required.

Developmental Benefits
Variations create more surprises in the game. Surprises such as these, i.e. non-threatening or intense, help create additional motivation to play the game. This is called intrinsic motivation, which is more predictive of success later in life than IQ.

Extra Ways to Play the Game
For an extra challenge, have children pick up the fish with their non-dominant hand, tweezers or chopsticks. To go a little further, if a fish is dropped before placed in the boat, it must be returned to the pond.

Materials Needed
Tweezers, chopsticks or other tools for pick up objects.

Developmental Benefits
Adding a tool for picking up the fish will help children develop more complex fine motor skills. The skills are foundational for other skills such as eating or writing. Also, the rule that dropped fish are returned to the pond adds an element of risk to the game to increase challenge and excitement.