County Fairs and Carnivals are wonderful. The smell of the food, the thrill of the rides, and the chance to win prizes make for a perfect combination.

Winner! Winner! is an activity about the Carnival coming to town with seven (7) exciting games: Rolling Dice, Bottle Bowling, Fish Bowl, Weigh in on That!, Pin the Wing, Colors, and Spin It! Student groups must look at the cost, rules, and awarded prizes in order to give the best rank order for these games. The groups will be expected to give details on the procedures they used to develop their ranking order. Furthermore, students will be expected to calculate the expected values of the Rolling Dice game and interpret the results in context.

All of a sudden more information is collected about these Carnival Games and now the savvy students must use this information to either revise or rewrite their procedures. Then, when the students are ready to attack this new dilemma, they will encounter Andy, a Carnival Lover, who has had a thrilling time but now discovers his funds are running low. Which games will the students select for Andy and why?

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.