5 Dice is a math game aimed at teaching middle and upper elementary learners the order of operations. It stimulates learners to use their higher-order thinking to work backward from the provided answer to find the “target” number. A worksheet in the form of a whiteboard is built into the game for learners to work out their problems. Teachers receive instant email feedback about the progress of their learners.

Website: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id572774867

What Users Love About the App

“This is a challenging game that promotes critical thinking and helps strengthen arithmetic skills.”

“5 Dice: Order of Operations is a great game to practice a challenging skill, especially for middle and high school students working individually, in pairs or groups.”

“A few things I like about the app as a teacher is that you can send progress reports, multiple players can be involved at once so it can be an educational “game” that is appropriate for the classroom setting. I like the whiteboard feature as well. The app does encourage students to use higher-order thinking. I like how it gives the answer but not the equation; kids solve the target number by working backward. I like that you are able to make multiple user profiles, which is great for teaching. I oversee 80+ students and this app would be helpful for an educator in a similar position. What I love when using this app with middle school students is that it prompts players to use multi-step problem-solving skills in order to get the desired result. It also engages and intrigues children to keep trying until they get the right answer. This is something that I feel is important because children get bored of using apps very easily. I think the app is good to help learn the order of operations and promote higher-order thinking in an app.”

“As a 4th-grade teacher, I really like this app. It’s great to use for practicing order of operations in math workshops/centers/stations. Students can practice by themselves or, through a Bluetooth connection, they can play with a partner on another device. Students can email their results to the teacher for the accountability piece that is necessary when students are working independently. This is also great for 3rd & 4th graders to practice their number sense by using the addition/subtraction level.”

“Wow! This game is not only excellent in developing children’s understanding of the order of operations, but it can be very challenging for adults as well. Talk about brain exercise! Whew! I like that the gameplay is simple and easy to understand. The whiteboard is very helpful and I love that the dice in play is displayed on top. I also love that you can get a printable version of the game. I received the printable version very quickly via email. I also love that parents and teachers can track a child’s progress via email. I recommend this game for older elementary kids and adults.”

What Users Dislike About the App

“I love this game so much but it keeps kicking me out of the game when I finish a round and hit shoot. Then, when I get back in, I need to start a new game.”

“Problems can be difficult, so some kids might struggle. Accessible hints and leveled learning would be helpful.”

“If you want to be paid for the app, just say so and give me a chance to pay or get rid of the ads. The game was awesome until you added ads. To use this app with my class is a waste of time. Kids no longer want to play the game because the ads are ridiculously long. Get the ‘cancel ads app’ working to save your game.”

“Constantly freezes and has a frustrating ad every play. The ads are long and can’t be skipped!”

“How can I uninstall this app? This is a horrible app. There is no guidance or help. For someone who wants to learn algebra, this is not a good app.”