Abstract: Primary grade students enter the mathematics
classroom with a range of differences including students’
mathematical readiness, mathematical conceptions, interests,
and learning profiles. Addressing the learning needs of
students is not a trivial task, but accounting for these needs
is essential for supporting students as they continually work
toward their potential. The philosophy of differentiated
instruction provides a framework for addressing the diversity
of students’ needs. One unique way of differentiating
instruction is by incorporating differentiated educational
games into the mathematics curriculum. Although the
education market contains scores of mathematics games,
few incorporate substantive elements of differentiation. This
article presents a guide for modifying
a traditional game into a differentiated
mathematical game that can be used
in primary classrooms. The game
design and implementation described
in this article were used in a research
study, Project Parallax (principal
investigators Catherine Brighton and
Tonya Moon). During this study,
teachers used curriculum (developed
by Project Parallax) as a vehicle for
identifying mathematical promise in
heterogeneous primary classrooms,
and differentiated mathematical
games were developed as part of the
curriculum.