Dice are useful because they create quick random numbers. The challenge in a whole-class lesson is making sure everyone can see the result and knows what to do with it.
The Daily Maths Review dice tool gives teachers a screen-based roller with one die, two dice or three dice, a large pip display, keyboard rolling, options and fullscreen controls.
Choose the number of dice first
The number of dice changes the maths conversation. One die is useful for number recognition. Two dice support addition facts and doubles. Three dice give students more room to use flexible strategies.
- Roll one die and ask students to say the number without counting every pip.
- Roll two dice and ask for the total, then a related fact.
- Roll three dice and ask students which two numbers they would combine first.
- Record repeated rolls when the focus is chance or data.
Make the result visible
A shared display means students can explain from the same result. Ask them to name the visible dice before calculating so the conversation stays grounded in what everyone can see.
Roll two dice five times. Each time, ask for the total, one strategy used to find it and whether the roll was a double.
Move from random rolls to reasoning
After a few rolls, move beyond naming the result. Ask which totals seem more likely with two dice, how students know, and how repeated results could be recorded in a table or graph.