March 6, 2023
Astoria School District
In-Service Training Wellness Course Outline
Icebreaker – Element Anagrams (winner in the 1999 Anagrammy Awards, by Mike Keith, author of cadaeic.net)
hydrogen + zirconium + tin + oxygen + rhenium + platinum + tellurium + terbium + nobelium + chromium + iron + cobalt + carbon + aluminum + ruthenium + silicon + ytterbium + hafnium + sodium + selenium + cerium + manganese + osmium + uranium + nickel + praseodymium + erbium + vanadium + thallium + plutonium = nitrogen + zinc + rhodium + helium + argon + neptunium + beryllium + bromine + lutetium + boron + calcium + thorium + niobium + lanthanum + mercury + fluorine + bismuth + actinium + silver + cesium + neodymium + magnesium + xenon + samarium + scandium + europium + berkelium + palladium + antimony + thulium
That's more than half the periodic table! The kicker is that if you replace each element with its atomic number, the anagram still balances:
1 + 40 + 50 + 8 + 75 + 78 + 52 + 65 + 102 + 24 + 26 + 27 + 6 + 13 + 44 + 14 + 70 + 72 + 11 + 34 + 58 + 25 + 76 + 92 + 28 + 59 + 68 + 23 + 81 + 94 = 7 + 30 + 45 + 2 + 18 + 93 + 4 + 35 + 71 + 5 + 20 + 90 + 41 + 57 + 80 + 9 + 83 + 89 + 47 + 55 + 60 + 12 + 54 + 62 + 21 + 63 + 97 + 46 + 51 + 69 = 1416
I. Target-based mental math games
A. Krypto
B. Insumnia
C. Countdown Numbers
D. Summle
E. Proof!
F. Mathler
G. Numble
H. Countle
II. Wordle math spinoffs
A. Sumzle
B. Numberle
C. Nerdle
D. Ooodle Max
III. Arithmetic Squares
A. Kakuro
B. Yohaku
C. Math Squares and Number Blocks
IV. Crossnumber puzzles
A. The Full Crossnumber Puzzle!
B. Hybrid number/word puzzles
V. Other puzzles
A. Set
B. Alphametics
C. Cube and Square Puzzle
D. Dot Connect
E. Factris
F. Tangrams