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Dodgeball Maths

Maths in dodgeball: personal bests

Compare old and new results.

Quick answer

Maths in dodgeball: personal bests helps you compare your old and new scores to see how much you’ve improved. You can use subtraction to find the difference between your old and new results.

Learning outcome

By the end of this page, you will be able to compare your old and new dodgeball scores using subtraction to find how much you’ve improved. Success signs:
  • You can find the difference between two numbers.
  • You can show your improvement clearly.
  • You can use subtraction to compare your personal bests.
  • You can explain how much better you are now than before.

Why this matters

Maths in dodgeball helps you track your progress. When you play dodgeball, you might keep a record of how many balls you’ve hit or how many you’ve dodged. By comparing your old scores with new ones, you can see how much you’ve improved. This helps you stay motivated and shows your hard work paying off. In real life, comparing scores helps you in many ways:
  • At school, you can see how much you’ve improved in tests.
  • When you play games, you can track your high scores.
  • When you do sports, you can see your personal bests.

How it works

To compare your old and new dodgeball scores, follow these steps:
  1. Write down your old score. This is the number of balls you hit or dodged before.
  2. Write down your new score. This is the number of balls you hit or dodged this time.
  3. Subtract the old score from the new score. This shows how much better you are now.
  4. Check your answer. Make sure it makes sense.

Examples you can see

Let’s imagine you’re playing dodgeball and you want to see how much better you are now. Example 1: Last week, you hit 5 balls. This week, you hit 8 balls.
  • Old score: 5
  • New score: 8
  • Difference: 8 – 5 = 3
You hit 3 more balls this week than last week. That’s your improvement! Example 2: Last month, you dodged 12 balls. This month, you dodged 15 balls.
  • Old score: 12
  • New score: 15
  • Difference: 15 – 12 = 3
You dodged 3 more balls this month than last month. You’re getting better! Example 3: Last year, you hit 10 balls. This year, you hit 18 balls.
  • Old score: 10
  • New score: 18
  • Difference: 18 – 10 = 8
You hit 8 more balls this year than last year. You’ve improved a lot!

Try it as a mini adventure

Let’s go on a dodgeball adventure to see how you can track your personal bests! Adventure: Dodgeball Tracker You are a dodgeball champion who wants to record your best scores. Here’s how you can do it:
  1. Write down your score from last week: ?
  2. Write down your score from this week: ?
  3. Subtract your old score from your new score: ? – ? = ?
  4. Write down how much you improved: You improved by ? balls!
Try this with your own dodgeball scores. If you don’t have a dodgeball, you can pretend to play and make up your scores.

Common mistakes

  • Mistake: Subtracting the new score from the old score instead of the other way around.
    • Why it happens: You might get confused about which number to subtract from which.
    • Fix: Always subtract the old score from the new score to find how much you improved.
  • Mistake: Forgetting to write down your scores before subtracting.
    • Why it happens: You might try to do it in your head without writing anything down.
    • Fix: Always write down your old and new scores before subtracting.
  • Mistake: Thinking that a smaller number means you improved.
    • Why it happens: You might think that if you scored fewer balls, you got better.
    • Fix: If you scored more balls this time, you improved. If you scored fewer, you didn’t.

Parent and carer guide

Parents and carers can help by:
  • Encouraging your child to write down their scores before comparing them.
  • Using real-life examples like test scores or sports games to show how comparing helps.
  • Helping your child understand that a positive difference means improvement.
  • Playing a pretend dodgeball game to practice comparing scores.
  • Noticing when your child is confused and gently reminding them to subtract the old score from the new score.
Here’s how you can help in 5–10 minutes:
  1. Ask your child to tell you their old and new scores.
  2. Write them down together.
  3. Ask them to subtract the old from the new.
  4. Discuss what the difference means.
  5. Encourage them to celebrate their improvement!

Practice questions

  1. Old score: 6. New score: 9. How much did you improve?
  2. Old score: 10. New score: 14. How much did you improve?
  3. Old score: 3. New score: 7. How much did you improve?
  4. Old score: 15. New score: 18. How much did you improve?
  5. Old score: 8. New score: 12. How much did you improve?
Answers:
  1. 9 – 6 = 3
  2. 14 – 10 = 4
  3. 7 – 3 = 4
  4. 18 – 15 = 3
  5. 12 – 8 = 4

FAQ

What is a personal best in dodgeball?

A personal best in dodgeball is your highest score or best performance ever. It’s a record of how well you’ve done.

How do I know if I’ve improved?

If your new score is higher than your old score, you’ve improved. You can find the difference by subtracting your old score from your new score.

Can I compare my scores even if I play different games?

Yes! You can compare your scores in any game or activity. It helps you see how much you’ve improved over time.

What if my new score is lower than my old one?

If your new score is lower, it means you didn’t do as well. But that’s okay – you can still learn and try again!

How can I track my personal bests?

You can write your scores down in a notebook or on a chart. Every time you play, you can add your new score and see how much you’ve improved.