Sushi Monster App¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 3 claims (3 for) · 10 studies (4 quant-synthesis, 2 causal, 2 review, 1 associational, 1 theoretical), q2–q4 · 3 of 10 report an effect size

Description¶

Sushi Monster is a free mathematics app (Scholastic) in which learners build addition and multiplication combinations to feed a hungry sushi monster. Plates of sushi bearing numbers are placed on a counter; the player selects the correct combination of plates to reach a target number, and correct combinations are "gobbled up" by the monster. Each round contains 14 target numbers, and the app offers 12 levels — 7 for addition and 5 for multiplication — providing structured practice with immediate feedback.

Design Implications¶

Sushi Monster is an example of game-based fluency practice: it embeds repeated arithmetic retrieval in a playful, goal-directed context with immediate outcome feedback. Digital game-based learning shows small-to-moderate positive effects on achievement relative to conventional instruction when the game content is tightly aligned to learning objectives Clark, Tanner-Smith, & Killingsworth meta-analysis of digital game learning. [+M]. The target-number structure requires learners to decompose numbers and consider multiple combinations, which supports number sense rather than rote recall alone [~W].

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Access to the Sushi Monster app on a compatible device (iOS)
• Sufficient fluency with basic number combinations to attempt target sums/products without frustration
• Teacher or parent framing that connects play to the underlying arithmetic (Practice works best when paired with debriefing)

Constraints¶

• Limited to addition and multiplication — no subtraction, division, or conceptual/word-problem content
• Fluency practice does not by itself build conceptual understanding of operations; it should supplement, not replace, instruction on the meaning of addition and multiplication [-W]
• Timed, performance-framed play can induce anxiety or speed pressure for low-fluency learners, shifting attention from reasoning to speed [~M]
• No detailed progress reporting for teachers, limiting use as an assessment data source

Implementation Variability¶

• Use as a station in math rotations (10–15 min sessions) rather than extended play blocks
• Ask learners to verbalize or record the combinations they found, converting play into self-explanation [+W] opportunities
• Pair with concrete manipulatives or number talks so the app's symbolic practice is grounded in representations

Target Learners¶

• Elementary students (roughly ages 7–11) consolidating addition and multiplication facts
• Learners who benefit from low-stakes, game-framed repetition and immediate feedback
• Less suitable for students who have not yet been introduced to the operations conceptually, or older students needing more advanced content

Target Learning Goals¶

• Arithmetic fluency: automatic retrieval of addition and multiplication combinations Chunking reduces working memory load. [+S] — automaticity frees working memory for higher-level problem solving
• Number decomposition: recognizing multiple ways to compose a target number
• Strategic thinking: planning plate selections under time and resource constraints

Instructions¶

1. Introduce the game mechanics and the target-number goal before independent play (Advance Organizers)
2. Have students play a level, selecting plate combinations to reach each target number (Practice)
3. Use the app's immediate feedback (monster eats correct combinations) to surface errors in the moment (Provide Feedback)
4. Debrief: ask students to share the combinations they used and compare strategies (Class Discussion)
5. Monitor level progression across the 12 levels to gauge fluency growth (Assess Performance)

Related Strategies¶

• Math fact fluency drills — Sushi Monster gamifies the same retrieval practice goal
• Number talks — verbal counterpart that builds the conceptual understanding the app assumes

Related Elements¶

• Practice — the app's core mechanism: repeated, feedback-rich retrieval
• Provide Feedback — immediate correctness feedback on each combination
• Assess Performance — level completion as a rough fluency indicator
• Adaptive Difficulty — level structure approximates increasing challenge, though adaptation to individual learners is limited

Tools¶

• Sushi Monster (Scholastic) — free iOS app

Examples¶

• A 3rd-grade classroom uses Sushi Monster as a 10-minute math rotation station; students record two different combinations they found for one target number and share them in a closing number talk.
• A parent uses the multiplication levels at home to maintain fact fluency over summer break, with the child explaining each choice aloud.

Key Sources¶

• Clark, D. B., Tanner-Smith, E. E., & Killingsworth, S. S. (2016). Digital games, design, and learning: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 86(1), 79–122. doi:10.3102/0034654315582065
• Riconscente, M. M. (2013). Results from a controlled study of the iPad fractions game Motion Math. Games and Culture, 8(3), 186–214. doi:10.1177/1555412013496894
• Gee, J. P. (2003). What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy. Computers in Entertainment, 1(1), 20. doi:10.1145/950566.950595
• Sweller, J., van Merriënboer, J. J. G., & Paas, F. (1998). Cognitive architecture and instructional design. Educational Psychology Review, 10(3), 251–296. doi:10.1023/A:1022193728205