Polydron

This activity investigates how you might make squares and pentominoes from Polydron.

Construct-o-straws

Make a cube out of straws and have a go at this practical challenge.

Cereal Packets

How can you put five cereal packets together to make different shapes if you must put them face-to-face?

Counting Counters

Stage: 2 Challenge Level:

Why do this problem?

This problem gives an opportunity for children to generalise from a practical situation. It is easy to replicate these patterns in the classroom with counters, bottle tops etc.

Key questions

Can you describe the pattern?

How many counters will you need to make the next 'one'?

How many counters have you used already?

Can you predict the number of counters you'll need for the next 'one'?

Can you predict the number of counters you'd need for any 'layer'?

Possible extension

Ask children to create their own increasing pattern so that they could predict the number of counters needed in any 'layer'.

Possible support

Having counters available to make the pattern, or drawing it, will help some children. They may find it useful to record the number of counters in each 'layer' too.

Visualising. Introducing algebra. Generalising. Interactivities. Working systematically. Investigations. Tangram. Counters. Compound transformations. Practical Activity.

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