These baubles have a larger space to cover with Numicon shapes.
Ask learners to use the Numicon shapes to cover the space in any way they can.
How many different ways can you do it? Compare your bauble with your friend’s. What’s the same and what’s different?
What is the total of the shapes you have used? Can you wite a number sentence to record what you have done?
Digit Dog didn’t use any shape more than once? Can you try this? How many ways can you do it? Is this more difficult? What are you thinking?
Can you use one shape repeatedly to cover the bauble? Which shapes will work? Which won’t? Why?
What is the fewest number of shapes you can use? The most?
What if you use only odd shapes? Only even shapes?
Look for learners who:
- can reason about which shapes to use,
- can discuss what they are doing and explain their thinking,
- can work systematically,
- can see patterns and discuss why they are choosing particular shapes,
- can substitute shapes so that they have more or fewer, rather than starting from scratch each time,
- can talk about similarities and differences.
Digit Dog Challenges 