MFM2P - Day 64: Toothpicks

Today is the wrap-up day for the lesson study in which I have been involved. So, again, I will blog about what should be happening in my class today.

Here is today's visual pattern:

Students need to find the pattern in the number of toothpicks at each step. They are very good at counting squares so this one might throw them off a bit. If I was there, I might extend it and ask about area, also. Next time...

Coincidentally (really!) they will then be doing this toothpick activity which I got from Alex Overwijk. This is really the 2nd part - the first has them counting toothpicks, whereas this one has them counting vertices. It's a nice activity to connect patterns, graphs and algebra.