Students create repeating patterns with the calculator. Second graders create a pattern with color tiles. They make a table of their results and describe the pattern they have found. Repeating this process, they begin to see how quickly the number of cubes grows. They investigate this further using a calculator.
Students start with a rectangular sheet of paper that represents a cake.
They simulate eating half of the cake by cutting the sheet in half and removing one of the halves. They eat half of what is left and continue this process. They describe the pattern, noting that after they repeat this about ten times, the cake is essentially gone. Investigate and describe how certain quantities change over time. Students keep a daily record of the temperature both inside and outside the classroom.