Description

Jo has used this task very successfully in the first days of class with very insecure students. Shortly after posing the challenge, the whiteboard area fills up with students posting their solutions, then returning to their seats to look for more answers. For students, it is a very safe and non-intimidating activity. It builds number sense and offers a fun challenge. This task is also an excellent way to help students feel comfortable sharing their work in front of the class.

The first appearance of the "Four 4's" challenge was in Mathematical Recreations and Essays by the English mathematician W.W. Rouse Ball in 1892, and it was later revisited by Constance Reid in her book From Zero to Infinity in 1955.

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