Task 

Explore different counting patterns using the interactive calculator below. Notice the scroll feature that allows the patterns on the hundred board to go up to 1000.

• Skip-counting by what numbers will include 100 as part of the pattern? (If counting by threes, start with 3. If counting by eights, start with 8.)
• What pattern do you see when you count by twos and begin with 2?
• What do you notice when you count by twos and begin with 1? Why?
• Will there be a pattern if you skip-count by fives and begin with 3? Why?
• What happens if you skip-count by tens and start with 37? What do you notice?
• How does adding 10 to any number relate to skip-counting by tens beginning with that number?

Benefits 

Students expand their intuitive understandings as they experiment with different counting sequences and identify the resulting numerical patterns. Calculators are an important tool for students to develop an awareness of the order of numbers. Learning to count with a calculator will naturally lead to counting backward as well as counting forward. Counting backward with the calculator may contribute to students’ understanding of subtraction and can introduce them to negative numbers.