Snowmen Buttons

Why I like this problem: It is easy and gives students a break from the more complex problems, yet it leaves room for interpretation due to it’s wording. When I was asked if all the buttons needed to be used up, I acknowledged: "it doesn't say...." Students are able to practice data organization, and explain their reasoning in various ways.

Observations from class: Students found this one too easy and some got bored when asked to find ALL the possibilities. Not sure that I will use it again for older students, but it would work well for younger grades.

Follow-up questions I asked: 

1. How can you organize the data to make it systematic?
2. How can you ensure that you do not miss any configurations?

Required skills / content: Counting, organizing data.

Links: PDF / Google Doc

Source: Christian Courtemanche