Share the Headline Story with the class. Encourage children to think of different numbers that would complete the story.
Bettina arranged her pennies into a square. She has _____ pennies.
If her square is filled in, then she could have 4, 9, 16, 25, … pennies.; If her square is just an outline, then she might have 4, 8, 12, 16, …pennies.