CCSS: One Less Than a Million - How Many Nines? Grade 2? 4? 6? 8?

Implementing The Core - Raising The Bar

One less than a million. How many 9's?
Developmentally inappropriate for 7 year olds?

***What questions should we be asking to develop this kind of arithmetic reasoning?***

***WHAT ARE THE BIG IDEAS HERE?***

What should children be writing on their paper to make conjectures about numerical patterns?

[1] less than 10: 9 [1 nine, 1 zero]
[1] less than 100: 99 [2 nines, 2 zeros]
etc...

How can this be EXTENDED to challenge the child who's ready for higher-order thinking?

Note that I didn't say *OLDER* children!

EXTENSIONS/ASSESSMENT SUGGESTIONS
One less than a trillion? How many nines?
One less than a googol?
One less than 10^n?

One MORE than a billion? How many 1's?
One MORE than 10^10? What is the SUM OF THE DIGITS?

YOUR IDEAS FOR OTHER PATTERNS?
YOUR STUDENTS' IDEAS?

Discover a general rule and have them memorize it?
***STATE A RULE - YES!***
***MEMORIZE? NO! NO! NO!***

It's OK. I'm not expecting comments. I'm just planting seeds. Up to you to consider, modify, plant, add nutrients and illumination, watch growth
OR ignore all of this!