Copyright © University of Cambridge. All rights reserved.  'The
Amazing Splitting Plant' printed from  Show menu  The Amazing
Splitting Plant  The splitting plant grows in a special way.  In
the first week, the stem splits into two branches.   How many
flowers will the plant have?  Why do this problem?  This
activity offers a situation that is not too complex to
understand and yet opens out many possible explorations. It
would be a good chance to focus on the different ways children
have represented their solutions.  Possible approach  You could
present the problem orally to the class, rather like telling a
story. Ask them how many branches there would be by the end of
the second week. You could then invite them to talk in pairs
about the number of branches at the end of the third week. 
Giving learners mini-whiteboards might help at this stage. How
did they work out the answer? Having got this far, leave them to
work on the problem in their pairs.  In the plenary, you could
draw attention to the different wa