The purpose of this task is to help students see that 4x(9+2) is four times as big as (9+2). Though this task may seem very simple, it provides students and teachers with a very useful visual for interpreting an expression without evaluating it because they can see for themselves that 4x(9+2) is four times as big as (9+2). Using the two colors also allows students and teachers to see the value of the expression 4x(9+2) as 4x9+4x2 which would provide a great segue into a discussion of the distributive property. Aligns with 5.OA.A.2.