Rob and Alexandra opened the Modeling Workshop by demonstrating a pre-made model: rabbits and wolves. Alexandra discussed the concepts of modeling a story in the form of an interactive applet, which was a precursory look at what the students were going to work on next. The students grasped all the key components of the rabbit and wolf model, including the interactions between rabbits, wolves, and the grass, and Rachel went on to explain some of the reason why researchers use computers to model situations as opposed to reality. Rachel introduced the class to the first Interactivate fire applet. This model gave trees various chances to be burned based on whether or not the tree adjacent to it was on fire. After giving each student 5 trials, the class started to see how computer models of fires changed when they altered one variable: probability. By having different students use probabilities, varying from a 0/6 chance to a 6/6 guaranteed chance of ignition, the students gathered statistical evidence and plotted points to show a graph of a line that modeled the fire applet.
After a break, Rob showed the class how the rabbit population from the rabbit and wolf model changed over time. Using Excel spreadsheets, the class modeled the rate at which the rabbit population grew. Rob explained that the rabbit population grew at an exponential rate, meaning that each generation would grow faster than the one previously because there were more rabbits present to reproduce. he further explained the principles of each agent in the model and how system models, models with numbers, are different from agent models, models with agents that follow systems of behaviors. At the end of the day Rob introduced the class to another modeling program that could be used to model their rabbit and wolf situation called Vensim. Vensim used a series of "pipelines" to show what happened to each agent after the other one acted in some way. Using Vensim the class was able to calculate the exact rabbit population at any given point.