Radford University
Are You Faster than Bacteria?
Just how fast does bacteria grow? Over the course of three lessons, pupils investigate exponential growth with the use of bacteria growth. During the lesson, bacteria from a cell phone is grown to make a connection to real life. Using...
Radford University
Buying A Car
What is my monthly payment? Scholars research to find the perfect car for them to buy. Using the cost of the car, they determine a down payment and the amount of monthly payments using a zero interest loan. Finally, they investigate what...
Radford University
Got Slope?
Go around and around with slope. The class investigates tornadoes by watching videos, building a homemade tornado, and performing research on the Storm Prediction Center website. Groups gather data and create scatter plots for twisters...
Radford University
Ramp It Up
Pupils gather measurements of real-world objects that have slopes. They then plot the measurements and find an equation of a line that fits the measurements. Finally, groups investigate the ADA and determine whether different ramps meet...
Radford University
Quadrilaterals
Connect the quadrilaterals. Working in teams, pupils use a variety of tasks to make connections between special quadrilaterals. With the properties well defined, the groups construct quadrilaterals based on those properties. Learners...
Radford University
Right Triangle Applications: Lesson 3
Find the connection between trigonometry and tornadoes. Pairs investigate a tornado in Joplin, Mo., and use trigonometry to find its size. The pupils determine the path of the tornado and find the distance needed to travel to help...
Radford University
Right Triangle Applications: Lessons 1 and 2
Use right triangles for more than just mathematical problems. The first two lessons of a unit ask pupils determine distances between cities by using the Pythagorean Theorem and a map. To cement understanding, learners use trigonometric...
Radford University
Down on Sue's Farm
When would a farmer use math? Class members work through five tasks on a farm that require knowledge of surface area, volume, and determining regression equations. The challenges range from figuring out the amount of paint to buy,...
Radford University
Environmental Issues
Pupils investigate the air pollution situation in China by fitting a curve to historical data. They dig deeper into environmental issues that are of interest and provide a mathematical analysis of the issue. Class members develop a route...
Radford University
Money and Finance
Make the connection between money and exponential equations. Pupils continue financial lessons as they learn about compound interest in savings accounts. They extend the investigation of savings by looking at annuities, and then...
Radford University
Feeding the World
Using technology, pupils find an exponential function to model the population growth of the US. With more information, learners derive the population growth formula for the world. Ultimately, they determine the amount of protein needed...
Radford University
Percentages: Lesson 1
Math can be taxing at times. With a short lesson, pupils determine how income tax affects take-home pay. Learners determine their net pay based on tax tables and how adjustments in their gross pay changes the paycheck.
Radford University
Subdivision Design and Quadrilaterals
They say real estate is location, it might be more about area. Learners work individually and in groups to design subdivisions by dividing the land up into lots. Scholars design floor plans to fit on the lots along with including a park....
Radford University
How to Build a Happy Home
Build a complete house in just a few days. Learners create floor, roof, deck, and landscape plans for a two-story house. Scholars then use their knowledge of area formulas, trigonometric ratios, and the Pythagorean Theorem to determine...
Radford University
The Wheels on the Bus
Find a cheaper way to keep buses going round and round. Small groups use their knowledge of ratios and proportions to find ways to save money on school transportation. The teams determine the number of miles buses currently travel by...
Radford University
Ping Pong Packing
Bounce off some ideas to reduce the amount of wasted space. Teams work together to determine the best size and shape of container to package a large order of ping pong balls. Groups are to design the container to reduce the amount of...
Radford University
2 and 3 Dimensional Shapes
Take a similar approach to three dimensions. Pupils develop the relationship between areas of similar objects and see how they relate to the ratio of the sides. Building upon area formulas, small groups put together volume formulas for...
Radford University
Natural Disaster Recovery and Quadrilaterals: Fencing and Roofing Materials
Storm into a better understanding of geometry. Using a tornado as a backdrop, scholars practice their skills finding perimeters and areas of rectangles. Learners apply their knowledge of the Pythagorean Theorem to find missing sides of...
Radford University
Next Top Model
Create a world of similar models. The geometry and measurement unit uses real-world scenarios to create models of familiar buildings and rooms. Scholars work with blueprints and scale models to compare areas and volumes between the...
EngageNY
Grade 5 Math Module 1, Topic F, Lesson 14
Be sure to place value on place value understanding. Young mathematicians learn to divide decimals by whole numbers when compatible numbers are not available. They use place value discs in place value charts, then connect this strategy...
EngageNY
Grade 5 Math Module 1, Topic C, Lesson 7
Step up or step down to rounding. Using a vertical number line, the instructional activity shows pupils the significance of rounding up or rounding down. Teachers encourage scholars to write the number in unit form and decide which form...
Achieve
Medication Dosage
Here's the cure to boredom. Given a patient file, including medication dosage information, scholars determine the amount of medication left in the patient's bloodstream over time. They analyze the sequence of numbers and determine a...
New York City Department of Education
Designing Euclid’s Playground
Create a geometric playground. Pupils work through a performance task to demonstrate their ability to use geometric concepts to solve everyday problems. The accompanying engineering design lessons show teachers how the assessment works...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Sometimes We Need Large Numbers to Describe Small Things
String the class along to help them understand large numbers. A multi-disciplinary lesson uses literature, science, and math to look at very large numbers. Pupils conceptualize how much a million is using literature before performing a...