Illustrative Mathematics
How Many Cells Are in the Human Body?
Investigating the large numbers of science is the task in a simple but deep activity. Given a one-sentence problem set-up and some basic assumptions, the class sets off on an open-ended investigation that really gives some context to all...
Baylor College
Water: The Math Link
Make a splash with a math skills resource! Starring characters from the children's story Mystery of the Muddled Marsh, several worksheets create interdisciplinary connections between science, language arts, and math. They cover a wide...
CCSS Math Activities
Baseball Players
Statistics is an important part of baseball. Given the mean weight of players on a baseball team, scholars determine the total weight of the players. They then find the median and range of weights for the opposing team. Lastly, they...
CCSS Math Activities
Building Blocks
Math is a lot like building blocks—it requires a solid foundation. A short performance task has pupils consider the volume of a cubic block. It then asks mathematicians to find the surface area and volume of a prism made from stacking...
Illustrative Mathematics
Counting Squares
Challenge young mathematicians' understanding of squares with this geometry puzzle. The task is simple, identify as many squares as possible in a 3x3 array. Allow learners to work independently or in pairs as they search for squares,...
Illustrative Mathematics
Telling a Story With Graphs
Turn your algebra learners into meteorologists. High schoolers are given three graphs that contain information about the weather in Santa Rosa, California during the month of February, 2012. Graph one shows temperatures, graph two...
Illustrative Mathematics
Overlapping Rectangle
Challenge young mathematicians' ability to compose and decompose shapes with this fun geometry puzzle. The goal is simple, locate all of the rectangles shown in a picture of three overlapping rectangles. Perform this activity as a whole...
Illustrative Mathematics
Regular Tessellations of the Plane
Bringing together the young artists and the young organizers in your class, this lesson takes that popular topic of tessellations and gives it algebraic roots. After covering a few basic properties and definitions, learners attack the...
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
Charting the Progress of New Horizons
In 2006, New Horizons began its mission to fly to Pluto. As it continues its journey, scholars track its progress with the help of an informative website, all the while reinforcing measurement concepts with the construction of a scaled...
Mathematics Assessment Project
Sidewalk Patterns
Sidewalk patterns ... it's definitely not foursquare! Learners investigate patterns in sidewalk blocks, write an expression to represent the pattern, and then solve problems using the expressions.
Mathematics Assessment Project
Bird’s Eggs
Are the length and width of birds' eggs related? Young ornathologists use a scatter plot to investigate the relationship between the length and width of eggs for Mallard ducks. They then determine the egg with the greatest...
Mathematics Assessment Project
Multiple Solutions
So many different kinds of equations and inequalities! Learners solve equations and inequalities with quadratics and other higher-order polynomials. They then classify the equations based on the number of solutions.
5280 Math
Interesting Times
Gain a little interest in functions with a real-life task. Young scholars analyze home loan data with a geometric sequence and series. They use the models to make predictions about the total loan payments at certain intervals in a useful...
California Education Partners
Improving Our Schools
Split the work three ways. Learners use their knowledge of fractions to solve problems dealing with splitting up work loads evenly between three groups. Scholars determine the fractional portion of work each group will do along with...
Teach Engineering
Both Fields at Once?
An MRI uses both a magnetic and electricity, so how do the two interact with each other? Class members observe the effects on a charged particle when it is subject to both an electrical and magnetic field. The teacher background...
Teach Engineering
Designing Bridges
Introduces your class to the types of loads experienced by a bridge. Groups calculate the ultimate load combinations to determine the maximum load requirement. Using this information, builders then determine the amount of material they...
Illustrative Mathematics
Ratio of Boys to Girls
How many boys are in the class? Here is an introductory exercise describing ratios. The commentary shows different ways learners can approach the problem, using a tape diagram of boys to girls and using a table. The activity includes...
Illustrative Mathematics
Margie Buys Apples
One of the most common, everyday applications of math is dealing with money. This single problem calculating how much change Margie receives is more involved than it appears at first glance. An understanding of how fractions and decimals...
Illustrative Mathematics
Banana Bread
Show your future bakers how to choose the right baking pan by calculating the volume of a pan. The resource compares two pans, one with decimal edge lengths and is too small for the recipe and one that may work. Your number crunchers are...
Curated OER
End-of-Year Practice Test (Grade 7 ELA/Literacy)
Prepare your pupils for Common Core testing with this practice test. The test includes one fictional text and four informational texts for learners to read and answer questions about. Also included are answer keys, an online version, and...
Curated OER
End-of-Year Practice Test (Grade 6 ELA/Literacy)
With the end of the year quickly approaching it's time to find out exactly how much your sixth graders have learned. Specifically designed for the Common Core ELA standards, this practice test gives students five reading passages,...
NASA
Just How Far is That Star?
Pupils often wonder how we know the distance to various stars. Starting with a thought experiment and progressing to a physical experiment, they determine the brightness and distance to various stars. The evaluation requires critical...
Wells Fargo
Hands on Banking
What happens to your money between the time you make a bank deposit and the time you decide to spend it? Take middle schoolers and teens through the process of opening checking and savings accounts, creating a personal budget,...
Teach Engineering
Tippy Tap Plus Piping
Getting water to a tap requires an understanding the fundamentals of fluid flow. Groups design, build, and test a piping system to get water from the source — a five gallon bucket — to a tippy tap. The objective is to be able to fill...