Computer Science Unplugged
Lightest and Heaviest—Sorting Algorithms
How do computers sort data lists? Using eight unknown weights and a balance scale, groups determine the order of the weights from lightest to heaviest. A second activity provides the groups with other methods to order the weights. The...
California Education Partners
Summer Olympics
Quickly get to the decimal point. The last assessment in a nine-part series requires scholars to work with decimals. Pupils compare the race times of several athletes and calculate how much they have improved over time. During the second...
It's About Time
What Determines and Limits an Atom's Mass?
Provide learners with the tools to further understand nuclear energy and isotopes. Young chemists investigate the components of an atom's nucleus, use symbols to represent various isotope forms, and use the percent abundance of an atom's...
Illustrative Mathematics
Comparing Years
Who knew that the Egyptian, Julian, and Gregorian year were different lengths? Your mathematicians will! They will have to calculate the difference between the years in seconds and find the percent change. Using dimensional analysis,...
Willow Tree
Slope
Investigate the different types of slope using graphs and ordered pairs. Scholars use the slope formula to determine the slope of a line between two points. Includes examples with a slope of zero and with no slope. The lesson follows a...
Roald Dahl
Matilda - Arithmetic
Mr. Wormwood, one of the characters in Roald Dahl's Matilda, is not the most trustworthy of characters. Have student groups take on the roles of car salespeople and play a game to see who can make the most profit by selling refurbished...
National Research Center for Career and Technical Education
Photoshop Scale
Say cheese! Can your class take a great photo and size it to fit any need? A career and technology-centered lesson plan demonstrates the correct way to resize images in Adobe Photoshop. Scholars view a presentation and work individually...
Workforce Solutions
Reality Check
Talk about a reality check! High schoolers complete a lifestyle survey indicating their preference for housing, entertainment, etc., and then calculate the salary required to support those choices. Finally, they research the types of...
It's About Time
Energy Flow in Ecosystems
Emerging biochemists more fully understand the flow of energy in ecosystems as they explore the laws of thermodynamics and relate them to energy transfer in food chains. They also investigate heat loss from the human body and how...
It's About Time
What Drives the Plates?
It's getting hot in here! Lead your emerging geoscientists on a thrilling journey as they calculate liquid densities to determine forces that stimulate thermal plates from within the earth's crust. They explore effects of temperature on...
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
Growing Up With A Mission
New Horizons began its journey to Pluto in 2006. Ten years later, it continues its mission. In that time, scholars have surely grown, but how much more will they grow by the time New Horizons reaches its destination? Find out with an...
Achieve
Yogurt Packaging
Food companies understand how to use math to their advantage. Learners explore the math related to the packaging and serving size of yogurt. They then use unit analysis and percent values to make decisions on the product development.
EngageNY
Two-Step Problems—All Operations
Step 1: Use the resource. Step 2: Watch your class become experts in solving two-step problems. Scholars learn to solve two-step word problems in context. They use tape diagrams and algebraic techniques to break the problem into two,...
American Statistical Association
How Long is 30 Seconds?
Is time on your side? Pupils come up with an experiment to test whether their classmates can guess how long it takes for 30 seconds to elapse. They divide the class data into two groups, create box-and-whisker plots, and analyze the...
Illustrative Mathematics
Giantburgers
What is a million between friends? This fast food chain claims to serves a certain percentage of Americans every day. The resource agrees, but depending on how you calculate it, you could be a million off. Let your fast food munchers be...
EngageNY
The Definition of Sine, Cosine, and Tangent
Introduce your classes to a new world of mathematics. Pupils learn to call trigonometric ratios by their given names: sine, cosine, and tangent. They find ratios and use known ratios to discover missing sides of similar triangles.
Mathed Up!
Money Problems
Mo' money, mo' problems! But don't worry, here is an assessment that proves to young mathematicians that they can solve actual money problems. The resource includes 11 money problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and...
Willow Tree
Interior Angles, Exterior Angles, and Diagonals of Polygons
How does the number of sides of a polygon affect the angle measures? Learners recognize a pattern in finding the total measure of interior and exterior angles and the number of diagonals. They use the patterns to calculate the number of...
West Contra Costa Unified School District
Solving Inequalities
What does translating points on a number line have to do with solving inequalities? Young mathematicians first learn about translations of points on a number line, and then use this information to solve linear inequalities in one variable.
Virginia Department of Education
The Ratio of Surface Area to Volume
Demonstrate the ratio of surface area to volume in your high school class by using phenolphthalein, gelatin, and an onion. Intrigue the class by leading a discussion on osmosis and diffusion, then making "scientific jello." Participants...
Space Awareness
History of the Universe
Your pupils may believe that you and their parents are the oldest things in the universe, but surprise! There are elements of the universe that are even older. Elementary scientists create a class timeline to demonstrate the expansive...
Virginia Department of Education
Inequalities
Not all resources are created equal — and your class benefits! Scholars learn how to solve one-step inequalities using inverse operations. They complete an activity matching inequalities to their solutions.
Prince Edward Island
Fact Learning, Mental Computation, Estimation
Need help with mental math in your classroom? This guide is full of tips, tricks, and examples to help the teacher encourage learners to use their brain instead of a calculator. Practice problems are included with reasons how to use...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Unit 8 Math Vocabulary Cards (Grade 6)
Additive inverse, expression, and irrational numbers are a few terms you'll find when you use a set of 22 flashcards designed to reinforce math vocabulary. The set includes two types of cards; a bold-faced word card, and a corresponding...