Curated OER
This is Cool!
Third and fourth graders who are studying states of matter will enjoy this simple exercise. In it, they look at a picture of a girl in her kitchen, and they must circle five examples of materials that have changed states of matter as...
Curated OER
Is the Price Right?
Students listen to the book, Arthur's Funny Money, then play The Price is Right game to estimate and to chart the price of items to the nearest $1.00 and $10.00. They check their estimates by counting out the actual amount in play money.
Curated OER
2002 State Flower Show
Here is another State Quarter lesson. This one uses the Mississippi State Quarter. Pupils utilize beautifully-designed worksheets embedded in the plan, to practice calculating which combinations of flowers they can afford to buy. They...
Teach Engineering
Spring Away!
The last segment of the nine-part unit makes a connection between springs and linear equations. Groups hang weights from the spring and measure its length. Then, using the data collected, they calculate the slope to find the k-value of...
Curated OER
Move the Sounds
Use cut out letters to make beginning sounds, blends, and word families that ultimately make new words. Learners move around physically as they hold the letters to make the specified blend or word. Assessment suggestions are included.
Curated OER
Making Music and Playing the Blues
Students research how musical instruments have changed over time. They discover how math is used in music. They describe musical instruments from photographs as well.
Curated OER
Shame on You!
Should public humiliation be an acceptable consequence for a crime? Have your middle schoolers engage in a round table discussion about the recent resurgence of the use of public humiliation as a punishment for crimes in the United...
Curated OER
Discount and Sales Price
One of the most practical ways to teach about percentages is to use the real-life example of "sale" or "discount" pricing. This presentation poses many of these type of problems for young mathematicians who are trying to master the...
Curated OER
George's Place
Here is another in the interesting series of lessons that uses money as a learning tool. This one is especially clever! During the lesson, pupils pretend they are eating at "George's Place" diner. Small groups are given one bag of play...
Curated OER
Casting Doubt: "Color-blind" and Nontraditional Casting Decisions
In his article about color-blind casting entitled, "Willy Loman Is Lost, Still Looking for Stimulus Plan and Some Dignity," Charles Isherwood quotes August Wilson as saying, "To mount an all-black production of a 'Death of a Salesman'...
Curated OER
2nd Grade - Act. 23: Sprout Houses
Read the story "Sunflower House," by Eve Bunting with your 2nd graders to investigate the relationships between plants and animals. They will discover how living things change during their lives by creating their own sprout houses. In...
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...
Curated OER
Point-Slope Form of a Line
This activity helps young mathematicians connect the graph and the point-slope form of a line, by first solving a real-world problem and then using that example to motivate the understanding of the equation. By manipulating the gizmo,...
Curated OER
Estimation
Select items to purchase from a store, add up the total cost, then estimate the total cost! Kids count out the money needed to make the purchase and pay for the items. An excelent way to connect real life math and estimation!
Teach Engineering
Considering Trade-Offs and Maximizing Efficiency in a Fast Food Restaurant
Make fast food restaurants even faster. Groups consider trade-offs when maximizing efficiency in fast food restaurants. Restructuring schedules and floor plans, as well reassigning job duties, all fall under this directive.
Cornell University
Building a Compound Light Microscope
What better way to learn how to use a microscope than building your own? A lab investigation has scholars use lenses from magnifying glasses and sheets of cork to design their own compound microscopes. They calculate focal length and the...
Curated OER
Salt, To Use or Not To Use
Fifth graders develop a deeper understanding of chemical and physical changes. They explain how salt is made, used, and the affects it has on the body. They explain that salt in moderation is important to our health.
Curated OER
How Do You Choose a Physical Activity?
Students analyze the fitness choices that they make and the benefits of a regular exercise program. They create a sample episode of an original fitness program.
Curated OER
Physical/Chemical Properties of a Burning Candle
Students investigate the physical and chemical properties of a candle before and after it is lit. They conduct a burning candle experiment, and complete a KWL chart and worksheet, recording the results of the investigation.
Curated OER
Money Game
Fourth graders give change of one dollar. In this decimal and fractions instructional activity, 4th graders receive fake coins and discuss what they could purchase with them. Students go for a walk and spend one dollar and get their...
Curated OER
Acids and Bases
In this acids and bases worksheet, students compare the properties of acids and bases. Students determine the concentrations required to neutralize solutions. This worksheet has 1 word problem and 14 multiple choice questions.
Curated OER
From Caterpillars to Butterflies: Life Cycles
Second graders listen to a read aloud of the Eric Carle's, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and talk about the life cycle of caterpillars. They draw illustrations of the life cycle and compare it with the life cycle of another familiar...
Curated OER
The Gas Laws
In this gas laws worksheet, students answer 15 multiple choice questions about the gas laws that include the relationships between temperature, volume and pressure of gases.
Curated OER
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Fourth graders participate in an activity which introduces them to common types of precipitation. They examine "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" through a teacher read aloud and make a weather pamphlet.