Mathematics Assessment Project
Deducting Relationships: Floodlight Shadows
Try to figure out what happens with shadows as a person moves between two light sources. A formative assessment lesson has individuals work on an assessment task based on similar triangles, then groups them based on their assessment...
Kenan Fellows
Lego Thinking and Building
Run a simulated airplane manufacturing plant with your pupils as the builders! Learners build Lego airplane models and collect data on the rate of production, comparing the number produced to the number defective. Using linear...
Illustrative Mathematics
Equal Area Triangles on the Same Base II
A deceptively simple question setup leads to a number of attack methods and a surprisingly sophisticated solution set in this open-ended problem. Young geometers of different strengths can go about defining the solutions graphically,...
Illustrative Mathematics
An Integer Identity
Challenge algebra learners to use the difference of cubes to solve this problem. Once your charges have taken out the factor (a - b), combined the like terms and set them equal to zero, the problem becomes a factorable quadratic...
Illustrative Mathematics
Voting for Three, Variation 2
Here is another opportunity for math students to apply reasoning to solve real-world problems with ratios. The ratio of the number of votes for two candidates is provided. Your class is asked to use this ratio and information given about...
Curated OER
Dragonfly
The speed of a dragonfly brings math into the real world as your learners collaboratively see the value in calculating unit rates in direct proportion problems. This six-phase lesson encourages you, as the teacher, to only ask questions...
Illustrative Mathematics
Buying Gas
A quick problem to test your middle schoolers' knowledge of dividing with decimals. Also a good practice of unit rates, they must compute the cost of one gallon of gas when given the total amount for a fill up. Can be used as a preface...
American Statistical Association
Happy Birthday to . . . Two?
How many people do you need in a room before two likely share the same birthday? Scholars consider this puzzle by analyzing a set of data. They ponder how to divide the data and determine the proper size of a group for this event to...
Utah Education Network (UEN)
Mathematics: Growing Patterns
Learners graph growing patterns using ordered pairs on a coordinate grid. They read The Fly on the Ceiling, a Math Myth.
Illustrative Mathematics
How Many Containers in One Cup / Cups in One Container?
The object is to model fraction division by asking “How many are in one group?” It is a difficult concept to understand, but developing the model that shows one cup to a certain amount of container or one container to a certain amount of...
EngageNY
An Application of Linear Equations
Just how far will the Facebook post go? Lead a discussion on how to manipulate the sum of a geometric series to figure out a formula to find the sum at any step. The plan contains an alternative to the discussion with more accessible...
Illustrative Mathematics
Traffic Jam
Help your learners understand dividing with fractions by using these methods to solve. Chose from two different number lines or linker cubes. This practices "how many groups?" style division problems which help them comprehend why they...
Illustrative Mathematics
Finding an Unknown Angle
Teach your class how to apply their knowledge of geometry as they explore the unknown. In order to find an unknown angle, learners must understand that rectangles have four interior right angles, that right angles have 90 degrees, and...
Illustrative Mathematics
Christo’s Building
Hook your charges on how to solve a real-world art problem with mathematics by showing works of Christo. You can find eye-catching images on the Christo and Jeanne Claude webpage. Here, math learners help Jean Claude and Christo prepare...
Illustrative Mathematics
The Circle and The Line
Here is a resource where algebra learners show their understanding of a system of equations involving a circle and a line. Once graphed, learners see two points of intersection, one where the ordered pair is read, and a second where...
Curated OER
Finding the Area of an Equilateral Triangle
The problem seems simple: find the area of the equilateral triangle whose sides are each length 1. In fact, this same problem is solved in 8th grade, addressing a different Common Core standard, using the formula for area of a triangle...
Illustrative Mathematics
Jim and Jesse's Money
Jim and Jesse started their road trip with the same amount of money. Your class must find the amount of money each one had given, the amount of money spent, and the ratio of money at the end. This is a comprehensive problem that takes...
Curated OER
Rounding and Subtracting
Common Core is all about getting your learners to open their minds and think about the why and how. This problem has them thinking about unknown numbers and their relationship with one another when we round and subtract. They will have...
EngageNY
Complex Numbers as Solutions to Equations
Quadratic solutions come in all shapes and sizes, so help your classes find the right one! Learners use the quadratic formula to find solutions for quadratic equations. Solutions vary from one, two, and complex.
EngageNY
Find Solutions to Make Equations True
The truth is always best. Individuals continue to find values that make equations true in the 26th installment of the 36-part module. The only difference is that they now call them solutions to those equations.
Illustrative Mathematics
Chess Club
When the membership in a chess club changes, it is your mathematicians' job to find out how many boys and girls are attending and the percent change from last year. The activity provides a great compound problem finding the different...
Illustrative Mathematics
Equivalent Expressions
Here is a straight-forward problem of multiplying two binomials with a twist. It is up to algebra learners to decide how to turn this product of sums into a sum of products. However, it is not the quadratic that is the answer; it is the...
Curated OER
Mixing Candies
Mixture problems are a classic in first-year algebra. Unfortunately, many learners approach them in a formulaic fashion and don't truly understand the meaning of the algebraic expressions they are using. Here, the questions are not the...
Teach Engineering
Bone Mineral Density Math and Beer's Law
Hop into a resource on Beer's Law. A PowerPoint presentation introduces Beer's law as part of calculating bone density from X-ray images in the sixth instructional activity in the series of seven. Individuals work on practice problems...