California Academy of Science
How Big is Big?
In a math or life science class, "mini-me" models are created with cardstock to reflect a 1:10 scale of students' bodies. Learners measure each others' heights with meter sticks, and then reduce the size by 10. After this exercise, they...
National Wildlife Federation
Conceptualizing Module II - Putting It All Together
"Creativity is just connecting things." - Steve Jobs. After weeks of researching climate change, the ninth lesson in a series of 21 combines the data and analysis to address essential questions. It covers natural phenomenon, human...
Curated OER
Gazebo Construction
Students create and give oral proposals for the construction of a gazebo using a blueprint created with Geometer's Sketchpad. They then build a gazebo model using the blueprints created and provide evidence why it should be selected for...
Foundation for Water & Energy Education
How Can Work Be Done with Water Power? Activity A
Environmentally friendly engineering teams construct a water wheel and experiment with its speed and the resulting amount of weight it can lift. Consider following this activity with two more of the same title by the same publisher when...
Mathematics Assessment Project
Hopewell Geometry
Right triangles from 2,000 years ago? Learners investigate different right triangles found in the earthworks of the Hopewell people, a Native American culture that populated the United States from 200BC to AD 500. Learners apply concepts...
Curated OER
Patterns in the Sums of Polygon Angles
Sixth graders discover the patterns of sums of polygon angles. In this math lesson plan, 6th graders study the properties of geometric shapes to solve problems as they participate in hands-on activities.
Curated OER
Changes in Force, Motion, and Energy
Eighth graders construct various machines and compare the work done by them.
Curated OER
Geometry in the Real World
Eighth graders complete a unit of lessons on basic geometry concepts. They participate in a variety of activities, culminating in a project that involves publishing a booklet or a poster that presents the major geometry concepts from the...
Curated OER
Ratios in Right Triangles
Learners calculate the sides of right triangles in this trigonometric ratios lesson. They use Cabri Jr. software and TI-83 or TI-84 calculators to find the side lengths and their ratios to each other for various triangles. The provided...
Noyce Foundation
Boxes
Teach your class to think outside the box. Scholars use the concept of equality to solve a problem in the assessment task. They determine how to use a scale to identify the one box out of a set of nine boxes that is heavier than the others.
California Education Partners
Yum Yum Cereal
Design an efficient cereal box. Scholars use set volume criteria to design a cereal box by applying their knowledge of surface area to determine the cost to create the box. They then determine whether their designs will fit on shelves,...
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...
Noyce Foundation
Poly-Gone
Investigate polygons from rectangles to triangles to octagons. Each level of the five-problem series targets a different grade level. Beginning with the level A problem, learners examine the relationship between area and perimeter by...
EngageNY
Describing a Distribution Displayed in a Histogram
The shape of the histogram is also relative. Learners calculate relative frequencies from frequency tables and create relative frequency histograms. The scholars compare the histograms made from frequencies to those made from relative...
EngageNY
The Special Role of Zero in Factoring
Use everything you know about quadratic equations to solve polynomial equations! Learners apply the Zero Product Property to factor and solve polynomial equations. They make a direct connection to methods they have used with quadratic...
Virginia Department of Education
Similar Triangles
Pupils work in pairs to investigate what it takes to prove that two triangles are similar. They work through various shortcuts to find which are enough to show a similarity relationship between the triangles. Small groups work with the...
Curated OER
Twenty Questions: The Hundred Chart
Use the 20 Questions game to practice math vocabulary and number properties! Project a hundreds chart and hand one out to learners. Ideally, give them counters (beans would work well) to mark off the chart so you can play multiple times....
Bowland
Pointzero: Confined
Groups plan their escape carefully. Three three-tiered puzzles help a story character escape their situation, each involving integer sequences, transformations, and geometric constructions. The teacher resource includes slides and...
Howard County Schools
Getting Paid for School
What if you were paid to attend class? What kind of payment schedule would you choose? Learn how exponential functions will eventually exceed linear functions by comparing two different payment schedules for attending class.
California Education Partners
Science Fair Project
Plant the data firmly on the graph. Given information about the growth rate of plants, pupils determine the heights at specific times and graph the data. Using the information, scholars determine whether a statement is true and support...
02 x 02 Worksheets
Slope
What does slope have to do with lines? Pupils work with lines and determine the slope of the lines informally and with the slope formula. Groups use their knowledge to calculate the slopes of parallel and perpendicular lines. They also...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Character Clovers
Build a classroom community with a lesson that uses character clovers to examine scholars' roles. Following a whole-class discussion, participants list four roles they play and accompany it with the character traits that go along with it.
Curated OER
Using R&R to Teach Mathematics
Second graders create a shape garden. In this polygons lesson, 2nd graders practice making shapes using a geoboard and read the book The Greedy Triangle by Marilyn Burns. Students also design a shape garden using construction paper.
Curated OER
Introduction to Mathematical Modeling
In this mathematical modeling worksheet, students answer two essay questions. They describe Newton's Law of Cooling by describing and constructing a model and answering seven essay questions about the process.