West Contra Costa Unified School District
The Power of Ten: Building a Magnitude Model
Add visual representation to teaching place value with a magnitude model. Using adding machine tape, pupils build a linear place value strip from 1 to 100.
Teach Engineering
Discovering Relationships Between Side Length and Area
Consider the relationship between side length and area as an input-output function. Scholars create input-output tables for the area of squares to determine an equation in the first installment of a three-part unit. Ditto for the area of...
Illustrative Mathematics
Growing Bean Plants (Grade 2)
After planting a bean seed in a jar, young scientists observe the growth patterns over several days. As the bean becomes a sprout, and the sprout becomes a plant, partners measure and plot the data. They notice patterns, practice...
College Board
Calculations Aren't Enough!
Unlike mathematics, statistics comes with a context. The author reminds teachers that data analysis involves using the context to make sense of the numbers. The article stresses good communication skills by highlighting the scoring...
Bowland
Patchwork Cushions
Find out if there are enough squares. Given diagrams for the first four figures in a sequence, pupils try to determine the next figure. Individuals find the number of square and triangle pieces of fabric that are required to make...
Mathematics Assessment Project
“Ponzi” Pyramid Schemes
Use mathematics to show your classes the power of a good model. Young mathematicians analyze the famous Ponzi pyramid scheme using an exponential pattern. They make conclusions on the reliability of the plan and why it is illegal.
Freecloud Design
Mathmateer
Three, two, one...liftoff! Elevate math skills to new heights while having a blast. A great resource that combines entertainment and education for children of all ages.
Noyce Foundation
Between the Lines
Explore linear and square dimensions by comparing areas of similar figures. A creative set of five activities designed for elementary through high school classes asks young scholars to compare areas of specific polygons. The first two...
National Research Center for Career and Technical Education
Hospitality and Tourism 1: Safety and Sanitation
Math and science come alive in this career-related instructional activity on sanitation. Along the way, learners explore bacterial growth rates using exponential notation and graphs. A link to a very brief, but vivid video shows just how...
Mathed Up!
Symmetry
Eleven problems provide pupils the opportunity to find the lines of symmetry or identify rotational symmetry. Scholars alter designs to make them symmetrical, learn to recognize signs that are symmetrical, and identify the type of...
Virginia Department of Education
Mathematics Vocabulary Cards - Grade 3
Need to go over some math concepts with your third graders? Use a series of math posters, featuring vocabulary words in geometry, measurement, fractions, probability, and many other areas of study. Each poster presents the term with an...
Curated OER
My Foot and the Standard Foot
Young mathematicians put one foot in front of the other as they learn how to measure length in an elementary math lesson. Using paper cutouts of their own feet, children measure classroom objects as they discover the importance of...
Curated OER
Multiplying by 10
Multiplying by 10 is simple, but do your scholars know the trick? They look at four examples; if you haven't learned this yet, see if they notice a pattern in these answers. They multiply 70 numbers by 10. Most are two-digit, but a few...
World Wildlife Fund
Arctic Shapes
In a two-part activity, young geometers examine 3-D shapes and describe their attributes in a table. They will be able to draw the shape and name the number of vertices, faces, and edges. In the second part, individuals explore nets of...
Mathematics Vision Project
Circles: A Geometric Perspective
Circles are the foundation of many geometric concepts and extensions - a point that is thoroughly driven home in this extensive unit. Fundamental properties of circles are investigated (including sector area, angle measure, and...
Didax
Pi Day #1a – Discovering Pi
Unravel the mystery behind the infamous number pi. Scholars complete a series of activities that explores where pi comes from, its digits and estimation strategies. Pupils should be ready to measure, calculate, and look for patterns to...
College Board
Random Variables vs. Algebraic Variables
Variables can vary in meaning. A reference material for AP® Statistics explains the difference between random and algebraic variables. It provides a hypothetical situation involving dice—great for use in a classroom situation.
Curated OER
Problem Solvers
Fifth and sixth graders compare decimals to the place-value structure in the base-ten number system. They represent fractions as parts of unit wholes, as parts of a set, as locations on a number line, and as divisions of whole numbers....
Mathematics Vision Project
Circles and Other Conics
Through a variety of hands-on activities and physical scenarios, this far-reaching unit leads learners through an exceptionally thorough exploration of circles and parabolas as conic sections. Geometric construction techniques are used...
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...
Mathematics Assessment Project
Skeleton Tower
Who doesn't like building blocks? In the task, pupils use a given diagram of a tower to determine the number of needed blocks. Using this information, pupils then develop a function rule relating the height of the tower to the number of...
Rainforest Alliance
Investments in Forest Carbon
One hundred metric tons of CO2 can accumulate in one acre of forest over time—that's a lot of carbon! In the activity, groups of middle school learners determine what makes forests important. They then solidify the concept by using a...
CK-12 Foundation
Sums of Geometric Series
Geometric series either get bigger or approach a single number. So, how do you know which it is? An interactive presents three different geometric series with varying common ratios. With the aid of patterns, pupils determine values of r...
Radford University
Danger! – An Analysis of the Death Toll of Natural Disasters
Decipher the danger of natural disasters. Using researched data, scholars work in groups to create data displays on the number of deaths from different types of natural disasters. They share their graphical representations with the class...