American Institutes for Research
Data and Probability: Marshmallow Madness
Upper grade and middle schoolers make predictions, collect data, and interpret the data as it relates to the concept of probability. They work with a partner tossing marshmallows and recording if they land on their side or on their...
Radford University
A Change in the Weather
Explore the power of mathematics through this two-week statistics unit. Pupils learn about several climate-related issues and complete surveys that communicate their perceptions. They graph both univariate and bivariate data and use...
Office of the New Jersey State Climatologist
Play Ball! – Or Not…Making a Decision Using Weather Data
Should the game go on or not? An engaging lesson asks small groups to make a decision using weather data. After analyzing a map, an updated forecast, and radar information, groups have to decide whether to cancel a baseball game. They...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Impacts of Climate on Forest Succession
Part two in a series of four explores the effects of climate on succession or the changing of plant species in a forest. Groups review how to identify trees and then spend a day in the field collecting extensive data on trees to...
CCSS Math Activities
Social Security Trust Fund
Will Social Security still be around when you retire? Given data on the predicted balance of the social security fund over time, scholars plot the points on a coordinate grid and determine if a quadratic regression fits the data. They...
Radford University
Snappy Stair Sprints
Let's go for a run. Small groups determine a way to collect data to determine the time it would take to run a set of stairs. After creating a plan, teams collect data and graph their results, calculating the equation of best fit and...
Education Development Center
Geography of the Coordinate Plane
Put the graph into graphing and allow learners to understand the concept of point plotting and how it relates to data. The worksheet provides a nice way to connect data analysis to a graph and make predictions. The worksheets within the...
Radford University
Can I Create a Line/Curve of Best Fit to Model Water Drainage?
Learners collect data on the amount of water left in a bottle over time. They graph the data to determine whether the scatter plot shows a curved or straight relationship. Group members then determine an equation for the curve of best...
Curated OER
Beans and Baleen
Predict whale populations using different beans as whales! Learners observe different types of beans in a dish knowing that each bean represents a different kind of whale. They then predict how many "whales" there are in a certain area....
Math Warehouse
Theoretical Probability Activity
If you keep rolling a die, you'll roll a five exactly one-sixth of the time—right? A probability lesson prompts young mathematicians to roll a die 100 times and use the data to calculate empirical probabilities. They then compare these...
Curated OER
Statistics and Probablility
Statistics and Probability are all about collecting, organizing, and interpreting data. Young learners use previously collected data and construct a picture graph of the data on poster board. This stellar lesson should lead to...
EngageNY
Tides, Sound Waves, and Stock Markets
Help pupils see the world through the eyes of a mathematician. As they examine tide patterns, sound waves, and stock market patterns using trigonometric functions, learners create scatter plots and write best-fit functions.
Kenan Fellows
Climate Change Impacts
Turn up the heat! Young mathematicians develop models to represent different climates and collect temperature data. They analyze the data with regression and residual applications. Using that information, they make conclusions about...
Center for Learning in Action
Introduction to the States of Matter
Liquids, gases, and solids are the states of matter in which scholars investigate in a lesson plan that offers in-depth information and engaging activities that look into the three states and the changes their properties make when mixed...
Curated OER
Exploring Seasonal Shadows and Sunlight
What can shadows tell us about the changing season? Over several months, astronomy learners record length and position of an outdoor object's shadow, such as a flagpole. They apply the data to a growing hypothesis and note the patterns...
Curated OER
Cutting Expenses
Learners explore budgeting. In this finance and math lesson, students brainstorm ways in which households could save money. Learners view websites that give cost reducing ideas. Students complete an expense comparison chart and use the...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Climate Change Around the World
You know climate change is happening when you see a bee take off its yellow jacket. Part four in a series of five lessons explores all factors affecting climate change: temperature, cloud cover, precipitation, and carbon dioxide. By...
Cornell University
Density
Certain things just do not mix, including liquids of varying densities. Learners collect data to determine the densities of several liquids. They then use the density information to predict the type of liquid.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Population Dynamics
Will human population growth always be exponential, or will we find a limiting factor we can't avoid? Young scientists learn about both exponential and logistic growth models in various animal populations. They use case studies to...
Curated OER
Graphing and Analyzing Biome Data
Students explore biome data. In this world geography and weather data analysis lesson, students record data about weather conditions in North Carolina, Las Vegas, and Brazil. Students convert Fahrenheit degrees to Celsius degrees and use...
Curated OER
Valentine Hearts Investigation
Students practice analyzing data and making predictions. For this 2nd - 3rd grade lesson plan, students investigate and compare data gathered using boxes of valentine candy hearts. Students examine the different boxes of candy...
EngageNY
Informally Fitting a Line
Discover how trend lines can be useful in understanding relationships between variables with a lesson that covers how to informally fit a trend line to model a relationship given in a scatter plot. Scholars use the trend line to make...
Curated OER
Valentine Candy Count
Here is an imaginative take on a classic lesson! Young scholars discover what color Valentine Candy is found more often than any other in a standard bag of Valentine Conversation Hearts. They observe, predict, sort, and classify the data...
Curated OER
Weather Watchers
Students identify basic weather instruments and how they are used to record weather data. Students define several vocabulary terms as stated in lesson. Students use basic instruments to record weather data in their area. Students use the...