10 Big Math Ideas Teacher Resources

If you think Dr. Seuss has no place in a math classroom, then take a look at this resource. Based on the classic children's book Green Eggs and Ham, this sequence of activities engages children learning to model real-world contexts...

Fourth graders use manipulatives to practice math patterns.

Your learners will be tantalized by this inquiry-based, collaborative activity as they discover how to write an equation that represents the height of an ice cream cone. Given the scenario based on the poem, "Eighteen Flavors," and...

Second graders create a shape garden. In this polygons lesson plan, 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...

Students discover which regular polygons can be used to tile a plane.

Students review angles, sides, and properties of basic shapes. Using a geoboard, they make as many different tirangles as possible.

Learners explore geometric solids. In this geometry lesson, students listen to the book The Greedy Triangle by Marilyn Burns, then work in groups to sort geometric solids into various categories. Learners define geometric solids...

Students discuss figures with various numbers of sides.  For this geometry lesson, students are read The Greedy Triangle by Marilyn Burns, they participate in a class discussion of many sided figures and are introduced to the term...

Excellent lesson plan! Anne Linehane's geometry story, The Greedy Triangle, offers an opportunity to practice forming various types of polygons with your learners. Using elastic bands (or Chinese jump ropes),...

Third graders discover geometric shapes by completing a series of games and activities. Using ropes with knots tied every foot, they make shapes such as squares, triangles, and hexagons. In pairs, 3rd graders use pattern blocks to...

Through the use of Internet, video, and hands-on activities, youngsters learn the parts and characteristics of a circle. This fantastic lesson has some excellent website activities included in the plan. Your kids will have a much greater...

Students brainstorm and discuss ways math is all around them, explain in writing how they solve math problems, describe mathematical ideas in writing, and create original story problems.

Students read The Greedy Triangle and discuss geometric solids. In this geometry lesson, students list the geo-solids in the world and create a graphic organizer to show where geo-solids exist.

If shapes have the same area, do they always have the same perimeter? Learners explore the relationship between the area of square units and their perimeters in a hands-on activity. Observations are recorded, and they begin to recognize...

Invite your first graders to compose and decompose two and three-dimensional figures with this fun, hands-on lesson. They investigate and predict the results of putting together and taking apart two-dimensional shapes with rubber bands...

Building on young mathematicians' prior knowledge of three-sided shapes, this instructional activity series explores the defining characteristics of different types of triangles. Starting with a shared reading of the children's...

First graders listen as the book, "Try It With Triangles" is read to the class. They name the geometric shapes that they see in the story and view the Shape Vocabulary Cards as they name them from the book. They then cut out the...

Young learners listen to the story book The Greedy Triangle as the teacher introduces new polygon shapes. They use geometric stencils to trace a quadrilateral, a pentagon, a hexagon, and an octogon onto a foldable notepad....

Explore the concept of creating and describing 2D and 3D shapes.  Using geometry your scholars will describe the attributes of shapes and their properties.  They explore and discover what happens when you combine shapes and...

Fourth graders identify and classify different triangles and quadrilaterals. Then they demonstrate an understanding of plane and solid geometric objects and use this knowledge to show relationships and solve specific problems. Students...

Students demonstrate their comprehension of shapes and their properties. They work in small groups. Students review the following terms: property, polygon, quadrilateral, and parallelogram. They read Shape Up! Fun With Triangles and...

First graders listen to Shapes and The Greedy Triangle to identify and describe examples of geometric shapes.  In this geometric shapes lesson, look for geometric shapes in real world places.  Students make a mobile of shapes...

Students familiarize themselves with the three most common geometric shapes: circles, triangles and parallelograms. They sketch, sort, and name the shapes.

Third graders use addition to create numbers that are palindromes and organize their results to look for patterns. They make generalizations from patterns and practice reading large numbers and addition with regrouping.