Develop a radical approach to covering the Smarter Balanced targets for 8th grade math with a presentation that helps further develop math skills. Seven sample items demonstrate the expectation for working with integer exponents,...

I swear it was an accident. Future motorists watch a video where a police accident investigator explains how he determines car speed from the length of a skid mark and the coefficient of friction. Performing similar computations requires...

How are radiologists like superheroes? Answer: They have X-ray vision and can do math. A short three-minute video and an associated lesson focus on how radiologists use math in their professional lives. It tasks learners with performing...

Totally cube-ular! Cubes are the inspiration for an Australian hotel's interior design. Learners brainstorm items that can be cube-shaped and provide design mock-ups. They soon realize that simple drawings are not enough and add...

Halving is not always so simple. Small groups build a cube and then determine how to construct a cube that is half the size. Groups create two cubes, one that is the correct size and another that would be an alternative solution. To...

Take a radical look at square roots. The presentation examines square roots as the lengths of the sides of a square with a given area on the coordinate plane. Using this method, it is clear why the square root of a number can be positive...

The rules still hold. By reviewing the meaning of exponents in arithmetic, the video takes a look at exponents in algebra. The resource develops the meaning of any number raised to the zero power. Taking the idea of exponents further,...

Walking in the park can be good for the body and for mathematics skills. Young scholars use an interactive app to investigate the relationship between squares and square roots using a square with adjustable length. The program also takes...

Think outside the box and use an engaging, interactive app that shows the relationship between square roots and squares using an actual square. Pupils find that moving a slider increases the side length of a square and its associated area.

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...

Simplify your life by using a resource on simplifying square roots. Pupils review square roots and calculate values of given radical expressions using a calculator. The lesson concludes by having them consider the results to develop the...

Assess pupil understanding of rational and irrational numbers with a mid-module assessment that is the 15th lesson in the 25-part series. The questions represent the objectives in the first half of the series. Topics include decimal...

The sixteen problems in this resource present opportunities for pupils to practice substituting into algebraic expressions. Scholars evaluate algebraic expressions for given values of the variables. In a few cases, class members need to...

Show learners how to develop a procedure for solving equations using radicals with the fifth instructional activity of the 25-part module that challenges learners to use properties to solve multi-step quadratic and cubic equations....

Explore the process of simplifying square roots through an analysis of perfect squares. The fourth instructional activity of 25 expects individuals to find the perfect square factors in each radicand as a means of simplifying. The...

Teach cube roots by building on an understanding of square roots. The third installment of a 25-part series asks learners to solve simple quadratic and cubic equations using roots. Scholars compare square roots and cube roots throughout...

Investigate the relationship between irrational roots and a number line with a resource that asks learners to put together a number line using radical intervals rather than integers. A great progression, they build on their understanding...

After completing an assessment task where they express numbers as the difference of squares (i.e., 9 = 5^2 – 4^2), class members note any patterns that they see in the problems.

Express your wonder at this resource. Middle schoolers solve 10 short problems in the expressions and equations domain. They apply operations with scientific notation, set up and solve equations, and analyze linear equations.

A one-stop resource for exponents, square and cube roots, scientific notation, and volume formulas guides learners through properties of exponents. As they learn to apply these properties to operations with scientific notation,...

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. 

Conquer any irrational fears you might have of irrational numbers. As class members investigate how to represent numbers geometrically, they learn about rational and irrational numbers, including approximating and ordering rational...

The square root of five and five do not have the same value! How many times have you addressed this with math classes? A lesson gives an explanation of a square root and gives examples for simplifying square root expressions,...