Radford University
REALLY Tall!
Conduct indirect measurements three ways. Working in groups, pupils come up with different ways to measure three tall objects indirectly. The teacher provides measurement information requested by the teams, and learners then calculate...
Radford University
The Roanoke Adventure!
Travel about town. Pupils work in pairs to find the distances between landmarks with a map. The teams determine how far to travel on the streets and the length between the landmarks with the distance formula and compare the two. Learners...
Radford University
Your School’s Athletic Director Needs Your Mathematical Input!
Cover the field. Pairs investigate two different rolls of astroturf to cover a football field. The learners determine which type of roll is the most cost effective. Scholars write letters to the athletic director explaining their...
Radford University
How do I Prepare this Piece of Floor Tile to Lay on the Bottom of my Kitchen Sink Cabinet?
How can you place a rectangular tile around a pipe? Scholars first use a model of a kitchen sink cabinet to take measurements. Using a compass and their knowledge of circles, they then cut out a circle from a piece of poster board (which...
Radford University
Ancient Aqueduct Analysis Project
Let the class' knowledge of geometry flow like water in an aqueduct. Future mathematicians research ancient Roman aqueducts and consider the geometric concepts necessary in their construction. They then use GeoGebra to create models of...
Radford University
Build-a-Toy
Don't toy with using a fun lesson. Scholars design new toys and then create scale drawings. They determine the volume and surface area of the toys, and then research prices of raw materials to estimate the manufacturing costs.
Radford University
Streets of Stephens City
Who has the best street smarts? An educational lesson has future mathematicians analyze street maps and measure angles on the map to determine if streets are parallel. They also consider safety issues at different types of intersections.
Radford University
Properties of Different Quadrilaterals
Properly apply the properties of parallelograms. Pupils answer a set of questions designed to review the categories of quadrilaterals. They then identify the shape in each set of quadrilaterals that does not belong and explain why.
Radford University
How Much is in There? A Polygon Investigation
Try to find the triangles in various polygons. An investigation has learners develop a formula for the sum of the measures of the interior angles of a polygon. They use manipulatives to partition each polygon into triangles, then...
Radford University
Koi Pond
There's nothing fishy about the activity. Future mathematicians design a koi pond from various three-dimensional shapes. They calculate the perimeter, area, and volume of the pond, and then create PowerPoint presentations. They also...
Radford University
Triangles in Parallelograms
What's the point of looking at triangles when trying to draw parallelograms? Given three non-collinear points, pupils determine and justify all possible points that would create a parallelogram. They then analyze the four triangles that...
Radford University
Parallel Lines Task
Transform the classroom into a coordinate plane. Scholars walk along parallel lines drawn on a coordinate plane on the classroom floor. They measure angles and slopes and use the results to develop criteria that would make the lines...
Radford University
Beach House
What's the best way to make a beach house affordable? Given constraints on the number of rooms and the cost of flooring, learners design dream beach houses. They draw floor plans and calculate the areas using different units.
Radford University
The Ultimate Kitchen Renovation
Cook up a nice new kitchen. Future designers apply quadrilaterals to design a new kitchen floor. They create a tessellation and determine the area of the pattern. As an added component and real-world application, they must stick to a...
Radford University
The Pythagorean Theorem in Crime Scene Investigation
It's a Pythagorean who-dun-it. Pupils apply the Pythagorean Theorem in several different real-world scenarios involving right triangles. By solving each task, they find the thief who was responsible for a museum heist.
Radford University
Parallel Lines Cut By a Transversal
Perhaps planning a city isn't so difficult after all. Scholars first perform geometric constructions and investigate how parallel lines are useful in real-world situations. They then work on a city design project, drawing street maps,...
Radford University
Green Acres is the Place to Be!
Nurture a love of math and farming at the same time. Pupils apply geometry concepts, such as surface area and volume of three-dimensional shapes and similarity ratios, to farming contexts. They consider the dimensions of bales of hay,...
Radford University
Being Green – Minimizing the Surface Area of a Soda Can
Save the world by designing a new soda can! Learners first measure the dimensions of a typical soda can and calculate its surface area and volume. They then use spreadsheet software to minimize the surface area for the volume, thus...
Radford University
Google Earth Trip
Travel the world instantly—and learn about math along the way. Using pictures of famous places taken from Google Earth, scholars look for parallel and perpendicular lines based on slope and angle measurements. They also calculate...
Radford University
Surface Area and Volume
Who knew there were pyramids in China? Learners apply surface area and volume formulas to several different real-world situations. They calculate the volume and surface area of an aquarium, an ice cream cone, and Egyptian and Chinese...
Radford University
Fun with Solids
Unlike a volcano, the lesson won't blow up in your face. Young mathematicians use dried beans to discover the relationship between the volumes of cones and cylinders and to write a formula for the volume of a cone. They then research...
Radford University
Building a House
Ever dream of becoming an architect? Here's your chance to give it a try. After reviewing facts about triangles and quadrilaterals, pupils learn about the basics of architecture by talking to an architect or housing expert. They use...
Radford University
Parallel Lines Cut by a Transversal
Use the parallel lines to find your way. After first reviewing geometric constructions and the relationships between angles formed by parallel lines and a transversal, young mathematicians write proofs for theorems relating to parallel...
Radford University
Google Earth Trip
A trip around the world sounds nice, but for now we'll just have to make do with Google Earth. Pupils use pictures of landmarks to apply geometry concepts. They determine whether each building has bilateral or rotational symmetry, search...