Radford University
Trouble in the Orchard
It's no fun catching a fungus. Scholars first investigate how the seasons affect the angle of the sun and the lengths of shadows. They then apply right triangle trigonometry to determine the height of trees based on their shadows to...
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
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
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
Fire Truck Presentation
Which truck should the fire department purchase? Given a scenario with three different ladder trucks, pupil compare the height the ladders will reach. They determine which ladder trucks meet the cities' requirements and provide a...
Radford University
Georgia Peaches and California Dreamin’
Plant the fruits of trigonometry. Pairs work through the process of finding the best place to plant fruit trees on a piece of property. The scholars must take into consideration the location of the property and the solar zenith angle. To...
Radford University
How Tall Is It?
Find the height from afar. Teams role play as summer interns to find the height of a set of windows from the outside. Scholars must first determine how to find the height with the available tools. After determining a strategy involving...
Radford University
How Tall is the Tree?
Pairs or small groups work together to determine the height of a tree using similar triangles. Learners make a judgement which direction to let a tree fall to avoid hitting any structures. They then write letters to the principal...
Radford University
Building a Recreation Center
It's all about location, location, location. Small groups work to find the best spot for a rec center to serve three different communities. Learners construct the inscribed and circumscribed circles of a triangle to find the best place....
Radford University
Tiling a Kitchen Floor
Cover the floor with math. Pupils work to determine the proper shape to cover a kitchen floor. They first determine the number of tiles to purchase and configure their placement to reduce the amount of waste. Teams finish by creating a...
Radford University
Getting Around Millbrook
When is the distance formula not accurate? Referencing a map of the school, pairs determine the walking distance between two locations. Creating coordinates for each location, pupils determine the distance between the two points and...
Radford University
How do I Create a Scaled Model of a Full-Sized Basketball Court?
Take mathematics to the hoop! Pairs first measure the linear distances on a basketball court. Using those measurements, they determine the scale lengths to create a scaled model. To finish the activity, learners create models of the...
Radford University
Finding a Location for Your Kitchen Island
Where is the best place to work? Small groups map out a kitchen on a coordinate plane and find the centers of the work triangle to find the best place to install an island. The teams use algebraic methods to locate the center by finding...
Radford University
Triangular Irrigation
Try to keep the pipe short. Learners investigate where to place a water pump to use the least amount of pipe. Scholars use their knowledge of reflections and congruent triangles to find the best location for the water pump. Finally, they...
Radford University
Distance and Midpoint Formulas in a Mall
Go for a walk in the mall. Pupils find distances between stores on a diagram of a mall on Quadrant I. The scholars also determine the midpoint between a store and an entrance to the mall to then create their own paths and determine their...
Achieve
Medication Dosage
Here's the cure to boredom. Given a patient file, including medication dosage information, scholars determine the amount of medication left in the patient's bloodstream over time. They analyze the sequence of numbers and determine a...