National Wildlife Federation
Danger from Afar: Non-Point Source Pollution and the Lake Superior Basin
How prevalent is pollution in the water system? A hands-on activity focuses on one area that is prone to pollution. Learners use game chips to represent clean water and polluted water and complete an activity that demonstrates how...
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...
Radford University
Pizza, Pizza!
Ponder the problem of pizza prices. Pupils use provided information about two different pricing schedules for pizza. They create tables of values and functions to represent the pricing schemes, consider domain restrictions, and identify...
Radford University
Regression Analysis Activity
Don't let your knowledge of regression analysis regress. Pupils take part in three activities to learn about regression curves. They research and collect data to predict how long it will take a basketball to hit the ground, find a...
Radford University
Confetti Task
Using the net of a can, learners develop formulas for the surface area and volume of a cylinder. They then apply their formulas to solve problems about a cylindrical container used to disperse confetti.
Radford University
How Do I Design a Raised Bed Garden to Accommodate My Plants?
Give plants the best place to grow. Given constraints on plant spacing, pupils design a raised bed garden using graph paper, then calculate the perimeter, surface area, and volume. They use the provided costs of lumber and soil to...
Radford University
Choosing the Best Cylinders
Don't be fooled: the taller glass doesn't always hold the most. Given the dimensions of different cylindrical containers for beverages and popcorn, pupils calculate the volumes. They see how changing the dimensions affects the volume and...
Radford University
Lemonade Business - Investigating Surface Area and Volume of Containers
Boost lemonade sales by using the perfect container. For a given volume, future entrepreneurs design a container that will have the least surface area and by extension, the least cost of material. They create a two-dimensional net of...
Radford University
Triangle Inequality Task
Not all triangles are created equal. A simple hands-on activity has learners investigate the side lengths of triangles. They use pipe cleaners to determine whether triangles of given side lengths can exist and then use the results to...
Radford University
Escape from the Zombie Apocalypse - Exploring Quadrilaterals through Google Maps and Google Earth
Prepare for the zombie apocalypse ... by studying quadrilaterals? Given a map of an imaginary town, scholars identify quadrilaterals created by streets. They then use Google Earth and Google Maps to find parallelograms, rectangles,...
Radford University
Where Should We Sit?
Where's the best seat in the house? Given a diagram of a movie theater, pupils determine the best seats based on the viewing angle. They use inscribed angles to justify their choices.
Radford University
Marking Starting Locations for the 400-Meter Dash Track and Field Event
No fair! I had to run more than they did! Young mathematicians first measure various lengths on a school track. They develop strategies and show calculations to prove that all participants will run the same length using a staggered...
Radford University
Pizza Sector Task
Gobble up a slice of the task. Scholars first consider the area of a whole pizza, half a pizza, and a quarter of a pizza. They then consider other central angles and develop a formula for the area of any sector of a circle.
Radford University
Parallelogram Task
These floors were made for learning. Pupils use coordinate planes drawn on the classroom floor using tape to investigate parallelograms. They measure lengths, angles, and slopes to identify properties of parallelograms.
Radford University
“Putt-Putt” For The Geometry of It!
Take a swing at the task. Using their knowledge of polygons and solids, scholars design one hole of a miniature golf course. They calculate areas and perimeters, determine the cost of building the holes, make scale drawings, and create...
Radford University
Pirate Attack
Arr ye matey, it's time for some trig. Learners first read up on the 2010 attack on the USS Nicholas by a group of pirates and the testimony of one of the witnesses. They use right triangle trigonometry to determine if the account is...
Radford University
Finding the Largest Possible Area
If you want a bigger garden, here's a task for you. Given the perimeter of a triangular garden, scholars determine the largest possible area. They then generalize their findings and extend the idea to other polygons.
Radford University
Running Laps During Soccer Practice
Which option involves running less? Given a situation in which players can either run around the school soccer field 20 times or run back and forth along the diagonal 20 times, learners decide which option would be better. They consider...
Radford University
Filling Up a Swimming Pool Task
Swimming pools are no fun without water. For a pool in the shape of a trapezoidal prism, scholars first calculate the amount of water needed to fill the pool. They use experimental data on water flow to determine whether to haul water...
Radford University
Developing a Trigonometry Phone App
What's one more app? After reviewing how to calculate missing side lengths or angle measures in a right triangle, pupils create instructions for a phone app to do all of the tedious work. They must consider all nine cases of known...
National Wildlife Federation
Bison Mystery Box
Natural design is amazing. Young scientists connect the features of a bison to an assortment of everyday items. A bison's tail is an ideal flyswatter, and a pot stores water just like a bison's stomach. The lesson connects the usefulness...
Great Books Foundation
I Shall Not Beg for My Rights
An excerpt from Henry MacNeal Turner's address to the Georgia legislature provides class members with an opportunity to develop their literary analysis skills. Prompted by the provided factual, evaluative, and interpretive questions,...
Acoustical Society of America
Wave Basics
Catch the fast wave. Using a computer simulation, pupils experiment with amplitude, frequency, damping, and tension of a string to determine which affects the speed of the wave. Learners record the observations to determine their...
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.