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
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
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
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
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...
Radford University
Surface Area and Volume of 3-D Objects
Don't let the class tank the project. After reviewing formulas for surface area and volume, pupils design fish tanks that maximize volume. They research cost of materials online and must meet a budgetary constraint when creating their...
Radford University
Fun with Solids
Cakes offer a yummy way to learn about math. Scholars use manipulatives to discover the formulas for the surface area and volume of prisms and cylinders. They use their formulas to calculate the amount of cake mix and frosting necessary...
Radford University
Real Life Parallels
There's no parallel to a great resource. Scholars take part in three lessons in which they investigate parallel lines in real-world situations. They search for and take pictures of parallel lines in and around the school, develop artwork...
Radford University
Fun with Solids
Geometry is all around us—if we're only willing to look. The final three activities of the Fun with Solids unit continue work on surface area and volume. For lesson three, scholars investigate the formulas for spheres and solve a problem...
Radford University
Super Survey!
Here's a super survey on supermarket products. An interactive lesson has classmates design and conduct surveys on a product of interest. They analyze the data, choose a data display method, and present their findings to the class.
Radford University
Real World Data
Make math class feel more real by using real-world data. Scholars research or collect data on several different topics, such as nutrition, the motion of moving objects, cooling curves, and daylight hours. They create scatter plots using...
Radford University
How Is Your Gender Represented?
Does the media shape people's views on gender? Scholars use data on gender portrayal in magazines to explore the idea. They use a spreadsheet program to create bar graphs and perform a chi-square test. They also use provided data to...
Radford University
SAT and ACT – How Equitable Are They?
Test the test takers' knowledge of statistics about data from the SAT and ACT tests. Future collegians explore the idea of gender and racial bias in high-stakes college admissions exams. They analyze historical data on average scores by...
Radford University
Understanding Local Economic Issues Using Statistics
A good understanding of local economics requires a lot of data. Scholars design and conduct an experimental survey to collect information about economic issues affecting their regions. They analyze their findings and prepare a...
New York Hall of Science
My Carbon Footprint: High School Curriculum
The earth has a love-hate relationship with carbon. Learners complete a series of nine lessons that begin with an examination of the role of carbon in Earth's systems. They then relate changes in climate and weather to changes in the...
Purdue University
Tree Talk
Examining tree rings shows more than just age. The third installment of a five-part Family Nature Program unit has learners examine all parts of trees including tree rings to tell stories about the life of the tree. They then use their...
Radford University
Danger! – An Analysis of the Death Toll of Natural Disasters
Decipher the danger of natural disasters. Using researched data, scholars work in groups to create data displays on the number of deaths from different types of natural disasters. They share their graphical representations with the class...
Radford University
Mathematical Modeling: Lesson 1
Will more deer result in more big game licenses? Scholars first research data on the number of deer and the number of big game licenses in Virginia between 1990 to 2009. They apply polynomial, exponential, and logarithmic regression to...
Radford University
Are Kitchen Cabinets at the Correct Height? Lesson 6
Don't hit your head on the kitchen cabinet. Using previously collected female height data, scholars apply confidence intervals and tests of significance to perform a data analysis. They connect the data to the height
of kitchen cabinets...