Bowland
Taxi Cabs
Determine the cheapest way to the airport. Pupils read a scenario about trying to get 75 people to the airport using two different sizes of taxis. Learners calculate the number of smaller taxis needed given a number of large taxis and...
Bowland
Sports Bag
Lay it out using the least amount of material. Learners use the dimensions of a cylindrical sports bag to find out the size of pieces of material needed to sew them. The pupils find the best placement of the pieces to use the least...
Bowland
Spinner Bingo
Create a winning card. Given a description of a bingo game using two spinners, pupils determine which of three cards has the greatest chance of winning. Scholars then determine which are the best numbers to put on their own cards to give...
Bowland
Security Camera
Take an overall view of percentages. Pupils determine whether a shop owner's claim is correct about what percent of his shop is viewable from the installed security camera. Learners try to find whether there is a better location for the...
Bowland
Patchwork Cushions
Find out if there are enough squares. Given diagrams for the first four figures in a sequence, pupils try to determine the next figure. Individuals find the number of square and triangle pieces of fabric that are required to make...
Bowland
Ice Cream
Make sure there is enough ice cream on hand. Learners try to find out how much ice cream to buy for a sports event. Scholars use a pie chart showing the percent of a sample of people who like different flavors of ice cream. Using the...
Bowland
Hot Under the Collar
It is close enough for all practical purposes. Pupils see two methods to convert degrees Celsius to degrees Fahrenheit, one with exact numbers and another using estimation. Learners review both methods and determine when the estimation...
Bowland
Counting Trees
Let's find a way to determine how many there are. Given a diagram of trees on a plantation, pupils devise a way to estimate the number of old and new trees. Using their methods, learners create estimates for the number of the two types...
Bowland
Smoothie Box
Make it a tight fit. Given drawings of a smoothie bottle, pupils need to determine the size of a box to hold 12 bottles. Scholars draw a net to show the dimensions needed to create a closed box that would not allow the bottles to move...
Bowland
Lottery
Take a chance on raising money. Learners calculate probabilities to determine whether a lottery is a good way to raise money. Pupils determine the number of combinations of choosing two numbers between one and six. Using the sample...
Bowland
Candle Box
Shine some light on nets. Using a creative assessment task, pupils create a net that would fold up into a hexagonal box and include the tabs needed for gluing the box together. Scholars then draw candles on each of the sides and the top...
NASA
From Smoke Signals to Cell Phones: Tracing How Technologies Evolve
Explore the science of space exploration. Pupils consider technological advances in propulsion, communication, power, navigation, and imaging. They select one of these areas and create a timeline of historical progress that contributed...
Centervention
What Makes Me Happy Today?
Here's a worksheet that will put sunshine on papers and smiles on the faces of young learners as they draw pictures and write a short explanation of what makes them happy today. A great way to show gratitude for the good things in life.
NASA
Mapping the Watery Hills and Dales
How does GPS know where everything is located? Pupils read about satellites that are mapping the ocean and the question on how satellites know where they are. Readers discover the workings of the Global Positioning System and create...
NASA
Chasing Down a Satellite
Calculate the speed of the International Space Station. By reading the article, pupils learn about the concept of orbits. Scholars work through a formula to determine how fast the International Space Station is traveling to stay in...
NASA
Blinded by the Light!
Pupils learn of multiple ways astronomers look for planets outside of the solar system. By completing a hands-on activity, scholars discover that trying to see the planets directly because of the glare from the nearby star is nearly...
NASA
Speaking in Phases
Hear from deep space. Pupils learn how satellites transfer information back to Earth. They learn about three different ways to modulate radio waves and how a satellite sends information with only 0s and 1s. Using sound, class members...
NASA
Water Works on a Blue Planet
Keep within a water budget. Learners find out that less than 2.5% of Earth's water is available to drink—and that there is a fixed amount of water. Scholars read an interesting article comparing the available water to a game of Monopoly...
NASA
Keeping Nine Eyes on the Weather
Take a look at climate change from another angle. Readers learn about the MISR instrument on the Terra satellite and how it studies Earth. Pupils experience how the multiple cameras give scientists multiple views so they can better study...
NASA
Taking a Cold, Clear Look at the Universe
Take a look with another perspective. Pupils read to find out what portion of the electromagnetic spectrum a space telescope sees and the difficulties of viewing infrared radiation from other objects in space. Individuals discover how...
NASA
Packing for a L-o-o-o-ng Trip to Mars
Pack just enough to fit. Crews determine what personal items to take with them on a trip to Mars. Each team must decide what to take with them on a two-and-a-half year trip to Mars and whether their items will fit within the allotted...
NASA
Catch a Gravitational Wave, Dude!
It is cowabunga time! Pupils read an article about the NASA LISA mission on gravitational waves and conduct additional research on them. The class participates in a science bowl type competition about gravitational waves. Panels of four...
NASA
Taking Apart the Light
Break down light into spectra. Scholars learn how atoms emit and absorb photons and come to understand how this process allows scientists to identify different atoms based on either absorption lines or emission lines. Learners then...
NASA
Write the Book on Weather Metrics
It's not easy to measure the weather. Pupils learn about what all weather has in common—the atmosphere. Scholars discover how a meteorologists must be able to measure aspects of the atmosphere and decipher the data. They then create a...