Worksheet
Math Stars

Math Stars: A Problem-Solving Newsletter Grade 6

For Students 4th - 7th Standards
Think, question, brainstorm, and make your way through a newsletter full of puzzles and word problems. The resource includes 10 different newsletters, all with interesting problems, to give class members an out-of-the box...
Worksheet
Math Stars

Math Stars: a Problem-Solving Newsletter Grade 7

For Students 6th - 9th Standards
Put on your thinking caps because middle school math has never been more interesting in this huge resource full of thought provoking questions. Written as a newsletter, the resource has 10 two-page newsletters with a variety of...
Lesson Plan
Education Development Center

Thinking Things Through Thoroughly

For Teachers 6th - 9th Standards
Problem solving is a skill of its own. Learners use a variety of problems to encourage mental math and logic to get the correct answer. Guiding questions are provided along the way to encourage the right way of thinking to help tackle...
Lesson Plan
Education Development Center

Logic of Fractions

For Teachers 6th - 9th Standards
Before diving into operations with fractions, learners discover the foundation of fractions and how they interact with one another. Exactly as the title says, logic of fractions is the main goal of a resource that shows pupils how...
Activity
Noyce Foundation

Perfect Pair

For Students K - 12th Standards
What makes number pairs perfect? The resource provides five problems regarding perfect pairs of numbers, the definition of which changes in complexity with each task. Solutions require pupils to apply number sense and operations, as well...
Activity
Noyce Foundation

Diminishing Return

For Students K - 12th Standards
Challenge individuals to compete as many tasks as possible. Lower-level tasks have pupils apply costs and rates to solve problems. Upper-level tasks add algebraic reasoning and conditional probability to the tasks.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Summer Machines Activity: How Can We Move This Box of Blocks?

For Teachers Pre-K - K
Students discover there's more than one way to move a heavy load. In this problem solving lesson, students use observation and problem-solving skills as they experiment with simple machines in order to transport loads.
Activity
Noyce Foundation

Double Down

For Students K - 12th Standards
Double the dog ears, double the fun. Five problems provide increasing challenges with non-linear growth. Topics include dog ears, family trees and population data, and geometric patterns.  
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Outdoor Activities/Problem Solving: Nature Scavenger Hunt

For Teachers Pre-K - K
Students act as young explorers on this scavenger hunt. In this early childhood lesson plan, students build problem-solving and visual discrimination skills as they search outdoors to find matching nature items.
Activity
Noyce Foundation

Lyle's Triangles

For Students K - 12th Standards
Try five problems on triangles. Levels A and B focus on shapes that can be created from right triangles. Level C touches upon the relationship between the area of a six-pointed star and the area of each triangle of which it is composed....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Have Block Party!

For Teachers Pre-K - K
Young scholars discover that the possibilities are limitless in this block-building activity. In this early childhood, problem solving lesson plan, students develop social, problem-solving, math, and language skills using a specific...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Balls & Hoops : Fun with Balls and Tubes

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
Students race to keep these balls rolling. In this early childhood physical education lesson, students experiment with cause and effect as they work with different heights of cardboard tubes.
Lesson Plan
Education Development Center

Algebraic Habits of Mind

For Teachers 6th - 9th Standards
Math really is just one big puzzle waiting to be solved. Show learners that math can be intriguing and provide them with visually engaging problems and puzzles. The focus is on solving simple equations and looking at expressions. 
Activity
Noyce Foundation

Piece it Together

For Students K - 12th Standards
Score some problems all related to soccer balls. The first few problems focus on pattern blocks to see relationships between figures. More advanced problems focus on actual soccer balls, the patterns on the balls, and their volumes and...
Activity
Noyce Foundation

Fractured Numbers

For Students K - 12th Standards
Don't use use a fraction of the resource — use it all! Scholars attempt a set of five problem-of-the-month challenges on fractions. Levels A and B focus on creating fractions and equivalent fractions, while Levels C, D, and E touch on...
Activity
Noyce Foundation

Part and Whole

For Students K - 7th Standards
Now you'll never have trouble cutting a cake evenly again. Here is a set of five problems all about partitioning shapes into a given number of pieces and identifying the fractional amount of each piece. As learners progress through the...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Curated OER

Two Squares are Equal

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
This problem is sure to get your young mathematicians thinking. The idea sounds simple: one equation, solve it as many ways as you can. This is meant to get at a deeper understanding of solving quadratic equations, including some more...
Unit Plan
Mathematics Vision Project

Module 2: Logarithmic Functions

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Build a solid understanding of logarithmic functions and equations. Five lessons in the module begin by developing the concept of a logarithm. The next lessons address graphing logarithmic functions, logarithmic properties, and solving...
Lesson Plan
Shodor Education Foundation

Algorithm Discovery with Venn Diagrams

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Here is a lesson that takes an interesting approach to analyzing data using box and whisker plots.  By using an applet that dynamically generates Venn diagrams, the class forms a strategy/algorithm for guessing the rule that fits...
Lesson Plan
Google

Surveys and Estimating Large Quantities

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Looking for an estimation activity a bit more involved than the typical "guess the number of jellybeans in the jar" game? Here, learners use a picture to estimate the number of people at a large event, look for potential problems with...
Lesson Plan
Illustrative Mathematics

Seven to the What?!?

For Teachers 5th - 7th Standards
Sometimes what seems like the easiest problem is really the most difficult. Your class is first going to reach for their calculators, but will realize the number is too large to evaluate. Now what? This is where the fun and the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Summer Water & Sand Activity: Go with the Flow

For Teachers Pre-K - K
Students discover different materials that help to transport water in order to develop their observation and problem solving science skills. In this water lesson, students first brainstorm about different ways that water can be moved;...
Activity
Noyce Foundation

Cubism

For Students K - 12th Standards
If cubism were a religion, would you follow it? Lower-level tasks focus primarily on counting the number cubes in a structure and relating the number to surface area. As learners progress to higher-level tasks, isometric drawings and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Data

For Teachers 8th - 9th
Students collect data from an experiment they perform. In this data lesson, students use multiple representations to solve practical problems; describe advantages and disadvantages of the use of each representation. Then, they evaluate...