Learners demonstrate their knowledge pictorially, concretely, and abstractly in this unit meant to last three hours over three days. Using hands-on activities, manipulatives,  real-world applications, and problem...

An 80-page resource provides four lessons and all associated worksheets to teach middle schoolers about expressions and equations. The lessons are hands-on, using games, "integer chips," a balance and cubes, and cut and paste activities....

Turn your classroom into a local cell phone store. Then, have your cell phone agents use linear equations to visually display three cell plans and their advantages. It makes for a great group project. Discuss how to decide which plan is...

How much gas does it take to drive around town? The class uses a variety of mathematical procedures to take a look at the use of gas for transportation. Class members use a different unit to determine the cost of driving a car as opposed...

Examine multiple ways to solve algebraic equations. Pupils will generate a problem solving strategy that addresses the prompt given by the teacher. They will then share their problem solving strategy with the class. Graphic organizers,...

Here is a fun project. Sammy observes a chipmunk and a squirrel to see how many holes each needs in order to stash the same number of acorns.  Scholars could find the answer algebraically or create a table to analyze the...

A great aspect of teaching math is that children have the freedom to solve problems using a variety of different strategies. The focus of this lesson is for young mathematicians to become aware of many ways of answering addition...

The plot thickens to get a functional understanding. After a short review of plotting points on the coordinate plane, class members learn the difference between functions and relations in the second instructional activity in a...

Students compute the length of time it will take to save enough money to purchase a yo-yo. In this math instructional activity, students create a design with pennies and write the associated linear equation. In this linear equations...

Your young basketball players will build a table and develop a general formula for a decaying exponential scenario involving the rebound distance of a bouncing ball. Using a CBR and graphing calculator can make this even more hands-on...

Your young bankers compare earning interest accumulated yearly and monthly to decide which method most increases their balance. Using an exponential function to model the bank balance affords the learners more practice connecting...

Fifth and sixth graders use food and candy to help them represent division of fractions and develop algorithms to solve fraction problems. They discuss dividing whole numbers by fractions. Pupils use sticks and chocolate bars to...

You've got to pump it up! Using the equations for projectile motion and Bernoulli's Principle, class members calculate the water pressure in a water gun. The pupils collect data on the number of pumps and distance traveled in order...

Does your bank pay you for allowing them to hold your money? Class members investigate three different ways money can make more money. Topics include certificates of deposit, statement savings accounts, and money market accounts....

What do animated videos have to do with mathematics? Using operations of complex numbers and their representations on the complex plane, high schoolers observe how mathematics could be used to move animations. The lesson...

Take your biology class' understanding of biodiversity to a whole new level! Ecology scholars use data to calculate three different diversity indices based on the organisms in the Gorongosa National Park. The four-part activity uses an...

A research position becomes a modeling job. The introductory lesson in a series of nine presents the challenge of analyzing a set of bivariate data. The class brainstorms what the data may represent. Pupils must decide what is needed to...

Students use a spreadsheet program to graph and compare milage, gasoline costs and travel time for two travel routes in their virtual field trip in Michigan. They determine the most economical route based on the graphs and calculations.

"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough" - Albert Einstein. The sixth installment of a seven-part series teaches young scientists about the importance of being able to communicate scientific research and...

Eighth graders examine the mechanical advantage of an inclined plane through experimentation.