Watch the damage from a forest fire in this interactive simulation activity that challenges learners to estimate the burn area using different approaches. Learners are given a worksheet to track the different burn patterns and practice...

Watch animated slides as RJ explains how to round numbers to the nearest ten and thousand. Viewers then get a chance to try it themselves.

How many hot dogs does Fenway Park go through in a year? Learners estimate answers to this question and more as they work through the task. Problems require participants to make assumptions and use those assumptions to make estimations.

Estimating is an essential skill used in everyday life. This presentation explains how to apply prior knowledge about rounding numbers to estimating sums and differences. Example problems and assessment include large numbers, making this...

A second attack at figuring out the number of leaves on a tree, this activity makes both an excellent follow-up to version 1 and a stand-alone activity. Learners practice setting parameters and deciding acceptable estimate precision, and...

How many of the pupils at your school think selling soda would be a good idea? Show learners how to develop a study to answer questions like these! The lesson explores the meaning of a population versus a sample and how to interpret the...

Expand on prior knowledge of place value to teach your class how to round whole numbers. This essential skill is explained with the help of a number line before introducing the explicit rules for rounding numbers up and down. Work...

Read carefully, look for key words, eliminate, estimate, check your answers. Give your youngsters the strategies for approaching multiple-choice problem solving, focusing on multiplication and division of whole numbers, with this...

Are serving sizes for different foods always appropriate for what you need? In this hands-on activity, learners work in groups to estimate what one serving size of various foods are, and then evaluate their hypotheses by measuring...

You can't evaluate an irrational root expression without a calculator—or can you? Scholars estimate the value of roots within an expression to approximate the value of the expression. Expressions include a mix of square roots and whole...

if you've ever had to guess how many items were in a jar, then this problem is for you! With a big jar full of red and white marbles, does picking a sample of 16 allow your learners to get a good estimate on the percentages of each...

Apply the concept of magnitude to estimate values and compare numbers. The ninth lesson of the 15-part series asks learners to write numbers to their next greatest power of 10 and then make comparisons. Scholars begin to understand the...

Bring your math class around with this task. Learners simply identify parts of a given circle, compute its radius, and estimate the circumference and area. It is a strong scaffolding exercise in preparation for applying the formulas for...

Develop a better understanding of the value of pi. Learners explore the area of a circle using estimation and graph paper. While continuing to estimate the area of the circle using smaller and smaller grids, the number pi emerges. 

After discussing decimals and "going shopping" in the classroom, young mathematicians are given four practical word problems that require them to estimate their answers, given specific information. The highlight of the lesson...

How do you balance a set of data? Using a ruler and some coins, learners determine whether the balance point is always in the middle. Through class and small group discussions, they find that the mean is the the best estimate of the...

Is 0.56 stronger than -0.78? Interpret the correlation coefficient as the strength and direction of a linear relationship between two variables. An algebra lesson plan introduces the correlation coefficient by estimating and then...

Class members explore the estimation of irrational numbers in association with the Pythagorean Theorem. The first lesson of this module challenges pupils to use the Pythagorean Theorem to find unknown side lengths. When the length is not...

Boiling down any division problem to a one-digit divisor problem sure makes estimation easy. The lesson shows how to estimate division problems by using place value understanding and basic arithmetic facts to simplify the division. Some...

Profit always seems to get everyone's attention. The same is true during a lesson on estimation. Learners use given information to estimate the cost of supplies for a painting job. They then develop a strategy for estimating the...

Does an apple a day really keep the doctor away? Find out by browsing through a variety of handouts and learning the recommended daily amounts of fruits and vegetables for good health. Learners will read and discuss how to visually...

How can we accurately estimate what the economy should produce now and in the future? Have your pupils tackle this question as they learn about real versus potential GDP and as they review data regarding the output gap in...

Learners take on the role of astronomers, calculating conditions necessary for a total solar eclipse. Concepts of similar triangles and properties of circles come together as pupils create ratios and use real measurements in determining...

You mean the square root of five and five don't have the same value? Learners estimate the value of irrational roots. As they practice estimating the value, they increase their understanding of roots. The lesson is the fourth in a series...