EngageNY
An Exercise in Creating a Scale Drawing
Design your dream classroom. The lesson plan contains an exercise to have teams create a scale drawing of their dream classroom. Pairs take the measurements of their classroom and furniture and create a scale factor for them. To finish...
Balanced Assessment
L to Scale
Explore the meaning of scale in relation to actual size through this activity. Young mathematicians examine scale models and determine their relationship to each other. They also find perimeter and area of each model.
Illustrative Mathematics
Shape Hunt Part 1
The hunt is on! Send young mathematicians on a search for shapes in the first lesson of this two-part series. Each time a child finds a hidden shape, he draws it on his paper, and continues searching for the rest. Perform this activity...
Balanced Assessment
How Big is Big?
Now you can create your own monster movie. Learners estimate the size of a scale model monster given comparison statements and analyze these estimates to determine if the scale model accurately portrays a lizard.
Balanced Assessment
House Plan
A short assessment has individuals determine the scale of a house plan. They use the scale to calculate the size of a door and window that need to be replaced, and then divide a bedroom in two, calculating the size of rooms created.
EngageNY
Mid-Module Assessment Task - Geometry (Module 2)
Challenge: create an assessment that features higher level thinking from beginning to end. A ready-made test assesses knowledge of dilations using performance tasks. Every question requires a developed written response.
Achieve
Dairy Barn
Agriculture is truly a math-based profession! Help the dairy farmer determine the supplies needed to complete his barn. Using given dimensions, learners build equations and use units to determine the correct amount of materials.
CCSS Math Activities
Smarter Balanced Sample Items: 7th Grade Math – Claim 2
To solve or not to solve that is the problem. A slide presentation of 17 items show different ways that Smarter Balanced assesses Claim 2, problem solving. The items span from sixth and seventh grade concepts to highlight the...
EngageNY
What Lies Behind “Same Shape”?
Develop a more precise definition of similar. The lesson begins with an informal definition of similar figures and develops the need to be more precise. The class learns about dilations and uses that knowledge to arrive at a...
EngageNY
The Mean as a Balance Point
It's a balancing act! Pupils balance pennies on a ruler to create a physical representation of a dot plot. The scholars then find the distances of the data points from the balance point, the mean.
Noyce Foundation
Photographs
Scaling needs to be picture perfect. Pupils use proportional reasoning to find the missing dimension of a photo. Class members determine the sizes of paper needed for two configurations of pictures in the short assessment task.
Illustrative Mathematics
Which Weighs More? Which Weighs Less?
Expand the the comparative language of young mathematicians with a hand-on weight measurement activity. Working independently or in pairs, children compare the weight of large wooden blocks to various other classroom objects, recording...
Noyce Foundation
Granny’s Balloon Trip
Take flight with a fun activity focused on graphing data on a coordinate plane. As learners study the data for Granny's hot-air balloon trip, including the time of day and the distance of the balloon from the ground, they practice...
EngageNY
Population Problems
Find the percent of the population that meets the criteria. The 17th segment of a 20-part unit presents problems that involve percents of a population. Pupils use tape diagrams to create equations to find the percents of subgroups...
California Education Partners
Colorful Data
Scale up your lessons with a performance task. Young data analysts work through an assessment task on scaled bar graphs. They answer questions about a given scaled bar graph on favorite colors, analyze a bar graph to see if it matches...
Inside Mathematics
Functions
A function is like a machine that has an input and an output. Challenge scholars to look at the eight given points and determine the two functions that would fit four of the points each — one is linear and the other non-linear. The...
Inside Mathematics
Swimming Pool
Swimming is more fun with quantities. The short assessment task encompasses finding the volume of a trapezoidal prism using an understanding of quantities. Individuals make a connection to the rate of which the pool is filled with a...
EngageNY
Informal Proofs of Properties of Dilations
Challenge the class to prove that the dilation properties always hold. The lesson develops an informal proof of the properties of dilations through a discussion. Two of the proofs are verified with each class member performing the...