In a world where interconnectedness and complexity hold sway, systems thinking offers a disciplined approach to make sense of the world and find innovative solutions to problems. How can a disciplined systems thinking approach lead...

Students will solve a word problem with various outcomes by creating a meaningful representation of the problem by using objects, pictures, or equations. An explanation is provided.

The Christopher Columbus Awards is a national, community-based science and technology program for middle school students. The program challenges the students to work in teams, with an adult coach, to identify a problem in their community...

The picture book One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference, written by Kate Smith Milway, takes place in Africa. Here in a Ghanan village, young Kojo cannot afford to go to school after the death of his father. His resourceful...

A simple home-made tripod is described that can be used for a variety of uses including lighting and for antennas. It can be made from pine, plywood and small brass hinges finished off with a coat or two of varnish.

Students are given a word problem with multiple solutions. They are challenged to solve the problem using manipulatives, to draw a picture to represent their work, and possibly record their responses using equations. Examples of...

Students are asked to solve a word problem with both addends unknown. They will write an equation and draw a picture to use to explain their answer.

This word problem focuses on the Put Together/Take Apart contexts for addition and subtraction. Students may use objects, pictures, or equations to represent their solutions. Examples and explanations are provided.

Six different techniques briefly stated that can help groups with decision making.

Students will learn that there are multiple ways to solve math problems, such as drawing a picture, using counters, using fingers, using a number line, and memorizing facts. The teacher writes a simple addition problem on the whiteboard...

In this lesson plan students solve word problems involving money and use the symbols correctly.

In this lesson plan students solve word problems involving money and use symbols correctly.

In this lesson, 7th graders solve real world problems using the four operations.

In this lesson, 7th graders write and solve an inequality to solve the problem.

This task asks students to use similarity to solve a pool table problem. Students must use the fact from physics that when an object bounces off of a wall, the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection. Aligns with G-SRT.B.5.

A performance task in which students solve a problem involving a proportional relationship. The problem is: The temple at the top of the pyramid is approximately 24 meters above the ground, and there are 91 steps leading up to the...

This task has students apply their knowledge of parallel lines to solve a geometric problem on areas of triangles. The task is open-ended in that students can choose their method of completing the task. Aligns with G-GPE.B.5.

Seventh graders are using proportional reasoning to solve real world problems in this lesson.

Seventh graders use proportional reasoning to solve word problems regarding an election.

This is the easiest problem in a series of three tasks involving fraction multiplication that can be solved with pictures or number lines. Aligns with 5.NF.B.6.

This task uses a situation that is familiar to students to solve a problem they probably have all encountered before: How long will it take until an electronic device has a fully charged battery? Given data, students perform a variety of...

Some friends are at the beach looking out onto the ocean on a clear day and they wonder how far away the horizon is. A second problem asks how far the horizon would be from the top of a mountain. Students must also answer a question...

This problem presents a wedding reception scenario. The bride is creating centerpieces for the tables and must calculate how many marbles she needs to partly fill the vases and stay within her budget at the same time. Aligns with G-GMD.A.3.

In this task, 6th graders solve a fraction division problem by drawing a picture, interpreting it, identifying an equation that represents the problem, and verifying that the equation gives the same answer as the picture. Aligns with...