Odyssey of the Mind
Odyssey of the Mind Curriculum Activity: Made Up Math
Is there a way to connect creative thinking, logical reasoning, mathematical understanding, and humor? You bet there is! Kids begin by creating creative math quizzes, which require creative thinking to solve. For example, 1+1=24, one...
Curated OER
Talking About Your Name in Math Terms
Add imagination and creativity to your math instructional activity. Young mathematicians investigate ways to express their names in mathematical terms. For instance, they can count the number of letters, analyze the geometric shapes of...
Seussville
A Classic in 236 Words
Get in the reading spirit on Read Across America Day while celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday with four printable learning exercise activities. Included is a word search using story character's names, a quiz to test how many Dr. Seuss...
Curated OER
Fanning The Spark: Fostering Your Students' Creativity
Here is a packet of lessons which are designed to help you to foster your pupils' creativity. The lessons are designed to develop their fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration on ideas. The are built around field trips to a...
Curated OER
Math News
Young writers design and publish a newsletter with articles that demonstrate knowledge of mathematical concepts. They explain mathematical procedures and basic operations in a news article format. Next, they compile several articles to...
EngageNY
Wishful Thinking—Does Linearity Hold? (Part 2)
Trying to find a linear transformation is like finding a needle in a haystack. The second lesson in the series of 32 continues to explore the concept of linearity started in the first lesson. The class explores trigonometric, rational,...
EngageNY
Sampling Variability in the Sample Mean (part 1)
How accurate is data collected from a sample? Learners answer this question using a simulation to model data collected from a sample population. They analyze the data to understand the variability in the results.
Curated OER
Clowning Around: Drawing
Kids create a clown out of shapes. They work to show emotions while practicing their drawing skills. Pupils use circles, triangles, squares, oil pastels, and their imagination to draw, color, and decorate a sad or happy clown. Tip: Have...
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...
EngageNY
Linear Equations in Disguise
In the eighth segment of a 33-part unit, learners look at equations that do not appear to be linear at first glance. The equations are proportions where the numerators and denominators may have more than one term. To round out the...
Discovery Education
Architects in Action
Hands-on and real-world applications are great ways to teach mathematical concepts. Creative thinkers examine how ratios are used to create scale models of buildings and structures. They practice working with ratios by looking at a map...
Hawaiʻi State Department of Education
Dimension Dances
Use dance to help learners conceptualize line segments, rays, lines, and planes. They choreograph dances that show dimensional space. Dancers start by pondering space, point, and lines as the teacher draws them in the air. Each movement...
EngageNY
Overcoming a Second Obstacle in Factoring—What If There Is a Remainder?
Looking for an alternative approach to long division? Show your classes how to use factoring in place of long division. Increase their fluency with factoring at the same time!
EngageNY
Sampling Variability in the Sample Proportion (part 2)
Increase your sample and increase your accuracy! Scholars complete an activity that compares sample size to variability in results. Learners realize that the greater the sample size, the smaller the range in the distribution of sample...
Mathematics Assessment Project
Solving Linear Equations in One Variable
A thorough and professional appearance characterizes a lesson on linear equations. Maturing mathematicians are taught to identify and exemplify linear equations with a single variable. They also classify equations according to the number...
Institute for Teaching through Technology and Innovative Practices
The Right Number of Elephants
How can you tell if a number of items is reasonable? Combine math and language arts with a fun lesson based on Jeff Shepard's The Right Number of Elephants. After reading the book, kids discuss amounts of other items and create minibooks...
Reardon Problem Solving Gifts
Teaching Problem Solving Strategies in the 5-12 Curriculum
Address any kind of math concept or problem with a series of problem-solving strategies. Over 12 days of different activities and increasing skills, learners practice different ways to solve problems, check their answers, and reflect...
EngageNY
The Graph of a Linear Equation in Two Variables
Add more points on the graph ... and it still remains a line! The 13th installment in a series of 33 leads the class to the understanding that the graph of linear equation is a line. Pupils find several solutions to a two-variable linear...
EngageNY
Patterns in Scatter Plots
Class members investigate relationships between two variables in the seventh installment of a 16-part module that teaches scholars how to find and describe patterns in scatter plots. Young mathematicians consider linear/nonlinear...
Curated OER
Crazy for Cubes: Art and Science
Learners discuss Sol LeWitt and conceptual art, then analyze the differences in expressing a concept through model-based inquiry and aesthetic art criticism. They develop a geometric, scientific, or mathematical concept, then create an...
EngageNY
Tax, Commissions, Fees, and Other Real-World Percent Problems
Pupils work several real-world problems that use percents in the 11th portion of a 20-part series. The problems contain percents involved with taxes, commissions, discounts, tips, fees, and interest. Scholars use the equations formed for...
EngageNY
Dividing by (x – a) and (x + a)
Patterns in math emerge from seemingly random places. Learners explore the patterns for factoring the sum and differences of perfect roots. Analyzing these patterns helps young mathematicians develop the polynomial identities.
Sylvandell Publishing
It's So Odd!
Some resources are just wonderful for stimulating creative thinking and concept understanding. Children are encouraged to explore odd and even numbers through a variety of creative activities. They group items, read a story, make an...
Curated OER
Lesson: New Museum Design Activity
After viewing images of vernacular and alternative architecture, budding designers collect materials to construct their own spacial design. They use gathered materials to construct a 3D model of the class space in a new way, yet...