Illustrative Mathematics
What's the Point?
Given a certain amount of points, how many line segments can you connect between them? How many close geometric figures can you create? These are the types of questions learners are asked to solve in a assessment-based learning exercise.
Concord Consortium
Adding the Sines
It's a sign! Scholars analyze sine functions for patterns in their periods. The exploration advances beyond a simple function to the combination of two functions with even and odd coefficients. Their goal is to find a pattern between the...
California Academy of Science
Be Prepared for an Earthquake
Earthquakes can be frightening and dangerous, but being prepared can make a world of difference. Perform an earthquake simulation during which the class practices how to drop, cover, and hold on as you read a script...
Shodor Education Foundation
Estimating With Fire
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...
Mathematics Vision Project
Module 1: Getting Ready Module
This fabulous resource is a must-have for any algebra teacher's arsenal of lessons. Developing the idea of equations and use of variables from basic physical scenarios, learners gain valuable intuition in the structure and meaning of...
Rainforest Alliance
Investments in Forest Carbon
One hundred metric tons of CO2 can accumulate in one acre of forest over time—that's a lot of carbon! In the activity, groups of middle school learners determine what makes forests important. They then solidify the concept by using a...
Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
A Search for Symbolism in The Great Gatsby
After reading The Great Gatsby, groups return to the text and note passages where Fitzgerald uses symbols and color imagery in his narrative. They then develop a presentation that explains the context, the implications, and possible...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Modeling Food Webs in Darién, Panama
It's a jungle out there! Young biologists journey to Darien, Panama to examine the intricate relationships between the organisms that inhabit the jungle. Groups begin by demonstrating an understanding of energy flow in ecosystems, then...
Mascil Project
Epidemics: Modelling with Mathematics
The Black Death epidemic is responsible for more than one million deaths in the United Kingdom. An inquiry-based activity has young scholars explore the rate of disease spread. They then analyze graphs showing data from epidemics such as...
Radford University
Can I Create a Line/Curve of Best Fit to Model Water Drainage?
Learners collect data on the amount of water left in a bottle over time. They graph the data to determine whether the scatter plot shows a curved or straight relationship. Group members then determine an equation for the curve of best...
Techbridge Curriculum
Calculating Rainwater Runoff
Thirsty plants soak up every bit of a rainfall, but what happens to the rain that hits the roof? Calculate the amount of rainwater from your school's roof with an Earth science activity, which brings measurement skills, observation...
Math Centre UK
Fractions—Basic Ideas
What are fractions? Find out using a reference page and video that goes in depth on how to make fractions equivalent, write fractions in simplest form, convert improper fractions into mixed numbers, and vice versa. Following...
Illustrative Mathematics
Sounds Really Good! (Sort Of...)
Winning a lottery game with 60% odds sounds like a no brainer. This is when the math kicks in to show players that in the long run, they lose money the more often they play. Here is one simple question that opens the doors to a nice...
Curated OER
Sunken Treasure
You've located buried treasure, now what? Explore how to use algebraic and geometric methods to determine where to place a recovery ship based on the location of the treasure.
Yummy Math
2015 Macy's Thanksgiving Parade
Take a seat on the parade route with a holiday-themed set of word problems. Young mathematicians answer questions based on the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in New York City, including finding the average number of members in a...
Energy for Keeps
Renewable Energy Action Project: What's in Your Energy Portfolio?
Uncover the renewable energy potential in your region. The activity outlines an approach to research current practices and trends. Learners conduct surveys to assess the attitudes of the local population and prepare a paper summarizing...
Concord Consortium
Boards III
Learn to visualize mathematical patterns as a folded pattern. Beginning with a visual display, the task encourages pupils to view sequences as a folded table. The pattern of the table then becomes a formula in a spreadsheet that...
Computer Science Unplugged
Codes in a Song—Modems
Let's listen to some codes. To understand how a modem sends binary numbers over a phone line, class member listen to the codes included in the provided mp3 files, translates the tones to binary numbers and then convert the...
West Contra Costa Unified School District
Polynomial Division
Multiply the ways your scholars can find the quotient with polynomial division. A lesson plan introduces polynomial division via long division, synthetic division, generic area model, and using the definition of division. Learners...
California Mathematics Project
Reflections
Reflections are the geometric mirror. Pupils explore this concept as they discover the properties of reflections. They focus on the coordinates of the reflections and look for patterns. This is the third lesson in a seven-part series.
Balanced Assessment
Fit-Ness
Serve four towns with one bus route. Pupils develop a bus route that meets certain criteria to serve four towns. They determine which of the routes would best serve all of them. Individuals then hypothesize where a fifth town should be...
Intel
Track the Trends
Allow your classes to research what interests them. An engaging STEM lesson, the fourth in the series of six, asks individuals to choose a topic of interest and analyze the data through regression models. The regression equations allow...
CK-12 Foundation
Angle-Angle-Side Triangles: Garden Gate
Good fences make good gardens. Individuals use an interactive to see how angles and sides relate in a triangular-shaped garden fence. They apply the Law of Sines to find the length of the garden gate (third side of triangle) given two...
Illustrative Mathematics
Ordering Time
Practice telling time to the nearest five minutes in a digital and analog clock activity. Learners are prompted to order clock cards in increasing time order, and then write the time each clock represents.