Virginia Department of Education
Integers: Addition and Subtraction
Young mathematicians construct their own understanding of integers with an inquiry-based math lesson. Using colored chips to represent positive and negative numbers, children model a series of addition and subtraction problems as they...
Marilyn Burns Education Associates
Eighteen Flavors
Your learners will be tantalized by this inquiry-based, collaborative activity as they discover how to write an equation that represents the height of an ice cream cone. Given the scenario based on the poem, "Eighteen Flavors," and...
Virginia Department of Education
Linear Modeling
An inquiry-based algebra lesson explores real-world applications of linear functions. Scholars investigate four different situations that can be modeled by linear functions, identifying the rate of change, as well as the strength and...
101 Questions
Coffee Traveler
Investigate the volume of irregular figures in an inquiry-based exercise. Presented with an irregularly shaped box filled with water, learners must predict the level of water when it is tipped on its side. The class can divide the figure...
Virginia Department of Education
Determining Direct Variation
Once learners realize what direct variation is, they see it's just a type of linear function. The lesson poses a general question that leads to the creation of the y = kx formula. The resource includes discussion prompts and ideas for...
Project Maths
Introduction to Calculus
Don't let your class's heart rates rise as you introduce them to differentiation ... an inquiry-based lesson helps them keep it in check! The second lesson in a three-part series asks learners to analyze the rate of change of different...
101 Questions
Toothpicks
Analyze patterns and build functions. Young scholars work on their modeling skills with an inquiry-based lesson. After watching a video presentation of the problem, they write functions and make predictions.
Mathematics Vision Project
Module 3: Features of Functions
Learn how to represent functions in multiple ways. Learners analyze functions as equations, graphs, and verbal descriptions. The analysis includes intercepts, behavior, domain, and range. The module of seven lessons makes up the third...
Mathematics Vision Project
Module 5: Rational Functions and Expressions
Where do those asymptotes come from? Learners graph, simplify, and solve rational functions in the fifth module of a 10-part series. Beginning with graphing, pupils determine the key characteristics of the graphs including an in-depth...
Education Development Center
Micro-Geography of the Number Line
Young mathematicians dive into the number line to discover decimals and how the numbers infinitely get smaller in between. They click the zoom button a few times and learn that the number line doesn't just stop at integers. Includes a...
CK-12 Foundation
Simplify Products or Quotients of Single Variable Expressions: Quotients of Single Variable Expressions
Investigate division within an algebraic term using an inquiry-based lesson. Individuals adjust sliders and watch as the simplification of the term changes. Questions help guide them to important conclusions.
101 Questions
Dandy Candies
Package design is an economic necessity. Young scholars assume the role in an interesting inquiry-based lesson. Given 24 cubic shaped candies to package, they must determine the arrangement that uses the least amount of cardboard to...
101 Questions
Sticky Stickies
Don't let your classes get stuck on area calculations—grab their attention with an inquiry-based lesson! Scholars must develop a plan to determine how may sticky notes it takes to cover the surface of a door. They decide on the...
Mathematics Vision Project
Quadratic Functions
Inquiry-based learning and investigations form the basis of a deep understanding of quadratic functions in a very thorough unit plan. Learners develop recursive and closed methods for representing real-life situations, then apply these...
101 Questions
Sugar Packets
Depending on your eating habits, you just may not want to know the answer to the inquiry-based question! The task is to determine the number of sugar packets in one 20-ounce soda. Learners use nutritional information from the sugar and...
West Contra Costa Unified School District
Investigating the Discriminant
When is finding the discriminant enough? Using the quadratic formula helps find solutions to quadratic equations, but there are times when just using the discriminant is appropriate. Use this algebra II lesson plan to help classes see...
Space Awareness
History of the Universe
Your pupils may believe that you and their parents are the oldest things in the universe, but surprise! There are elements of the universe that are even older. Elementary scientists create a class timeline to demonstrate the expansive...
Curated OER
Budget Bonanza
Students demonstrate how to use a budget plan. In this consumer math activity, students calculate the total cost of data and determine if they are within budget. Students use calculators to determine the total cost. There is a rubric...
PBS
Blow the Roof Off!
Blow the minds of young scientists with this collection of inquiry-based investigations. Based on a series of eight videos, these "hands-on, minds-on" science lessons engage young learners in exploring a wide range of topics from making...
Mathematics Vision Project
Module 9: Modeling Data
How many different ways can you model data? Scholars learn several in the final module in a series of nine. Learners model data with dot plots, box plots, histograms, and scatter plots. They also analyze the data based on the data...
101 Questions
Domino Skyscraper
Can a domino knock over a skyscraper? An inquiry-based lesson asks learners to calculate the size of domino needed to topple the Empire State Building. Using specific criteria and a geometric model, they find a solution.
101 Questions
Foreign Subway Order
Subway orders are the same in every language, right? An inquiry-based lesson presents a Subway ordering board from an Asian country. Given an order, learners must determine the cost by comparing symbols of the order to the symbols on the...
Mathematics Vision Project
Module 1: Functions and Their Inverses
Undo a function to create a new one. The inverse of a function does just that. An inquiry-based lesson examines the result of reversing the variables of a function, beginning with linear patterns and advancing to quadratic and...
Curated OER
Cold Hard Facts? What Inquiring Minds Will Know -- Inquiry-Based Ice Investigations
Students are introduced to the concepts of perimter, diameter, circumference and measurements. In groups, they complete two worksheets in which they determine if the ice dimensions make a difference in the way it floats. They discuss...