An outbreak of the swine flu on a school campus has caused an increase in the number of boxes of tissues sold by the school store. In a real-world-modeling activity, pupils use composition of functions to determine how the number of...

Class members create a table of the number of chords that can be drawn given the number of points on a circle. Pupils analyze the data created, find a function to fit to it, and use the function to make further predictions.

Connect geometric shapes to your learners' lives with this worksheet. In order to complete this worksheet, young scholars must discover examples of triangles, squares, and circles at school, at home, and outdoors and list them on a...

A bouncing ball serves as more than entertainment when learning to apply quadratic functions to real-world events. This is the second of a two-part lesson, which can also be accessed from the website. The instructions say to measure the...

Show examples of fractions in the real world to help scholars grasp this complex concept. Because there is only one word problem here with an answer detailed below, this is ideal as an all-class warm up. Learners examine an image of a...

When do you multiply a fraction by a fraction? Here, fifth graders are given 10 different word problems and asked to decide if multiplying 2/5 x 1/8 is appropriate. Many times, real-world word problems sound similar although the required...

This activity presents a real-world problem about an epidemic of influenza spreading through a city. Learners refer to a graph that shows the number of individuals infected in relation to the number of weeks that have elapsed since...

Using a popular topic, the movies, your class can meet a Common Core criterion. They compare box office movie returns, adjust older movies' incomes for inflation, and in this way use the four operations to solve real-world problems. This...

Understanding how to multiply a whole number by a fraction is the key concept. Young mathematicians create a visual model of this real-world example and find the solution. Extensions are possible for making this an even richer activity....

An interesting example of a discrete function and how it is applies to the real world. This could easily make a good collaborative lesson with an environmental science class. Practice reading a table and drawing a scatter plot make up...

Sixth graders create/use spreadsheets to solve real-world problems, explore patterns, make predictions, select/explain most appropriate types of graph to display data, use information to create product, and have basic understanding of...

This activity helps young mathematicians connect the graph and the point-slope form of a line, by first solving a real-world problem and then using that example to motivate the understanding of the equation. By manipulating the gizmo,...

Learners explore the characteristics of logarithmic functions and their relationship to exponential functions. Using the subscriber website Explorelearning.com, pupils observe changes in the input variable and its effect on the graph of...

How can you measure the height of a tree or telephone pole with only a short measuring tape?  It's not a problem when you start by measuring your shadow and your height to create a ratio to use with taller objects. Additional...

Several real-world problems are posed as a way to learn about vector fields in order to make some predictions after analyzing the data. The main problem comes from the tv show NUMB3RS and is based on solving a crime where a body has...

After conjuring up images of the ideal lifestyle, young adults are given a reality check. They take an online quiz and complete an activity that requires them to put their dream lifestyle in a real-world context. They determine how...

Upper graders explore the connection between interest and principal. They use an amortization schedule to determine the amount of principal paid vs interest on a $100,000 home loan. Fourteen discussion questions and a research-based...

Looking for a real-world situation to practice converting units? In this problem, learners must change miles per gallon to liters per km (or vice versa) to determine which car gets better gas miileage. It is a relatively short problem,...

There is more than one way to answer a question; especially when you have fractions in measurement. Here are three questions with real-world situations in which 5th graders are asked to provide answers in three ways: a larger unit of...

In this real-world problem about the rapid growth of rabbit populations, students must analyze two different scenarios and create mathematical models to represent them. They use their exponential models to answer questions about the...

An in-depth activity that involves a real-world problem about credit card debt. Learners are given a scenario in which Isabella plans to stop using her credit card and pay off the balance by paying a fixed amount each month. The first...

Introduce learners to exponential growth with this real-world problem about algae that is rapidly spreading across a lake in a city park. The task presents the rate of growth and an end value and asks learners to determine what happened...

Here is a cute problem that requires visualizing two-dimensional shapes within a three-dimensional object, and using properties of triangles and the Pythagorean theorem to solve a real-world problem. There is a small mistake in this...

When you divide two integers you can get a decimal form of a rational number that repeats. How do you interpret that number in real-world situations? Her is an example question: What does 2.6666666666 mean in terms of an amount of...