Get new flooring for as cheap as possible. Given a floor plan of a house, pupils determine the area of each room and the amount of necessary flooring. They then make selections for the flooring in every space, taking a budget into...

Can you make money from math? Young mathematicians match real-world applications to systems of linear equations. In groups, they investigate investment strategies by writing systems of linear equations which helps them determine which...

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...

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 activity, which can also be accessed from the website. The instructions say to measure...

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...

Perform data analysis on energy consumption to apply algebraic expressions to the real world. Learners will write and solve equations that answer various questions from residential power use. They will collect data at home and calculate...

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...

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...

Which decimal is greater? Learners start by comparing eight pairs of decimals, writing in the symbol (> or <) to indicate values. The next two sections involve sets of three decimals. They start by circling the decimal with the...

Here is an activity that presents a real-world problem about the relationship between crude oil production and the gas mileage of modern automobiles. After learners write functions to describe the relationships, they are asked to...

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,...

This study guide would be great to use when presenting a lesson on ratios and proportions. It includes clear definitions, explanations, and examples to work through as a class or individually. In addition, it has notes on rates and...

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...

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...

Elapsed time is a skill developed by the single question that is the center of this activity. Fifth graders are asked to find out the time that is 2011 minutes after the beginning of 2011. This question addresses the standard that...

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...

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...