Illustrative Mathematics
Identifying Quadratic Functions (Vertex Form)
Pupils calculate the equation of a quadratic in vertex form from a specific graph and determine an equation that would fit the description of a parabola. The final question determines the individuals' understanding of the signs of the...
Illustrative Mathematics
Bundling and Unbundling
Seven tens, plus five ones, equals 75. Five ones, plus seven tens, also equals 75. These are the types of equations learners are asked to make true in a learning exercise with 11 unfinished equations.
Illustrative Mathematics
Looking at Numbers Every Which Way
Assess class members' ability to look at numbers every which way. A helpful worksheet contain four tasks, including writing numbers as a sum of 100's, 10's, and 1's, and drawing a picture to represent the number.
Project Maths
Planes and Points
Build a solid foundation on which to develop future concepts. Through a guided exploration, learners compare and contrast the characteristics of points, lines, planes, rays, and segments. They measure lengths and practice notation for...
5280 Math
Interesting Times
Gain a little interest in functions with a real-life task. Young scholars analyze home loan data with a geometric sequence and series. They use the models to make predictions about the total loan payments at certain intervals in a...
Concord Consortium
Circumscribed Polygon
Trigonometry teachers often go off on a tangent, and here's a worksheet that proves it! First, young mathematicians use a formula with tangent to prove a formula correct for area. Then, they draw conclusions about the area of a circle...
K12 Reader
The Product-Quotient Connection
How are multiplication and division connected? Read a passage about inverse operations to find out how you can use products and quotients to check your work when completing an equation from the opposite operation.
Illustrative Mathematics
Function Rules
Function machines are a great way to introduce the topic of functions to your class. Here, you will explore the input and output to functions both using numerical and non-numerical data. Learners are encouraged to play with different...
Illustrative Mathematics
What Shape Am I?
Sharpen your pencil and grab a ruler, it's time to draw some quadrilaterals! Given the definition of a parallelogram, rectangle, and rhombus, learners draw examples and nonexamples of each figure. The three definitions are...
Curated OER
Exponential Growth versus Linear Growth II
Your algebra learners discover that exponential functions, with a base larger than one, outgrow linear functions when the inputs increase sufficiently. Their analysis includes using a graphing calculator to produce tables.
Balanced Assessment
Plenty of Pentagons
Why are only four colors needed to color webs from regular pentagons, not five? An assessment task requires young mathematicians to first construct regular pentagons using a compass and straightedge, then has them consider a shape...
Illustrative Mathematics
Comparing Growth, Variation 2
A twist on the first variation of the growth task, this task poses an argument on two explanations of which snake grew more, based on the idea that two is a larger part of six rather than 10.
TED-Ed
A-rhythm-etic. The Math Behind the Beats
Your learners will dance in their seats as this talented drummer connects math to music in a short video clip. Clayton Cameron shows how math puts the "cool" in various genres of music, including jazz, hip-hop, pop,...
Computer Science Unplugged
Battleships—Searching Algorithms
How does a computer perform a search in order to find data? The lesson begins with a demonstration on finding one number out of 15. Pairs then play three games of Battleship by using different search techniques. The lesson...
Balanced Assessment
Sloppy Student I
"Does this work every time?" We've all heard it. Now learners get to explore methods to answer that question themselves. Pupils analyze a mistake that has been made with creating a formula for multiplying binomials. They then create...
University of Colorado
Happy Landings: A Splash or a Splat?
Huygens spacecraft landed on Saturn's moon Titan in 2005, making it the farthest landing from Earth ever made by a spacecraft. In this hands-on activity, the 12th installment of 22, groups explore how density affects speed. To do this,...
Balanced Assessment
Fermi Estimates II
How many hot dogs does Fenway Park go through in a year? Learners estimate answers to this question and more as they work through the task. Problems require participants to make assumptions and use those assumptions to make estimations.
Kenan Fellows
A Farmer’s Challenge to Breed to the Greatest of Grapes
What does your class know about GMOs? Are they savvy to selective breeding? Challenge young minds to engineer the greatest crop of all time using a hands-on genetics unit. Learners discover the good and bad details of selective breeding,...
101 Questions
Gas Light
You don't want to leave any learners stranded! Explore ratios using an analysis of gas mileage and distance. Given a scenario, individuals must determine if a car has enough gas to make it to the next gas stop.
Concord Consortium
Betweenness I
Just between us, this is a pretty cool lesson! Given two functions with the same slope, learners write three new functions whose outputs are all between the given functions. The question is open-ended, allowing pupils to explore the...
Concord Consortium
Betweenness III
Don't let a little challenge get between your pupils and their learning! Scholars compare two absolute value functions to recognize patterns and use them to build their own functions with outputs that are between the given. They then...
Concord Consortium
Broken Spreadsheet I
There is power in spreadsheet formulas and learners use this power to model quadratic data. Given a scatterplot of a parabola, pupils create formulas in a spreadsheet to populate the data. The formulas they use lead to an understanding...
Concord Consortium
Broken Spreadsheet II
Work in reverse with the product becoming the given. Using a spreadsheet image of the graph of a trigonometric function, young scholars investigate methods of creating spreadsheet data that results in the given graph. The catch? The data...
Concord Consortium
Defining Logarithms
An inverse relationship exists between exponents and logarithms, allowing mathematicians to easily convert one to the other. Scholars apply a brief definition of logarithms with a few practice problems. Then, they discover the...