EngageNY
The Volume Formula of a Pyramid and Cone
Our teacher told us the formula had one-third, but why? Using manipulatives, classmates try to explain the volume formula for a pyramid. After constructing a cube with six congruent pyramids, pupils use scaling principles from...
Teach Engineering
Let's Take a Spin: One-Axis Rotation
Investigate the effect of one-axis rotations on geometric figures. Scholars learn to use snap cubes and the right-hand rule to draw figures after rotations about the x-, y-, or z-axes. They try their hands at examples created by the...
Curated OER
Taking the Boat to Manaus
Fifth graders apply the concepts they know regarding mass, volume and density in the previous activities to design a boat. Student teams must make a boat which can travel the waters of the Amazon Rainforest. Each group makes a...
ARKive
Handling Data: African Animal Maths
Handling and processing data is a big part of what real scientists do. Provide a way for your learners to explore graphs and data related to the animals that live on the African savannah. They begin their analysis by discussing what they...
National Security Agency
Are You Game? A Lesson Connecting Fractions and Probability
Exactly how fair are the board games children grow up playing? Young mathematicians investigate this questions as they work their way through this five-lesson series on basic probability.
Mathematics Vision Project
Similarity and Right Triangle Trigonometry
Starting with similar triangles and dilation factors, this unit quickly and thoroughly progresses into the world of right triangle features and trigonometric relationships. Presented in easy-to-attack modules with copious application...
EngageNY
The Angle-Angle (AA) Criterion for Two Triangles to Be Similar
What do you need to prove triangles are similar? Learners answer this question through a construction exploration. Once they establish the criteria, they use the congruence and proportionality properties of similar objects to find...
EngageNY
Using Trigonometry to Determine Area
What do you do when you don't think you have enough information? You look for another way to do the problem! Pupils combine what they know about finding the area of a triangle and trigonometry to determine triangle area when they don't...
West Contra Costa Unified School District
Simplifying Radicals – Day 1
It doesn't get simpler than this. Scholars first learn to simplify radicals by determining the prime factors of the radicand. The lesson progresses to simplifying radicals involving algebraic expressions in the radicand.
EngageNY
Newton’s Law of Cooling
As part of an investigation of transformations of exponential functions, class members use Newton's Law of Cooling as an exponential model to determine temperature based on varying aspects. The resource makes comparisons between...
Federal Reserve Bank
Financial Goals
Do you have financial goals? How will you make them happen? Help your pupils answer these questions through this interactive project. They create goals and a plan for reaching them as one of many high school algebra projects.
Federal Reserve Bank
Income Taxes
Most adults dread April 15 — tax day! Tax preparation can be intimidating even for adults. Build confidence by leading individuals through the process and then give them a scenario to practice. The exercise uses tax vocabulary to give...
Federal Reserve Bank
Purchasing a Vehicle
Start your engines! Prevent negative car buying experiences by arming pupils with information. Prepare your young drivers to make informed decisions when they are ready to purchase a car. All aspects are considered from the type of car...
Visa
Saving and Investing
Impress upon your young adults the importance of saving and investing, and give them a foundational vocabulary from which they can continue to build their financial literacy. This lesson plan covers short- and long-term budget goals,...
Illustrative Mathematics
Right Triangles Inscribed in Circles II
So many times the characteristics of triangles are presented as a vocabulary-type of lesson, but in this activity they are key to unraveling a proof. A unique attack on proving that an inscribed angle that subtends a diameter must be a...
Illustrative Mathematics
Two Wheels and a Belt
Geometry gets an engineering treatment in an exercise involving a belt wrapped around two wheels of different dimensions. Along with the wheels, this belt problem connects concepts of right triangles, tangent lines, arc length, and...
Houston Area Calculus Teachers
Polynomial Graphing
Your AP Calculus learners probably have their ID numbers memorized, but have they tried graphing them? Pique your pupils' interest by asking each to create a unique polynomial function based on their ID numbers, and then analyze the...
Mathed Up!
Metric and Imperial Measures
After watching a brief video on making metric conversions to standard units, pupils complete tables to describe certain items with the appropriate unit of measurement. Then, they convert liters to millimeters, millimeters to...
Willow Tree
Simple Probability
The probability of learning from this lesson is high! Learners calculate probabilities as numbers and as decimals. They see how to use a complement to find a probability and even try a simple geometric probability problem.
Mathematics Vision Project
Module 4: Rational Functions
Time to study the most sensible function — rational functions! The seven-lesson unit develops the concept of a rational function through a connection to rational numbers and fractions. Scholars graph functions, solve equations, and...
101 Questions
Dueling Discounts
What a bargain—an informative, free resource! Given prices of several objects, learners determine whether 20 percent off or $20 off would be a better bargain. They use the results to come up with a generalization of the situation.
101 Questions
Graduation
Graduation ceremonies are huge milestones, but sometimes waiting for a name to be called gets a bit boring. Scholars find the pace the announcer calls names to determine how long until a specific name is called. Calculations work in...
Mathematics Vision Project
Module 4: Equations and Inequalities
Can you justify that mathematically? Help learners see the process of solving as using mathematical properties rather than a set of steps to memorize in the fourth module of a nine-part Algebra I series. The module contains six...
Curated OER
Make-Your-Own Math Practice
Students create their own math practice book. In these homemade book lessons, students create their own counting, number, and shape pages. When the pages are complete, they are bound together in a book.