Improving Measurement and Geometry in Elementary Schools
Rep Tiles
In addition to the catchy title, this lesson plan provides upper graders an opportunity to more closely scrutinize the attributes of plane figures. In particular, they focus on the similarity of different shapes. Both whole-class and...
Shodor Education Foundation
Estimating With Fire
Watch the damage from a forest fire in this interactive simulation activity that challenges learners to estimate the burn area using different approaches. Learners are given a worksheet to track the different burn patterns and practice...
Curated OER
Know Your Angles
Explore types of angles and the characteristics of each. After observing a PowerPoint Presentation, learners tour the school facilities and use a digital camera to capture prescribed angles. Using the digital pictures and written...
Shodor Education Foundation
Pythagorean Theorem
Most adults remember learning about the Pythagorean theorem, but they don't all remember how to use it. The emphasis here is on developing an intuitive understanding of how and when to use the theorem. Young mathematicians explore...
Workforce Solutions
30 Seconds
Thirty seconds are all scholars have to develop an engaging commercial to showcase their talents and experience within a specific occupation. Pairs work collaboratively to keep each other on time to deliver information speedily and ask...
Curated OER
Pythagorean Theorem by Graphic Manipulation
There are many different ways to show a proof of the Pythagorean Theorem. Here is a nice hands-on paper cutting activity that shows a graphic representation. You can even challenge your young Pythagoreans to come up with their own...
Willow Tree
Area of Common Geometric Figures
Scholars can use area formulas, but can they apply what they know about area? The lesson challenges learners to think logically while practicing finding area of shapes such as rectangles, circles, parallelograms, triangles, and other...
Curated OER
Around the Clock
Middle schoolers discover the relationship between the circumference of a circle and its diameter. They find the length of an arc of a circle.Students use estimation strategies in real-world applications to predict results (i.e.,...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Developing Formulas for Circles and Regular Polygons
Formulas and procedures for finding the area and circumference are not provided on this handout, so it will be best used as a practice of already-acquired skills. It is a well-rounded assignment, however, as it includes diagrams,...
Curated OER
Footprints: Take a Step into Estimation
Compare sizes of student footprints with those of elephants and sauropod dinosaurs! Upper graders make estimations of the areas of irregular shapes; students use grids to make and explain estimates within low and high ranges.
Pyro Innovations
Get into Shape
Shapes are so fun! Little ones explore, identify, and create shapes using tangrams or pattern blocks. The activity is intended to stimulate critical thinking while engaging learners through play and shape identification. Each child will...
Curated OER
Pythagorean Theorem
Students explore how the Pythagorean Theorem works and how to apply it.
Curated OER
Pythagorean Theorem
Students are introduced to the Pythagorean theorem. They use three different activities that give students the opportuntiy to observe triangles, and use the Pythagorean theorem and practice different ways of determining areas of...
Curated OER
Guess Your Best
Learners discuss situations when it is useful to know exact weight of object as opposed to estimated weight, estimate weight of various items, weigh them on scale using ounces and pounds, and compare their weights on Guess Your Best...
Curated OER
Volume & Candy Creations Model
Sixth graders investigate surface area. In this surface area lesson, 6th graders design a box of candy that has a volume of 30 cubic inches. Students are trying to minimize surface area while keeping volume constant. ...
Curated OER
Planning a Garden
Seventh graders research the World Wide Web to research and plan a garden for their school. They draw a scale model of the garden, determine the cost, and create a presentation to promote their garden plan.
Curated OER
The Estimation Station
Students challenge "common knowledge" against newly learned estimation strategies and put those strategies into use. They consider variables in estimating different groups of objects and practice skills of representing numbers.
Curated OER
Trigonometric Word Problems
In this trigonometric word problems worksheet, 10th graders solve 16 different problems that include various trigonometric situations. First, they determine at what angle a ladder makes with the ground. Then, students determine the...
Curated OER
GUM: More, Less, or the Same?
Students confirm the law of conservation of matter by weighing chewing gum before and after it is chewed.
Curated OER
A Cylinder Workshop
Students work with given formulas to solve for specific variables. The calculation of the volume of a cylinder and the change in volume when there is a constant surface area is analyzed in this lesson.
Curated OER
Are all holes round?
In this holes instructional activity, students observe how not all holes are round by making holes out of rulers and paper. Students also answer 3 questions.
Curated OER
The Quadratic Koch Snowflake
In this Quadratic Koch worksheet, students fill out a chart about the edges, edge length, total length, and different areas of a snowflake. Students do this for 8 snowflakes.
Curated OER
House Dimensions
Fourth graders measure the perimeters of several different rooms. They convert the measurements using ratios that allow them to draw the rooms to scale on paper. They draw the dimensions of a house to scale. They measure length to the...
Curated OER
The Circumference and Diameter of a Circle
Ninth graders investigate the finding of the diameter of a circle in order to extend the practice towards finding the circumference. They differentiate between the distance measured across a circle from that of around the perimeter.