US Institute of Peace
Mediating Conflict
Two's a negotiation, but three's a mediation! Demonstrate the differences between the two processes through a role-playing instructional activity. The activity familiarizes pupils with the role of a mediator and examines the types of...
Statistics Education Web
The Egg Roulette Game
Hard boiled or raw? Which egg will you get? A hands-on activity has scholars explore the impact of conditional probability. Based on a skit from the Tonight Show, pupils model the selection of the two types of eggs using beads. They...
Teach Engineering
What's Wrong with the Coordinates at the North Pole?
Here is an activity that merges technology with life skills as individuals use Google Earth to explore the differences between coordinate systems and map projections. The self-guided worksheet is the fourth segment in a nine-part unit....
Space Awareness
The Fibre Optic Cable Class
Many people know that fiber optics are used in delivering the Internet, but are surprised to learn they are also used in astronomy. Scholars explore light, reflection, and fiber optics through hands-on activities. They discuss...
Centre for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching
Ten Data Analysis Activities
This thirteen page data analysis worksheet contains a number of interesting problems regarding statistics. The activities cover the concepts of average measurements, standard deviation, box and whisker plots, quartiles, frequency...
Curated OER
The Little Prince: Problematic Situation
Your plane has crashed in the Sahara desert. What do you do? Explore the possibilities with a role-playing activity based on Antoine de Saint Éxupery's The Little Prince. In groups, kids decide whether they would walk to find help...
Illustrative Mathematics
Shrinking
Is Aunt Nancy shrinking? Find out by calculating with the average height women lose each year. The activity practices multiplying and dividing with decimals and rounding the final answer.
PBL Pathways
Total Cost to Produce the Turbo Blender
Class members blend their knowledge of functions and problem-solving skills to provide business advice to the Turbo Blender manufacturers. Through a project-based approach, learners examine marginal cost data to produce a function....
Curated OER
Pike Problems in Lake Davis
Pike fish pose a threat to native trout and catfish in lakes. Would you drain and poison a lake to get rid of the Pike fish? If the lake was drained and poisoned, then refilled and repopulated with trout and catfish, how would you...
Henrico County Public Schools
Factoring Puzzle
Factoring polynomials is an essential part of writing equivalent expressions and algebraic problem solving. Here is a card game that serves an engaging activity for reviewing factoring of polynomials.
Royal Society of Chemistry
Allotropes of Carbon
Carbon takes on many forms including diamond, graphite, and buckminsterfullerene. Scholars review their knowledge of these three allotropes of carbon as they complete four puzzles. The first acts as a general review, and the other three...
Curated OER
Book Title: Ten Flashing Fireflies
This instructional activity engages learners in a variety of activities to build 1 to 1 correspondence, estimation, and problem solving skills. They discuss problem solving strategies, hear the story Ten Flashing Fireflies, compose...
Curated OER
Handcarts - A Unique Form of Transportation
An interesting historical fact about how handcarts benefitted to the Mormon pioneers is the context behind this math lesson. Using given facts and figures regarding the handcart, pupil pairs create math word problems, share them with the...
Curated OER
Problem Solving: Draw a Picture
In this problem solving activity, 1st graders read the word problems and then solve using addition. Students then draw or write to explain their answer.
Curated OER
Linear Equations
This is a great activity from start to finish. With partners and on their own, learners write and solve linear equations and inequalities. They use manipulatives, group work, and an included worksheet to make magic with their problem...
Curated OER
Can You Tell What the Hidden Message Is?
In this math patterns worksheet, students use their problem solving skills to solve 6 problems that require them to complete messages by finding patterns.
Curated OER
Virtual Field Trip
Are we there yet? Young trip planners learn about their state and plan a trip. They will select sites to see in three cities in their state, and record associated costs in a spreadsheet. While this was originally designed as a...
Curated OER
Hot Problem Solving
Young scholars follow the steps of the engineering design process to meet the challenge of getting their entire class from one location on the playground to the sidewalk without touching the ground between. The class develops a well...
Curated OER
Travel Problems
This worksheet is actually an entire chapter focused on math problems involving, shortest path, minimum connector, traveling salesman, and Chinese postman problems. There are multiple activities, exercises, and examples to get students...
Curated OER
Activity Plan Mixed Ages: Fairytale Homes
Students create homes for fairytale characters. In this early childhood lesson plan, students develop literacy, language, and problem-solving concepts as they create block structures related to specific fairy tales.
Curated OER
Solving Story Problems
Eighth graders use a model to write and solve a story problem. They design a PowerPoint presentation outlining the steps to solve the problem. Students construct a diorama of a scene in the story problem.
Curated OER
Problem Solvers for Life
Fifth graders identify and explore the components of solving a problem. Students conduct a survey to collect, analyze and interpret data based on a given problem. Also, 5th graders use a variety of strategies to solve math problems,...
Curated OER
Design a Problem-Solving Invention
Students identify a problem that can be solved with a simple invention. They design an invention.
Curated OER
Problem Solving: Patterns in the Coordinate Grid
Coordinate graphs can be used for a variety of purposes. In this basic worksheet on coordinate graphing, 4th graders learn how to identify points and patterns on a graph. This worksheet could be used as a follow up to a lesson on...