Do golf courses affect the water organisms in nearby streams and ponds? Small groups collect samples of water upstream and downstream from a golf course and analyze the macroinvertebrates found and the stream index values of...

Take a trip back in time to examine angular velocity. Using the revolutions per minute, learners calculate the speed of a point on a 33 record. They compare the speed of a point on the edge of the record to the speed of a point closer to...

Teach discounts and sales with a straightforward worksheet. After reviewing the concept, pupils solve word problems related to dollars and percentages. The second half of the sheet prompts learners to continue solving problems related to...

Here is a straightforward example of how to apply the Pythagorean Theorem to find an unknown side-length of a trapezoid. Commentary gives additional information on proving that the inside of the trapezoid is a rectangle, but is...

The accuracy required by the design and measurement of an Olympic running track will surprise track stars and couch potatoes alike. Given a short introduction, the class then scaffolds into a detailed analysis of the exact nature of the...

How can you determine the maximum speed of a sailboat? A sailing presentation included with a straightforward lesson plan prompts learners to calculate the maximum speed of a sailboat with a displacement hull. The...

For kids, taking a vacation is all fun and games, but after completing this pre-algebra project, they'll have a whole new appreciation for the planning that makes these trips possible. Given a budget of $5,000 to spend on purchasing the...

The 13th activity in a unit of 22 introduces the concept of the interquartile range (IQR). Class members learn to determine the interquartile range, interpret within the context of the data, and finish by finding the IQR using an...

Spread the data out on the range. The short video provides a definition of the range. Using a data set of five numbers, the resource calculates the range.

It takes a strong foundation to build a house and a stronger one for a bridge. This resource presents the effects of geology and soil on bridge foundations. Working in groups, the class investigates the interaction of shallow and deep...

When will a wind farm pay for itself? Individuals calculate the anticipated annual revenue for two proposed wind farms. By comparing the number of years it takes to pay back the initial investment, they determine which site makes the...

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...

How do vectors help make problem solving more efficient? Math scholars use vectors to represent different phenomenon and calculate resultant vectors to answer questions. Problems vary from modeling airplane motion to the path of a...

Gaining practice in translating a verbal description into a diagram and then an equation is the real point of this similar triangles exercise. Once the diagram is drawn, multiple methods are provided to reach the conclusion. An effective...

If members of your class wonder where they can use the math they learn in middle school, let them discover the answer. Learners apply geometry concepts of scale and measure to calculate the costs of framing a house addition.

Allow learners to design their own strategies to solve a problem. Given dimensions of a glass and a smaller marble, scholars must find the dimensions of a larger marble. The answer key suggests using the Pythagorean Theorem, but multiple...

The propellant needed for space explorations runs in the thousands, while paying to get the craft into orbit costs millions! In the second installment of three, two activities explore laws of conservation of energy and momentum. Using...

Explore the mathematical relationship between a solvent and solute. Learners use technology to measure the cooling patterns of a solvent with varying concentrations of solute. Through an analysis of the data, pupils realize that the...

Determine whether there is a difference between two grades. Teams generate random samples of two grade levels of individuals. Groups use the mean absolute deviation to determine whether there is a meaningful difference between the...

How did ancient peoples determine the height of really tall objects? Young scientists and mathematicians explore the concept of using shadows to measure height in a hands-on experiment. Paired pupils measure shadows, then calculate the...

No height? No problem! Learners use their knowledge and a little help from GeoGebra to develop the Law of Sines formula. The Law of Sines helps to determine the height of triangles to calculate the area.

The -ly adverbs are the focus of a worksheet that asks kids to select adverbs from the provided word bank to add additional information about how the action of the sentence takes place.

Find the percent of middle schoolers who want the ability to freeze time. The 21st installment in a series of 25 has groups collect a random sample of respondents who answer a question about superpowers. Using sample statistics,...

Watch the money grow daily. Scholars tackle a problem to determine how much money they will have if a dollar grows at 10 percent compounded daily after a month. Using that knowledge, learners notice the difference between varying savings...