Center for Math and Science Education
Plate Tectonic Globe
During your Earth systems unit, you could have junior geologists cut out and create a small globe depicting the tectonic plates. You may want to do this all together, step by step as a class because it would be easy to cut all of the...
Austin Independent School District
Social Studies Strategies: Concept of a Definition Map
Model for your class members how to use a definition map to make connections between new words and prior knowledge. Although the strategy is designed for social studies classes, the approach can be use at any grade level and in any...
University of Wisconsin
A Rain Garden Year
Pupils become plants in an interpretive play that depicts what happens throughout the seasons in a rain garden. As you narrate, students bloom, flower, and go to seed accordingly. The lesson is first in a series of lessons written for...
Scholastic
Study Jams! Add & Subtract Mixed Numbers
Adding and subtracting mixed numbers need the same attention that regular fractions do by finding a common denominator. If you plan to use a vertical line-up of the fractions then this video is for you. It just introduces this method, it...
Pacific Science Center
Worlds in Comparison
Young astronomers follow a step-by-step procedure for dividing a lump of dough into parts, resulting in a scaled volume set of puny planets. Along with the printable directions is a template chart of planet names on which learners can...
Illustrative Mathematics
Running at a Constant Speed
The learner must use the given constant speed to find the unit rate. A table is made in order to relate the speed to the time and the distance. From the table, learners are able to see the unit rate in miles per minute and miles per...
Illustrative Mathematics
Converting Square Units
Jada has a rectangle board that is measured in inches. Young learners confirm their understanding of converting inches to feet. Then they find the area in square feet. Jada thinks she has a short-cut to convert inches square to square...
Illustrative Mathematics
Making Cookies
Hooray for chocolate chip cookies! Ask your mathematicians to triple a chocolate chip cookie recipe and then reduce the recipe by one-fourth. Your class may need two days to complete, tripling the recipe the first day and reducing the...
Illustrative Mathematics
Kendall's Vase - Tax
Practice sales tax when using the activity with three solution choices. Learners can use a percent table, benchmark percent, or solve by calculating. Solutions don't show how to multiply by the decimal, but method can be added in. Great...
Illustrative Mathematics
Floor Plan
A multi-step problem has learners finding the actual area based on a scale drawing and then converting units at the end. Two different solution choices are listed depending on the preference on which step to start first. Both methods can...
Illustrative Mathematics
Voting for Two, Variation 4
After elections, the total amount of votes is not specified but the ratio of votes is. Your learners' job is to determine the fraction of votes John received above half of all votes. The problem can be solved abstractly or by other...
Illustrative Mathematics
Voting for Two, Variation 3
After calculating election votes, your learners must determine how many votes the winner, John, got above 50%. This multi-step problem encourages them to think in a deeper way about what the question is asking them to find. Use with...
Illustrative Mathematics
Voting for Two, Variation 2
John won the election, but by how much more? Your learners will calculate how many votes each candidate received in order to determine the difference. Use with other lessons provided in the series to practice different variations of this...
Illustrative Mathematics
Voting for Two, Variation 1
The votes are in and your mathematicians are going to calculate how many votes each candidate received. Three different solution choices are given, depending on which method is taught. Have your learners set up a table, compute parts, or...
Illustrative Mathematics
Friends Meeting on Bikes
It is the job of your mathematicians to figure out how fast Anya is riding her bike when meeting her friend. The problem shares the distance, time spent riding, and Taylor's speed leaving the last variable for your learners to solve. Use...
Illustrative Mathematics
Robot Races
Analyze data on a graph to answer three questions after a robot race. Learners practice comparing ratios and reading points on a graph. Answers may vary on the last question based on accuracy of graphing. Use the lesson along with three...
Illustrative Mathematics
Rolling Dice
Rolling dice is a great way for your mathematicians to get a hands-on approach to probabilities. Use the chart to record whether they rolled a six during ten attempts. Calculate results individually (or in small groups) and then record...
Illustrative Mathematics
Friends Meeting on Bicycles
It's a great day for a bike ride, but how long will it take? Your learners will have to calculate multiple variables in the problem using scaffolded questioning. Different answer choices are given, but you will need to create the table...
Oleh Yudin
iCrosss
Did you know that a soccer ball is very similar to a truncated icosahedron? Both have 32 faces, but while a truncated icosahedron is made up solely of flat hexagons, a traditional soccer ball has 12 pentagons and 20 hexagons, each curved...
Illustrative Mathematics
Extending the Definitions of Exponents, Variation 1
Scientist work with negative integer exponents all the time. Here, participants will learn how to relate negative exponents to time and to generate equivalent numerical expressions. Learners will apply the properties of integer exponents...
Illustrative Mathematics
Quinoa Pasta 1
Here is a great opportunity to introduce your mathematicians to a food they may never have heard of, quinoa. It may help to show a short video on quinoa, or make some quinoa for the class to try. Once they get over how to say quinoa,...
Illustrative Mathematics
Finding a 10% increase
A quick problem to test your mathematicians' knowledge on percent increase. Two different solutions are provided, mental math and computing. Ask your learners to include a description of what they did to supplement their answer.
Illustrative Mathematics
Puppy Weights
Nobody can say no to puppies, so lets use them in math! Your learners will take puppy birth weights and organize them into different graphs. They can do a variety of different graphs and detail into the problem based on your classroom...
Curated OER
Indian Removal and Forced Assimilation
It can be difficult to describe the removal and forced assimilation of indians during Andrew Jackson's presidency to a class. Reading the manuscript of the Indian Removal Act and analyzing photographs and political cartoons from the time...