PBS
The Planets of the Solar System
Launch a lesson that's sure to capture middle schoolers' interest! Exploration enthusiasts examine the planets of our solar system using an activity from PBS's Space series. The resource includes images and information for each planet,...
NASA
The Search for Critical Questions
A puzzle isn't about the individual pieces, but how they work together. Scholars assemble a puzzle and discover missing pieces. They write a description of what they expect these pieces to look like, including as many details as...
Mathematics Vision Project
Module 3: Numbers and Operations
Bring some concrete reasoning to the skills of multiplying and combining terms. Using various strategies, the six activities in the module provide practice for the skills of adding, subtracting, multiplying, and diving polynomials. The...
NASA
Exploration of a Problem: Making Sense of the Elements
When given too much data to simply memorize, it helps to sort it into manageable groups. The second lesson in the six-part series of Cosmic Chemistry challenges groups of pupils to take a large amount of data and figure out how to best...
Concord Consortium
Bicycle Chain
Model a bicycle chain with circles and tangent lines. Given the dimensions of the sprocket wheels, young scholars calculate the length of the chain that surrounds them. A second task has learners write a function for the length of a...
5280 Math
Step by Step
One step at a time! A seemingly linear relationship becomes an entirely new type of function. Young scholars build their understanding of step functions by completing a three-stage activity that incorporates multiple representations of...
5280 Math
Integer Interpreter
Can you add variables if you don't know their value? Using an empty number line, scholars first locate the position of the difference, sum, product, and quotient of two unknown integers. Later problems mix operations as well as add...
5280 Math
Decimal Patterns
Find patterns in the process instead of the result. Learners convert series of decimals and fractions identifying patterns along the way. The lesson includes nine problem tasks with progressively more involved patterns.
Mathematics Vision Project
Module 9: Modeling Data
How many different ways can you model data? Scholars learn several in the final module in a series of nine. Learners model data with dot plots, box plots, histograms, and scatter plots. They also analyze the data based on the data...
Mathematics Vision Project
Module 8: More Functions, More Features
A piece of this and a piece of that, add domain restrictions and create a piecewise function. Young scholars explore piecewise functions with and without context. Functions include both linear and quadratic parts. The module is the...
Mathematics Vision Project
Module 7: Structure of Expressions
The structure of an expression is a descriptive feature. Learners build a solid understanding of quadratic functions using an analysis of expressions in different forms. The seventh module in a series of nine includes 12 lessons...
Mathematics Vision Project
Module 1: Sequences
Sequences are all about recognizing patterns. A module of 11 lessons builds pupils' understanding of sequences through pattern analysis. The practice connects the analysis to linear and exponential equations. This is the first module in...
US National Archives
Benjamin Franklin: Politician and Diplomat
A scientist, inventor, entrepreneur, politician, and the founder of a nation—and that's just one person! Learners investigate the many lives of Benjamin Franklin. Using a hands-on interactive online resource, they analyze primary...
PBS
Analyzing McCulloch v. Maryland
What happened in the Supreme Court case of McCulloch v. Maryland? The resource teaches the specifics of the case with a video and provided discussion questions covering issues such as precedent and the Supreme Court as an equal branch of...
American Statistical Association
How Random Is the iPod’s Shuffle?
Shuffle the resource into your lesson repertoire. Scholars use randomly-generated iPod Shuffle playlists to develop ideas about randomness. They use a new set of playlists to confirm their ideas, and then decide whether the iPod randomly...
American Statistical Association
How Fast Are You?
Quick! Snap up the lesson. Scholars first use an online app to collect data on reaction times by clicking a button when the color of a box changes. They then plot and analyze the data by considering measures of center, measures of...