+
Activity
Illustrative Mathematics

Hand Span Measures

For Students 2nd Standards
How long is your hand span? Young mathematicians measure their hand span from pinky tip to thumb tip using a centimeter ruler. After rounding to the nearest whole centimeter, learners plot their data on a line plot.
+
Activity
1
1
Terry Kawas

One Hundred Shoes

For Teachers Pre-K - 2nd
Practice counting and patterns in one fun activity! After discussing the word cent and what it means, kids count the number of body parts on the centimeter and add two legs to each. They then determine if there is a faster way to count,...
+
Activity
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network

Shrink Me!

For Teachers K - 12th Standards
The incredibly shrinking meter—decimeters to centimeters, to millimeters, and now to nanometers! Learners may have a difficult time visualizing particles on a nanoscale. Help them see a little clearer using a well-designed lesson that...
+
Activity
DiscoverE

Build a Straw Bridge

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Build teamwork skills while building a bridge. Scholars work together in groups to create a bridge out of 20 straws and tape. There is a minimum span length of 25 centimeters, but otherwise, let creativity run wild.
+
Lesson Plan
Illustrative Mathematics

Computing Volume Progression 3

For Teachers 5th - 7th Standards
Learners are given a volume of a rectangular tank and are asked to find the water height. Because the total volume of the tank is given in liters, your geometers will need to use a unit ratio to convert to centimeters cubed. The exercise...
+
Activity
Exploratorium

Balancing Stick

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Have some physical science fun when studying the center of gravity or center of mass. Simply have balancing artists stand a dowel on one finger and keep it from falling over! A lump of clay is added and moved up along the dowel over a...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Square Counting Shortcut

For Teachers 2nd - 4th Standards
An excellent lesson that encourages students to discover how complex figures can be broken into simpler shapes when measuring area. Working with block letters, learners are given the freedom to develop their own strategies for...
+
Activity
Center for Math and Science Education

Solar System Launch

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Trying to understand the vastness of outer space can be quite a challenge for young scientists. Help put things in perspective with this cross-curricular activity as students work in pairs creating scaled models of the solar system,...
+
Activity
Florida Center for Instructional Technology

Two for One Box Company

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Given a box of certain dimensions, young mathematicians must determine if a box that is twice as big, actually holds twice as much. This is a brain-teaser of a problem. The worksheet provides a handy table that has learners calculate the...
+
Activity
Illustrative Mathematics

Box of Clay

For Teachers 5th - 7th Standards
What happens to a volume when you scale the dimensions of a rectangular prism? In this problem, a box of clay is increased in each dimension, with the intent to see if learners can generalize the result. The addition of physical models...
+
Activity
Exploratorium

Handy Measuring Ratio

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Your hand can be a handy tool for measurement. Young mathematicians learn how to estimate the height of objects by applying similarity. They find the horizontal distance from the object where spreading their outstretched fingers results...
+
Activity
Exploratorium

Measuring and Mapping the Playground

For Teachers 4th - 7th Standards
The school playground is a great place to learn about math. Pupils measure the dimensions of a playground using baby steps and individual strides. They use their measurements to create a scale drawing of the playground by applying an...
+
Lesson Plan
Illustrative Mathematics

Shrinking

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
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.
+
Activity
Exploratorium

Magnetic Suction

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Drive an electric current through a coil of wire and show how it can pull a nail right into its core. This vivid demonstration exhibits the electromagnetic field. Consider also showing your class a few of the devices that make use of...
+
Activity
Star Date

Build Your Own Galaxy

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Don't just look at pictures of the Milky Way galaxy, build it with this hands-on activity in which scientists recreate the galaxy we live in.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Measuring the Area of a Circle

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
When mathematical errors happen, part of the learning is to figure out how it affects the rest of your calculations. The activity has your mathematicians solving for the area of a circular pipe and taking into consideration any errors...
+
Activity
Exploratorium

Magnetic Shielding

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Elementary magnetologists investigate magnetic shields using a variety of materials in a "shielding sandwich." While the activity isn't novel, it is engaging, and this particular resource includes a brief explanation of the phenomena...
+
Activity
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network

Scale Models

For Teachers K - 12th Standards
With instructions to adapt the activities for any grade K-12, any teacher can incorporate the concept of scale into the classroom with a simple, yet effective lesson.
+
Activity
Exploratorium

Corner Reflector

For Teachers 5th - 7th
If you set up a triad of mirrors into a corner figuration, they act as a kaleidoscope, bouncing light waves back and forth indefinitely, changing the light that your eyes perceive. Although the materials required are very specific and...
+
Activity
Exploratorium

Whack-a-Stack

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Go wild as you hit a stack of wooden blocks to demonstrate Newton's first and second laws of motion. The blocks at the top of the stack stay put as you knock one at a time out of the bottom. Note, however, that you will need to visit a...
+
Activity
Exploratorium

Marshmallow Puff Tube

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Let physical science stars experience Newton's first law of motion by blowing marshmallows out of cardboard tubes! Using different lengths of tubing, they find that more force is needed to overcome increasing friction, and they have a...
+
Activity
Scholastic

Spring Is Sprung: Water Movement in Plants

For Teachers Pre-K - 2nd Standards
Young scientists use food coloring and celery stalks to determine how water travels through plants. 
+
Activity
Star Date

Solar System Scale Model Demonstration

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Explore outer space and decorate your classroom with an astronomy project. Learners create a visual model with the creation of a scaled solar system using different sized balls.
+
Activity
Exploratorium

Groovy Sounds

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Make music. Class members construct a simple record player using a paper cone and a pin. The resource provides a description of what is happening and why listeners can hear the sounds through the cone. 

Other popular searches