Curated OER
More and Less Handfuls
Working as a pair, two kindergartners will sit at a table and will pick two handfuls of counters. They will combine their individual handfuls into one, and count their own selection. They will then draw and record their count on a record...
Illustrative Mathematics
Guess the Marbles in the Bag
Use this activity to help your class develop an understanding of greater than, less than, and equal to with numbers valued between 1 and 10. Secretly place a number of marbles (between 1 and 10) in a brown paper bag. Then shake the bag...
Illustrative Mathematics
Find The Numbers 0-5 or 5-10
In need of math station or center for your kindergartners? Model how to play this game with the whole class first and then make it into a center. Create a few sets of six number cards with 0-5 or 5-10 and then create a matching die with...
California Academy of Science
Plants: Hanging Tough
Learning about the rainforest can be more fun than you think. The class discusses vocabulary-in-context as they cut cardboard boxes, destined to become part of a rainforest model. Small groups of children color, cut, and construct...
California Academy of Science
Notice and Wonder
Pint-sized zoologists practice the art of observation. They take notes, pictures or written, as they observe an animal for a period of time. This can be done at the zoo, with a visiting classroom animal, or perhaps at the humane society....
Illustrative Mathematics
Counting Cup
Help your kindergartners develop counting skills using a 24 oz. plastic cup, counting manipulatives, and a paper plate. Start with a small group of learners and place a quantity of counting objects between the range of 5 to 10 into each...
Bytes Arithmetic
Geometry Pad+
Graphing paper, pencil, ruler, protractor, and compass, all get replaced or supplemented with this dynamic geometry application. Here, you can create, move, and scale many different shapes, as well as, explore and change their properties...
Curated OER
Choral Counting II
Using a number line or a 100s chart that extends past 100, practice counting from 1 to 120 with your class. As a part of daily instruction, chant count in sequence from 1 to 100 and then randomly chose a number and count onward to 120....
Illustrative Mathematics
Counting Overview
Develop automatic, meaningful counting skills with your class by using everyday classroom/school items, objects, and opportunities. Counting skills should be practiced during the year using objects and items they are familiar with and...
Curated OER
Choral Counting I
Using a 100s chart or a number line with a pointer, work with your class to count up to 100 by ones and tens. As a part of daily instruction, prompt your kindergartners to chant count from 1 to 30. Move on to 1 to 50, and then from 1 to...
Yummy Math
Playing with my calculator on the 4th of July
This fun activity guides learners through an exploration of the effects of replacing f(x) with -f(x), f(x) + c, k f(x), and f(x + c). Using graphing calculators, students experiment with variations of the graph of y = x^2 to design a...
Curated OER
Counting Mat
Using the provided counting mats (1-6 and 7-12) and small objects to count with, guide your young learners to match the correct number of objects to the written numeral and dots. Class members will either read the numeral and count out...
Illustrative Mathematics
Color Week
Practice counting by ones up to 20 with your kindergartners using this colorful class experiment. There are two versions for the activity. Version 1: The Friday beforehand, send home a notice for the week assigning a different color for...
Yummy Math
Steep Hikes
Grab your hiking gear and get ready for a math adventure! Learners explore the meaning of percent grade change, as compared to the slope in an excellent worksheet activity about hiking trails in the mountains of New Hampshire. They...
Curated OER
Stochastic and Deterministic Modeling
Explore the difference between stochastic and deterministic modeling through programming. First have the class write algorithms for relatively simple tasks using pseudocode. Use the Python 2.7 program app to simulate Mendel's Pea Pod...
Illustrative Mathematics
Locating Fractions Less than One on the Number Line
Understanding where to place a fraction on a number line is key to understanding fractions as numbers. This activity focuses on locating fractions less than one. Learners need to partition the line into the correct number of equal sized...
Yummy Math
Hot Summer. . . Cold Winter
A table of each state's record temperature reports data that middle schoolers can place on a number line for analysis. A written explanation of how to use this tool and the concept of absolute value are also included. Nine questions are...
Illustrative Mathematics
Jumping Flea
Mathematics minors consider the magnitude of a jumping flea as he hops from place to place. Through this exercise, they will investigate absolute values, as well as positive and negative rational numbers on a number line. The first page...
Agile Mind
Cake Weighing
An online set of four yummy questions addresses number sense for sixth graders. They place points on a number line, determine relative values, interpret absolute value, and apply their understanding to the weighing of cakes for a bakery....
Curated OER
Inscribing a Hexagon in a Circle
This activity is a follow-on activity to inscribing a square in a circle. The overall problem is more complex. It deals with geometric constructions, properties of triangles, and regular hexagons. The final part of the activity...
Illustrative Mathematics
Graphs of Quadratic Functions
The equations look different, but their graphs are the same. How can that be? This activity leads your mathematicians in an exploration of three different forms of the same quadratic function. After comparing the equations, their graphs,...
Curated OER
Foxes and Rabbits 3
Use realistic data to find trigonometric models that best fit the populations of foxes and rabbits in a national park. Included are detailed explanations of the answers and process. This is a follow-up exercise to the lesson listed in...
Curated OER
Foxes and Rabbits 2
Explore the relationship between the population of foxes and rabbits in a national park using trigonometric models. Plot data and find the appropriate trigonometric functions. Two questions require interpretation and explanation of...
Shodor Education Foundation
Pythagorean Theorem
Most adults remember learning about the Pythagorean theorem, but they don't all remember how to use it. The emphasis here is on developing an intuitive understanding of how and when to use the theorem. Young mathematicians explore...