Exploratorium
Measuring and Mapping the Playground
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...
Exploratorium
Angle Hunting
Do angles change with distance? Using a previously made tool, individuals find and measure angles on a playground. They observe that angles are the same measure regardless of the distance at which they're measured.
Exploratorium
Handy Measuring Ratio
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...
Exploratorium
Stride Ruler
Take it all in stride! Scholars learn to estimate distances using their strides as measurement. They take 10 steps next to a set of meter sticks and use the final distance to estimate the length of each step. Once they've found the...
Exploratorium
Making a Translation Tesselation
Make masterful art using math. An interesting activity has learners create artwork involving tesselations. First they cut out a base shape from index cards, then they apply translations to complete their masterpieces.
National Museum of Mathematics
Hands-On Data Analysis
Jump at the chance to use this resource. A kinesthetic activity has classmates jumping in several different ways (standing, single-step, and multiple-step jumps) to create handprints on poster paper taped to the wall. They measure the...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Sometimes We Need Large Numbers to Describe Small Things
String the class along to help them understand large numbers. A multi-disciplinary lesson uses literature, science, and math to look at very large numbers. Pupils conceptualize how much a million is using literature before performing a...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Learning About Surface Area and Volume
Plan a dinner party. Using a book by Marilyn Burns as a context, pupils learn about the relationships between area and perimeter and surface area and volume. The hands-on activities have learners rearrange tables and cut up meatballs to...
McGraw Hill
Lesson 12: Absolute Mean Deviation
Learn a different way to determine variability. An informative lesson provides directions on how to calculate the mean absolute deviation of a data set. Pupils use examples to learn the process and then practice finding the mean absolute...
New York City Department of Education
Chris’ Garden Dilemma
Make the connections between area, tiling, and multiplication. A performance task and associated unit presents the concept of area and makes the connection to multiplication. Pupils work through three major sections of instruction that...
New York City Department of Education
Isabella’s Garden
Create rows and rows of vegetables. Pupils use their knowledge of multiplication to find the number of vegetable shoots planted in a garden and ways to arrange the vegetables in the performance task. Teachers use the suggested unit...
ABCya
Christmas Present Hunt
An interactive game of hidden pictures challenges scholars to locate hard-to-find gift boxes. The number of presents increases and becomes harder to find as levels progress. A joyful reindeer praises players for a job well done.
CK-12 Foundation
Repeating Decimals: Does 1 equal 0.999... ?
Six questions make up a challenging interactive that tests scholars' knowledge of repeating decimals. Mathematicians answer true or false and multiple-choice questions with help from a tool that highlights decimal movement in an...
New York City Department of Education
Dance and Text
Use texts and dances to teach inequalities and equations. A sixth-grade unit covers using variables in equations and inequalities to solve problems. Learners show what they know at the end of the unit using two performance tasks, one...
ABCya
A Blocky Christmas!!
And you thought holiday shopping was tough! A fun Christmas game prompts players to direct a star block into position with the arrow keys on their keyboard. As they progress through levels, they use the star block to move additional...
ABCya
Christmas Lights Math
Get into the holiday spirit with math! As learners complete addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division problems, they earn Christmas lights that they can then use to decorate a virtual house.
ABCya
Turkey Touchdown
Touchdown! A Thanksgiving Day, football-themed learning game challenges mathematicians to answer addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems. After five correct answers, players aim and kick a field goal before the next...
ABCya
Thanksgiving Challenge
Set the Thanksgiving Day holiday table with a learning game that challenges participants to think critically about family members' likes and dislikes. Players scroll over a character to reveal what the requirements are for their seating...
ABCya
Hanukkah Gelt Hunt
A Hanukkah-themed learning game challenges players to find hidden gelt. Scholars examine festive pictures to locate hard-to-see gelt—chocolate coins— and click on them to earn points before the timer runs out. Levels become increasingly...
CK-12 Foundation
Whole Number Exponents: Building Blocks
Five questions make up an interactive all about whole-number exponents. Movable building blocks create a visual tool to aide mathematicians in answering multiple-choice and true or false problems. The interactive ends with a discussion...
ABCya
Gobble Squabble
A Thanksgiving-themed interactive boosts addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts. Using the keyboard's arrows, players navigate a turkey through a maze, gobbling up as many berries as possible without getting tagged by...
CK-12 Foundation
Scientific Notation Values
Scientific notation is the focus of a five-question interactive. A model with movable points offers a visual reference to help solve true or false, multiple-choice, and fill in the blank questions. A discussion question challenges...
CK-12 Foundation
Numbers with Decimal Place Value: Battleship Decimals
Decimal place value is the topic of a Battleship themed-interactive. Scholars answer five questions—multiple-choice and true or false—while referencing a grid that acts as the board game. The practice concludes with a discussion question.
CK-12 Foundation
Decimals as Mixed Numbers
A five-question interactive boosts scholars' knowledge of decimals and mixed numbers. Moveable base 10 blocks assist mathematicians in answering a series of multiple-choice and true or false questions. A discussion concludes the practice.