Bowland
Hot Under the Collar
It is close enough for all practical purposes. Pupils see two methods to convert degrees Celsius to degrees Fahrenheit, one with exact numbers and another using estimation. Learners review both methods and determine when the estimation...
Curated OER
Discovering Math: Computation
Middle schoolers add, subtract, multiply, and divide rational numbers. They find the square and the cube of numbers. They create a game incorporating computation on rational numbers. Everyone works together to write and evaluate...
Virginia Department of Education
Practical Problems Involving Decimals
After discussing decimals and "going shopping" in the classroom, young mathematicians are given four practical word problems that require them to estimate their answers, given specific information. The highlight of the lesson plan is...
Curated OER
Fractions, Decimals, and Percents Got You Down? "Tri" This!
Have your class design their own mathematical study aids. Learners collaborate in groups on the design of tri-fold presentation describing the relationships between mathematical computations. Then, they write a business letter to the...
Curated OER
Water: From Neglect to Respect
The goal of this collection of lessons is to make middle schoolers more aware of the ways in which they are dependent upon water to maintain their standard of living. Learners compare water use in Lesotho to water use in the United...
Curated OER
How Tall is that Tree?
Students apply their math skills to develop an accurate estimate of the height of a tall tree. Three different methods are outlined. All grade levels should be able to perform the shadow method and the proportional method.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Comparing Fuel Economy
Compute fuel economy and gas mileage. Why? So you can teach rates and ratios, of course! Middle schoolers calculate the rate of miles per gallon for various vehicles. They research each vehicle, its mileage per gallon, and cost per...
Curated OER
Amazing Transpiration
 Learners observe a leaf and discuss the way that water is released from a leaf through its stomata. For this water cycle lesson, learners calculate how much water leaves produce from a whole tree.  Â
Curated OER
Estimating with Rational Numbers
Students explore the concept of rounding. In this rounding lesson plan, students round fractions and mixed numbers. Students estimate the sums, differences, products, and quotients of rounded fractions and mixed numbers.
Shodor Education Foundation
Buffon's Needle
Find the needle on a lined paper. Pupils run a simulation of dropping a needle on a lined paper. The probability of the needle crossing at least one line is pi/2. After each trial, the interactive displays the approximation of pi based...
Illustrative Mathematics
Reasoning about Multiplication and Division and Place Value, Part 2
The learner puts reasoning and estimation to work. The directions are to place a decimal in the answer to make the equation true. Pupils are to look at the two problems, one multiplication and one division, and estimate an answer. No...
Curated OER
Alternative Algorithms
Analyze algorithms for computing with rational numbers and develop fluency in their use with your math class. They work individually to solve the problems on the "Alternative Algorithms" sheet. Then, they analyze the appropriateness of...
Google
Surveys and Estimating Large Quantities
Looking for an estimation activity a bit more involved than the typical "guess the number of jellybeans in the jar" game? Here, learners use a picture to estimate the number of people at a large event, look for potential problems with...
Curated OER
Models and Algorithms to Solve Multiplication Problems
Students choose the correct strategy to solve multiplication and division. In this algorithm lesson, students use at least two strategies that use properties of operations and estimation. Students also recognize the relationship between...
Curated OER
Operations with Fractions and Decimals
Complete a lesson that introduces and explores operations with fractions and decimals. Pupils estimate the reasonableness of a decimal computation. Then discuss what operation is needed to find an answer. Handouts, web sources, and other...
Curated OER
Measure Mania
Groups of students rotate through five classroom stations to estimate, measure, and record volume, length, weight, mass, and area using both customary and metric measure. They evaluate their data to determine how close their estimates...
Concord Consortium
Full of Beans
Scholars have an opportunity to use their geometric modeling skills. Pupils determine a reasonable estimate of the number of string beans that would fill the average human body.
Curated OER
What Do We Do With A Dirty Bomb?
Students examine composition of dirty bomb and its possible effects on a city, and investigate simulations of such an event; students use computational and problem solving skills to assess damage and prepare report proposing solution to...
Curated OER
History and the Approximations of pi
Middle schoolers investigate Pi. For this mathematics lesson, learners discuss the history of Pi and determine how the approximation of Pi was discovered.
Curated OER
Lesson Plan for Fontana Mines
Pupils estimate and compute with rational numbers. They compare, order and convert among fractions, decimals and percents. Students analyze problems to determine if there is sufficient or extraneous data to solve.
Curated OER
Small Angle Calculations
Young scholars work with circles, angles and estimating angles in the night sky. In this circles and angles lesson, students practice measuring a degree using the circumference of a circle and apply the degree to determine a way to use...
Illustrative Mathematics
Reasoning about Multiplication and Division and Place Value, Part 1
Help your class make sense of quantities and their relationships. Given is the product of two numbers. It is up to your number crunchers to think about the quantitative relationship when the product is one-tenth or ten times the product...
Curated OER
La Toteca- A Tropical Paradise
Students collect data on the time of the ferry. For this algebra lesson, students use the data to predict a ferry schedule. They also compute the depth where oxygen would be needed when diving.
Curated OER
Fractions, Decimals, and Gravity
Students discuss how weight is directly related to gravitational force on a planet. Students then choose Space Traveler as companion and compute how much their guide weighs on various planets, based on each planet's relative surface...