Concord Consortium
Last Digit Arithmetic
Mathematics involves a study of patterns. The exploratory lesson has learners consider the addition pattern in different sets of numbers. Each set has a different pattern that pupils describe mathematically. The patterns involve both...
Concord Consortium
Intersections II
How many intersections can two absolute value functions have? Young scholars consider the question and then develop a set of rules that describe the number of solutions a given system will have. Using the parent function and the standard...
Concord Consortium
Integer Solutions
Experiment with integer relationships. Young scholars consider integers that have a sum of 10. They begin with two integers, then three, four, and more. As they consider each situation, they discover patterns in the possible solutions.
Concord Consortium
From Tan to Ten
Combine simplifying trigonometric expressions with evaluating them! An open-ended question presents a trigonometric expression and numeric values for additional expressions. Learners must determine a value for the original expression by...
Concord Consortium
Systematic Solution I
Writing a general rule to model a specific pattern is a high-level skill. Your classes practice the important skill as they write rules describing the solutions to a system of equations with variable coefficients. As an added challenge,...
Concord Consortium
Symbolic Similarity
How many things does one transformation tell you? Learners compare and contrast the graphs of different parent functions with the same transformation. Using a rational and absolute value function, pupils identify key features of their...
Concord Consortium
Swimming Pool II
Combine geometry and algebra concepts to solve a modeling problem. Young scholars consider the effect surface area has on volume. They write a cubic function to model the possible volume given a specific surface area and then determine...
Concord Consortium
Strings and Areas
You'd be surprised what you can do with a string! The constraint is the length of string, and the task is to maximize area. Given a series of composite shapes, learners must create a formula for the maximum area for a specified...
Concord Consortium
Broken Spreadsheet II
Work in reverse with the product becoming the given. Using a spreadsheet image of the graph of a trigonometric function, young scholars investigate methods of creating spreadsheet data that results in the given graph. The catch? The data...
Concord Consortium
Defining Logarithms
An inverse relationship exists between exponents and logarithms, allowing mathematicians to easily convert one to the other. Scholars apply a brief definition of logarithms with a few practice problems. Then, they discover the...
Concord Consortium
Circling Trains
And round and round the park we go! Given a description of an amusement park with the locations of three attractions connected by walkways, learners consider what happens when additional attractions join the mix by doubling the length of...
Concord Consortium
Circling
Come full circle in learning about conic sections. Learners first look at the type of conic section formed when concentric circles intersect a standard coordinate plane. They then see which type forms when two sets of concentric circles...
Concord Consortium
Center of Population
Let the resource take center stage in a lesson on population density. Scholars use provided historical data on the center of the US population to see how it shifted over time. They plot the data on a spreadsheet to look the speed of its...
Concord Consortium
The Line and the Ellipse
What do a line and an ellipse have in common? Maybe zero, one, or two points! Learners consider the equation of an ellipse and a line to determine if their graphs have any shared points. They then write a system of equations, including...
Concord Consortium
Systematic Solution II
Up the difficulty level by solving a system of equations with variable coefficients. Young scholars devise a plan to solve for x and y in terms of a and b. They represent their solutions as expressions and explain their process and the...
Concord Consortium
Swimming Pool I
Take a dive into a three-dimensional task. Given a specific surface area, individuals must maximize the volume of a cylindrical swimming pool. They combine their understanding of surface area and volume to create a cubic function that...
Concord Consortium
Sum and Product
From linear to quadratic with a simple operation. An exploratory lesson challenges learners to find two linear functions that, when multiplied, produce a given parabola. The task includes the graph of the sum of the functions as well as...
Concord Consortium
Squares and Cubes
The task is simple, but the solution is a little more complex. Learners must find the smallest number that results in a perfect square when multiplied by two and a perfect cube when multiplied by three. The task requires an analysis of...
Concord Consortium
Square-Ness
Are there some rectangles that are more square than others? A thought-provoking task asks individuals to create a formula that objectifies the square-ness of a set of rectangles. They then use their formulas to rank a set of rectangles.
Concord Consortium
Here Comes the Sun
Many phenomena in life are periodic in nature. A task-based lesson asks scholars to explore one of these phenomena. They collect data showing the sunrise time of a specific location over the period of a year. Using the data, they create...
Concord Consortium
Heights and Weights
Height is dependent on weight—or is it the other way around? Given data from a physicians handbook, individuals compare the height and weight of males and females at different areas. They calculate differences and ratios to assist with...
Concord Consortium
Graphing Elements
How do you graph a sentence? Scholars do just that as they represent relationships between independent and dependent variables with a graphical representation. Given a sentence, they determine the pertinent relationship and create a...
Concord Consortium
Graphical Depictions
Parent functions and their combinations create unique graphical designs. Learners explore these relationships with a progressive approach. Beginning with linear equations and inequalities and progressing to more complex functions,...
Concord Consortium
Going Up
Going on up—and up and up! An open-ended task asks learners to model the movement of an amusement ride with parametric equations. They then analyze their equations to determine how the shadow of the ride's car moves as it rises at a...