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Performance
Radford University

Marking Starting Locations for the 400-Meter Dash Track and Field Event

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
No fair! I had to run more than they did! Young mathematicians first measure various lengths on a school track. They develop strategies and show calculations to prove that all participants will run the same length using a staggered...
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Performance
Radford University

Pizza Sector Task

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Gobble up a slice of the task. Scholars first consider the area of a whole pizza, half a pizza, and a quarter of a pizza. They then consider other central angles and develop a formula for the area of any sector of a circle.
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Performance
Radford University

Tiling

For Teachers 9th - 12th
What more could we want from floor tiles? Using pattern blocks and graph paper, pupils determine ways to completely tile a floor of given dimensions. They consider the aesthetic quality of the tiles by creating a tessellation and...
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Performance
Radford University

Parallelogram Task

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
These floors were made for learning. Pupils use coordinate planes drawn on the classroom floor using tape to investigate parallelograms. They measure lengths, angles, and slopes to identify properties of parallelograms.
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Performance
Radford University

Remodeling a Home

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Get new flooring for as cheap as possible. Given a floor plan of a house, pupils determine the area of each room and the amount of necessary flooring. They then make selections for the flooring in every space, taking a budget into...
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Performance
Radford University

“Putt-Putt” For The Geometry of It!

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Take a swing at the task. Using their knowledge of polygons and solids, scholars design one hole of a miniature golf course. They calculate areas and perimeters, determine the cost of building the holes, make scale drawings, and create...
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Performance
Radford University

Pirate Attack

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Arr ye matey, it's time for some trig. Learners first read up on the 2010 attack on the USS Nicholas by a group of pirates and the testimony of one of the witnesses. They use right triangle trigonometry to determine if the account is...
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Performance
Radford University

Finding the Largest Possible Area

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
If you want a bigger garden, here's a task for you. Given the perimeter of a triangular garden, scholars determine the largest possible area. They then generalize their findings and extend the idea to other polygons.
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Performance
Radford University

A Day at the Beach!

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Make math class feel like a day at the beach (minus all the sunburns, of course). Given information about a pail, a soup can, and a plastic pyramid mold, pupils calculate the volume of sand that can fit in each. They then design sand...
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Performance
Radford University

Running Laps During Soccer Practice

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Which option involves running less? Given a situation in which players can either run around the school soccer field 20 times or run back and forth along the diagonal 20 times, learners decide which option would be better. They consider...
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Performance
Radford University

A Place at the Table

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Find a seat at the table. Learners design a non-rectangular picnic table given constraints on the number of people that should be able to sit at the table. They draw blueprints and build scale models of their tables. After researching...
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Performance
Radford University

Filling Up a Swimming Pool Task

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Swimming pools are no fun without water. For a pool in the shape of a trapezoidal prism, scholars first calculate the amount of water needed to fill the pool. They use experimental data on water flow to determine whether to haul water...
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Performance
Radford University

Developing a Trigonometry Phone App

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What's one more app? After reviewing how to calculate missing side lengths or angle measures in a right triangle, pupils create instructions for a phone app to do all of the tedious work. They must consider all nine cases of known...
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Performance
Radford University

Rom/Com Final Scene

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
You haven't seen this scene before, have you? Young mathematicians first review the Pythagorean Theorem and trigonometry by completing a worksheet. They then consider several problems involving two people running toward each other in a...
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Performance
Radford University

Discover Radians!

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
No need for radians to be mysterious. Scholars use a cardboard cut-out of a unit circle and measure the radius and circumference using a piece of string. They consider the number of radii needed to cover the entire circumference and use...
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Performance
Radford University

Building Sandcastles

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Finalize the plans before playing in the sand. Learners design sandcastles using geometric and composite figures. They create blueprints, including the scale, and three-dimensional models of their castles. Finally, scholars calculate the...
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Performance
Radford University

What’s Your Party Like? An Exploration of Area

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Who knew that a party is all about the area. Individuals draw out a patio on grid paper while planning to host a party. Using colored paper to represent the total area of the patio, learners cut out furnishings to add to the patio,...
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Performance
Radford University

Football Tackle Problem

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Tackle a task on the gridiron. Scholars use geometric concepts to determine the distance on a coordinate plane that certain football players need to move for a play. They then design their own plays and create presentations where they...
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Performance
Radford University

Kite Project

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Let the class' knowledge of geometry soar like the kites they create. After researching the history and science of kites, learners draw up a blueprint for their own kites. They then calculate the areas and perimeters based on the scale...
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Performance
Radford University

Trouble in the Orchard

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
It's no fun catching a fungus. Scholars first investigate how the seasons affect the angle of the sun and the lengths of shadows. They then apply right triangle trigonometry to determine the height of trees based on their shadows to...
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Performance
Radford University

REALLY Tall!

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Conduct indirect measurements three ways. Working in groups, pupils come up with different ways to measure three tall objects indirectly. The teacher provides measurement information requested by the teams, and learners then calculate...
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Performance
Radford University

The Roanoke Adventure!

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Travel about town. Pupils work in pairs to find the distances between landmarks with a map. The teams determine how far to travel on the streets and the length between the landmarks with the distance formula and compare the two. Learners...
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Performance
Radford University

Your School’s Athletic Director Needs Your Mathematical Input!

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Cover the field. Pairs investigate two different rolls of astroturf to cover a football field. The learners determine which type of roll is the most cost effective. Scholars write letters to the athletic director explaining their...
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Performance
Radford University

How do I Prepare this Piece of Floor Tile to Lay on the Bottom of my Kitchen Sink Cabinet?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
How can you place a rectangular tile around a pipe? Scholars first use a model of a kitchen sink cabinet to take measurements. Using a compass and their knowledge of circles, they then cut out a circle from a piece of poster board (which...