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Divisions
Divide and conquer the geometry problem. Young scholars consider how to subdivide triangles into smaller ones that have equal areas. They must apply their knowledge of medians to help accomplish the task.
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Detective Stories
The truth will always come out. A short performance task has learners considering a witness statement given to a detective. They apply special line segments in triangles and Ceva's Theorem to prove that the witness is actually lying.
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Line of Sight
There's no way around it—learners must use trigonometry to model the line of sight around a race track! Using the starting line as the origin, pupils model the straight line distance to any car using a trigonometric expression. The...
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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...
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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...
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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.
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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...
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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,...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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,...
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Gestation and Longevity
Is the gestation length of an animal a predictor of the average life expectancy of that animal? Learners analyze similar data for more than 50 different animals. They choose a data display and draw conclusions from their graphs.
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Function Project
What if a coordinate plane becomes a slope-intercept plane? What does the graph of a linear function look like? Learners explore these questions by graphing the y-intercept of a linear equation as a function of its slope. The result is a...
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Bill the Ball Bearing Man
Just how durable could a hollow ball bearing be? Learners model the strength of the walls of a ball bearing as a function of the radius of its cavity. They use their models to make reasonable conclusions about the probability of failure...