CCSS Math Activities
Rolling for the Big One
Knowing math helps you win games. Learners apply conditional probability concepts in an engaging performance task. After playing a game in which players roll a 10-sided polyhedron and then try to place the digits to get the highest...
CCSS Math Activities
Satellite
This isn't rocket science, you know. A performance task has learners use right triangle trigonometry to calculate distances from stations on Earth to a satellite. It also requires finding the distance between two stations along the...
CCSS Math Activities
Social Security Trust Fund
Will Social Security still be around when you retire? Given data on the predicted balance of the social security fund over time, scholars plot the points on a coordinate grid and determine if a quadratic regression fits the data. They...
CCSS Math Activities
Sandwich Shop
Eat up the task on systems of equations. Given information on the total number of sandwiches and the total income, learners write and solve a linear system of equations to find the number of each type of sandwich sold at a shop. They...
CCSS Math Activities
Out of the Swimming Pool
Out of the swimming pool and into the math classroom! Young mathematicians analyze two linear functions representing the number of liters of water in a pool as it drains over time. They must evaluate functions, interpret function...
Mascil Project
Water Quality
How do you prevent the spread of water-borne illness in large public swimming areas? Scholars discover the challenges to identifying safe water through an inquiry experiment. They then produce posters sharing their understanding of water...
Concord Consortium
Area Upgrade
Imagine a world built of triangles. A performance task asks scholars to consider just that. They use their knowledge of special segments of a triangle to make decisions about the area of triangular plots of land.
Concord Consortium
An Algebraic Oversight
Tackle a common misconception using a performance task. Dividing by a variable to eliminate a variable may seem like a good idea, but simplifying the variable eliminates solutions as well. Learners develop algebraic and graphical support...
Concord Consortium
Acid Test
This isn't your typical basic lesson—it's more acidic! Learners use pH information to determine the hydroxide ion concentration of different substances and then use these values to analyze information. The calculations require...
Concord Consortium
A Linear System
Young mathematicians have the hang of graphing with integer coefficients now. Can they generalize what they've learned to equations with variable coefficients? The task asks individuals to verify the solution to the system is (x,y) and...
Concord Consortium
Betweenness V
Take a unique approach to study the graphing of trigonometric functions. Young scholars consider two sine functions and write three functions that will lie between the two given. They use a graphing utility to assist in their explorations.
Concord Consortium
Betweenness IV
Challenge your classes to think between the curves. Given two function formed by the combination of two exponential functions, individuals must write three functions in which all values would lie between the given. The question is...
Concord Consortium
Betweenness III
Don't let a little challenge get between your pupils and their learning! Scholars compare two absolute value functions to recognize patterns and use them to build their own functions with outputs that are between the given. They then...
Concord Consortium
Betweenness II
Read between the curves ... quadratic curves! Young scholars analyze the graphs of two quadratic functions by writing their own function whose outputs are between the two given. They then consider intersecting quadratic functions and...
Concord Consortium
A Monosignic Function
Complex fractions and trigonometric expressions combine to create a challenging task ... as if they aren't challenging enough on their own! The task challenges individuals to consider the range of possible values when substituting in the...
Mascil Project
Container Logistics
Here's a creative lesson that lets pupils be creative as well! While considering many different factors, learners devise a plan to increase the efficiency of container shipments. The design of the activity encourages creative,...
Council for Economic Education
Using an Excel Checkbook
High school is the time that many scholars get their first jobs. Help young entrepreneurs apply economic principles to crucial skills for their new jobs and for functioning in society in general. They use Excel to balance a checkbook by...
Project Maths
Introduction to Probability
Take a chance with an activity sure to improve your class's skills. An introductory instructional activity focuses on probability and chance. It shows how probability is always a value between zero and one, i.e., the probability of an...
Project Maths
Introduction to Calculus
Don't let your class's heart rates rise as you introduce them to differentiation ... an inquiry-based lesson helps them keep it in check! The second lesson in a three-part series asks learners to analyze the rate of change of different...
Council for Economic Education
Preparing a 1040EZ Income Tax Form
Some of us never feel like we know how to do our taxes! Help scholars understand the process early by using an informative resource. They fill out their own tax forms in a simulation activity and view multiple resources to learn even...
101 Questions
Sacre Coeur Funicular
Rise to the challenge of trigonometry. Watching a video of an ascending funicular at the Sacre Coeur in Paris sets the stage for a challenging task. Young mathematicians use a given diagram, along with the concepts of slope and...
101 Questions
Laying Sod
Lay out a firm understanding of trigonometry. Scholars watch a video recording of a worker laying sod on a lawn. Given the dimensions of each piece of sod and the lawn, they determine how many pieces of sod are necessary. Trigonometry...
101 Questions
Catcher to 2nd
Who's on second? Young mathematicians use a diagram of a baseball field to find the distance a catcher must throw to reach second base. A brief video of such a play during a baseball game sets the stage for the assignment.
101 Questions
Lost in the City with a Clinometer
Come look at trigonometry from a different angle. To begin a simple activity, scholars view a video of someone using a clinometer to find the angle of elevation to the top of a building. They then use a diagram that shows the building's...