EngageNY
The Motion of the Moon, Sun, and Stars—Motivating Mathematics
What does math have to do with the behavior of the earth and sun? Learn how the movement of celestial bodies has influenced the development of trigonometry. Scholars connects the details in mathematics to their...
EngageNY
Even and Odd Numbers
Even or not, here I come. Groups investigate the parity of products and sums of whole numbers in the 17th lesson in a series of 21. Using dots to represent numbers, they develop a pattern for the products of two even numbers; two odd...
Partnership for Educating Colorado Students
Mayan Mathematics and Architecture
Take young scholars on a trip through history with this unit on the mathematics and architecture of the Mayan civilization. Starting with a introduction to their base twenty number system and the symbols they used, this eight-lesson unit...
National Wildlife Federation
The Tide is High, but I’m Holding On… Using ICESat Data to Investigate Sea Level Rise
Based on the rate of melting observed from 2003-2007 in Greenland, it would take less than 10 minutes to fill the Dallas Cowboys' Stadium. The 17th lesson in a series of 21 has scholars use the ICESat data to understand the ice mass...
Mathematics Vision Project
Module 3: Arithmetic and Geometric Sequences
Natural human interest in patterns and algebraic study of function notation are linked in this introductory unit on the properties of sequences. Once presented with a pattern or situation, the class works through how to justify...
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...
Mascil Project
Epidemics: Modelling with Mathematics
The Black Death epidemic is responsible for more than one million deaths in the United Kingdom. An inquiry-based activity has young scholars explore the rate of disease spread. They then analyze graphs showing data from epidemics such as...
EngageNY
Scatter Plots
Scholars learn to create scatter plots and investigate any relationships that exists between the variables with a lesson plan that also show them that statistical relationships do not necessarily indicate a cause-and-effect...
EngageNY
Trigonometric Identity Proofs
Proving a trig identity might just be easier than proving your own identity at the airport. Learners first investigate a table of values to determine and prove the addition formulas for sine and cosine. They then use this result to...
EngageNY
Secant Lines; Secant Lines That Meet Inside a Circle
Young mathematicians identify different cases of intersecting secant lines. They then investigate the case where secant lines meet inside a circle.
EngageNY
The Binomial Theorem
Investigate patterns in the binomial theorem. Pupils begin by reviewing the coefficients from Pascal's triangle. They look at the individual terms, the sums of the coefficients on a row, and the alternating sum of each row. Individuals...
EngageNY
Volume of a Sphere
To understand an informal derivation of the formula to find the volume of a sphere, young mathematicians investigate the volume of a sphere about the volume of a right circular cylinder. They develop the formula for the volume of a...
National Wildlife Federation
Stifling, Oppressive, Sweltering, Oh My!
Looking for a hot date? Pick any day in August, statistically the hottest month in the United States. The 15th lesson in the series of 21 instructs pupils to investigate the August 2007 heat wave through NASA data, daily temperature...
Mathematics Vision Project
Geometric Figures
Logical thinking is at the forefront of this jam-packed lesson, with young mathematicians not only investigating geometric concepts but also how they "know what they know". Through each activity and worksheet, learners wrestle with...
Mathematics Assessment Project
Printing Tickets
That's the ticket! Pupils write and investigate two linear functions representing the cost of printing tickets. Individuals then determine which of two printing companies would be a better buy.
Balanced Assessment
Don't Fence Me In
Investigate the complexities of design problems using geometric concepts. The task asks scholars to design a fence for a horse based on the distance it can travel within one hour. It is a seemingly simple task — until individuals learn...
Concord Consortium
Boards I
Learners create patterns in a table to mimic the function of an electronic spreadsheet. The result is a table that creates an addition table for decimals in intervals of one-tenth. While creating the pattern, pupils must thoroughly...
Illustrative Mathematics
A Midpoint Miracle
Young geometers develop one of the fundamental properties of quadrilaterals (connecting side midpoints gives a parallelogram) in this short but thought-provoking exercise. Using a combination of hands-on techniques and abstract algebraic...
Illustrative Mathematics
Return to Fred's Fun Factory (with 50 Cents)
The penny arcade gets the statistics treatment in this fun probability investigation. A non-standard game of chance is described and then the class is set loose to find missing probabilities, determine common outcomes, and evaluate...
EngageNY
Develop Rules for Multiplying Signed Numbers
Investigate the case of two negatives making a positive. Pupils fill in a quadrant system to generate the products of integers. They analyze the quadrants to find patterns and relationships to help complete the table values. The teacher...
Natinal Math + Science Initative
Slope Investigation
Context is the key to understanding slope. A real-world application of slope uses a weight loss scenario with a constant rate of change to introduce the concept of slope of a line, before it makes a connection to the ordered pairs...
Under the Dome
A Math-ic Prediction
Trick out mathematical expressions. Scholars participate in a computerized magic trick where the computer guesses the final answer to a series of operations. Pupils investigate the trick to determine what is happening. Individuals then...
Radford University
Catch Me If You Can!
Crime doesn't pay, but everyone can learn from it. Learners consider different situations involving mischief at a school, such as stink bombs and rockets, and analyze them using mathematics. They must apply trigonometry, quadratic...
CK-12 Foundation
Using Quadratic Equations to Solve Problems: Construct a Soccer Field
Determine whether the soccer field has the right area. Pupils create a virtual soccer field based upon constraints. They determine the equation that models the area and continue to investigate other potential areas.