BW Walch
Creating Linear Equations in One Variable
The example of two travelers meeting somewhere along the road has been a stereotypical joke about algebra as long as algebra has existed. Here in this detailed presentation, this old trope gets a careful and approachable treatment....
Illustrative Mathematics
Toilet Roll
Potty humor is always a big hit with the school-age crowd, and potty algebra takes this topic to a whole new level. Here the class develops a model that connects the dimensions (radii, paper thickness, and length of paper) of a common...
Primary Resources
Fractions Lesson 3
Help the class understand how to different fractions can be equivalent. Mixed numbers and fractions are defined, equivalent fractions are shown and described, and problem solving strategies are used for a class discussion. Examples,...
Illustrative Mathematics
Centerpiece
Learners hear wedding bells in this problem set, as they help a fictional bride plan the centerpieces for her wedding reception. Algebra is married to geometry as volume, aesthetics, and budgeting all come into play. Learners are asked...
BW Walch
Creating Linear Inequalities in One Variable
Just when a young mathematician starts to feel comfortable turning word problems into linear equations, shake things up and throw inequalities in the mix. This excellent, instructive presentation takes the steps for solving an equality...
Ms. Amber Nakamura's Mathematics Website
Algebra Project
What would your dream house look like? A cottage? A medieval castle? High schoolers enrolled in Algebra design the perfect house while using slopes to write equations for various aspects of the project.
Illustrative Mathematics
Logistic Growth Model, Abstract Version
Here learners get to flex some serious algebraic muscles through an investigation of logistic growth. The properties of the constant terms in the logistic growth formula are unraveled in a short but content-dense activity. Moving...
Curated OER
Problem Solving
Give kids a few strategies to help them become amazing problem solvers. This presentation is intended to be used over a two-day period and presents several techniques or ways to solve word problems or multiplication problems by...
BW Walch
Linear & Exponential Functions
Positioned inside the framework of linear and exponential functions, this lesson is more of an investigation into the effects of changing variables and constants inside an expression. The author takes familiar formulas, those for...
Illustrative Mathematics
US Garbage, Version 1
An interesting example of a discrete function and how it is applies to the real world. This could easily make a good collaborative lesson with an environmental science class. Practice reading a table and drawing a scatter plot make up...
Math Solutions
Dr. Seuss Comes to Middle School Math Class
If you think Dr. Seuss has no place in a math classroom, then take a look at this resource. Based on the classic children's book Green Eggs and Ham, this sequence of activities engages children learning to model real-world contexts with...
101 Questions
How Many Hot Dogs?
Top off your hot dogs with a little math. Learners view a video on a hot dog eating contest, and then answer questions using estimation. Using a table of hypothetical data, they create algebraic expressions to represent the situation.
Noyce Foundation
Digging Dinosaurs
Build a function to solve problems rooted in archeology. A comprehensive set of five lessons presents problems requiring individuals to use functions. The initial lesson asks learners to find the possible number of dinosaurs from a...
Noyce Foundation
Measuring Mammals
Explore the meaning of scale and proportion with a set of five activities that examines the topic from elementary through high school. The first lessons explore ratio by examining pictures of different sizes. The next three activities...
Illustrative Mathematics
Watch Out for Parentheses 1
Parentheses are an important tool in the algebraic toolbox in regard to the structure of the algebraic equation. They are the beginning of the standard order of operations rule, the P in PEMDAS. The central question that 5th graders are...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Calculating Iridium Fallout from an Asteroid Impact
Should we be afraid of a large asteroid impact on Earth today? Young scientists estimate the size and composition of an asteroid similar to the one that caused the K-T mass extinction. They apply algebraic formulas to answer questions...
5280 Math
Stories That Formulas Tell
Learn the stories a formula holds. An interesting lesson takes a unique approach to teach how to use formulas. Beginning with a formula, learners predict what the variables stand for and then use the formula to make calculations and tell...
BW Walch
Solving Systems of Linear Inequalities
One thing that puzzles a lot of young algebrists is the factors in a word problem that are taken as "understood". This presentation on solving systems of linear inequalities does a great job walking the learner through how to tease those...
Curated OER
Dice Games
Games and activities are wonderful for igniting interest in nearly any topic. With a pair of dice, your class will practice their basic math and social skills at the same time. Learners battle it out to see who can roll only odds or only...
Teach Engineering
Using Hooke's Law to Understand Materials
Provide a Hooke for a lesson on elasticity with an activity that has groups investigate a set of springs. They use a set procedure to collect data to calculate the spring constant for each spring using Hooke's Law. The groups predict the...
Education Development Center
Making Sense of Unusual Results
Collaboration is the key for this equation-solving lesson. Learners solve a multi-step linear equation that requires using the distributive property. Within collaborative groups, scholars discuss multiple methods and troubleshoot mistakes.
Illustrative Mathematics
Regular Tessellations of the Plane
Bringing together the young artists and the young organizers in your class, this lesson plan takes that popular topic of tessellations and gives it algebraic roots. After covering a few basic properties and definitions, learners attack...
Curated OER
Narrow Corridor
Buying a new sofa? Learn how to use the Pythagorean Theorem, as well as algebra and graphing techniques, to determine whether the sofa will fit around a corner (which I'm sure you'll agree is a very important consideration!).
Curated OER
Compounding with a 5% Interest Rate
The balance in an account continuously compounding interest is the context of this engaging task. Your young accountants will investigate the ending balance in an account as they compound the interest more and more. Learners write the...