Sew up your unit on operations with decimals using this assessment task. Young mathematicians use given rules to determine the amount of fabric they need to sew a pair of pants. They must also fill in a partially complete bill for...

How much land does a parcel hold? How much fertilizer does it take for a field of corn? Pupils answer these questions and more as they apply ratio reasoning and unit analysis. 

What if the unit of money changes tomorrow? Would you be prepared? Learners calculate currency conversions using fictional units of money. The fictional unit's base is 60 rather than 100, which can connect to time or even degrees.

Travel the world instantly—and learn about math along the way. Using pictures of famous places taken from Google Earth, scholars look for parallel and perpendicular lines based on slope and angle measurements. They also calculate...

Students explore unit pricing to determine the best buy for their money. In this personal finance lesson, students calculate cost per wear examples and create a list of criteria for picking clothes. Students visit a story and use their...

Learners explore the cost of electricity used to light their classrooms. They compute the cost of electricity as well as the number of kilowatt hours of electricity used during the school year. Students compute the number of tons of coal...

Design a plan for finding the best health insurance for your money. Learners compare two health plans by writing and graphing piecewise functions representing the plan rules. Using Excel software, they create a technical report...

Make the most of your prom—with math! Pupils write and use a quadratic model to determine the optimal price of prom tickets. After determining the costs associated with the event, learners use a graph to analyze the break even point(s).

See how a marshmallow can hold up a bridge load. Teams take a closer look at the design of bridge piers. They determine the types of loads that might affect a bridge, and, using that information, they calculate the needed cross-sectional...

Roll with your class into the idea of conservation of energy. Pupils use a roller coaster track to collect data to reinforce the concept of conservation of energy and the influence of friction. Class members then create a graph from...

The last segment of the nine-part unit makes a connection between springs and linear equations. Groups hang weights from the spring and measure its length. Then, using the data collected, they calculate the slope to find the k-value...

Do you have an energy hog in your home? Individuals pick at least one room at home to determine the amount of energy the appliances consume. Using that information, pupils fill out a worksheet to determine the cost of running each...

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.

The members of your economics class may be busy earning graduation credits, but the credit they should be concerned about is their financial credit. The third lesson in a unit about Hurricane Katrina and other events that can result in...

How can math help your vehicle run better? Complete an interesting project-based learning task with your classes to determine the cheapest approach to mixing the ideal octane level of gasoline. Scholars create and solve a system of...

What's the best way to make a beach house affordable? Given constraints on the number of rooms and the cost of flooring, learners design dream beach houses. They draw floor plans and calculate the areas using different units.

You can eat a solar cell? A unit on solar energy begins with a discussion about organic solar cells, followed by directions on how to build your own. After following the teacher's directions to build an anthocyanin...

Solve a complex business puzzle by building a linear programming model. An engaging project-based learning problem has classes examining transportation costs and manufacturing limitations from several plants. Ultimately, they use their...

What do Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg have in common? They're both billionaires, and neither one has a college degree! Using the website, scholars explore whether having a college education is truly worth the money it costs. They read...

Designing a game is the focus of this probability lesson. Groups develop and build a unique game, including directions for how to play, a calculation of the expected value of winning, and a personal reflection. The plan provides a...

Take young mathematicians' understanding of percents into the real world with this series of word problems. Involving a variety of contexts from calculating scores on math tests and savings account interest, to determining sale prices...

Here's a new meaning to the expression throwing away money...a carpet of coins! An intriguing lesson requires calculations to determine the coin that would be the cheapest option, but it's a little tricky. The cost of the coin...

Students compare food prices to find the lowest unit price and make choices about where to shop and what to purchase on weekly items, cost comparisons and items needed. They collect grocery ads and weekly sale flyer's to expedite their...

Sixth graders investigate the cost of throwing a party.  For this cost of throwing a party lesson, 6th graders have to throw a going away party for 2 exchange students given a $350 budget.  Students work in groups to determine...