An upper-level treatment of what is often presented as a basic concept (the right angle of an inscribed circle on the diameter), this activity really elevates the mathematical thought of the learner! Expected to develop formulas...

Does a calculator give you the exact value of the square root of 2? Here, learners must decide if 1.414236 is equal to the square root of 2. They must also explain why the square root of 2 could never be equal to a terminating decimal....

Scholars use a large carton, string, an emery board, and bird food to create a hand-made bird feeder. After completing the craft, pupils keep a journal to track their observations.

There are many ways to approach finding the rational approximation of an unknown square root. Here is a problem that will help math learners make a connection between square roots and their order on a number line. As usual, determine two...

Don't want to sound corny, but your class will be a-maize-d by an engaging activity! Explore the history of the modern corn plant through a video and Punnett squares. Junior genetics experts get hands-on experience with actual research...

Can your pupils build a roof that stands the test of time? Use an insightful engineering design project to highlight both materials science and architecture. Scholars either team up or work as individuals to design, create, and test a...

Coral reefs are full of an abundance of life and color. Why not celebrate it with an edible coral reef? Learners and teachers alike use cake, icing, and candies to create a tasty version of a coral reef that's complete with colors,...

All shapes have certain defining attributes that set them apart from others. In order to understand this, young mathematicians look at examples and non-examples of triangles, rectangles, and squares, working as a whole class to create...

Learners rewrite a general quadratic function by completing the square to see a new form of the function that more easily identifies the x-coordinate of the vertex and the two roots of the function.

Youngsters recognize that triangles can be combined together to make various shapes. The learning activity provides a series of seven steps that engage children in applying transformations to triangles. Pupils use a quilt template and...

Take a break from reading to find the magic number with this vocabulary game using words drawn from Jerry Spinelli's Maniac Magee.  Participants match the definition to the word in each numbered square of the puzzle, then add...

A deceptively simple question setup leads to a number of attack methods and a surprisingly sophisticated solution set in this open-ended problem. Young geometers of different strengths can go about defining the solutions graphically,...

Turn young learners into pattern detectives with this fun hands-on activity. Using the included set of cards showing different block towers, children replicate each pattern with their own manipulatives while...

There are four irrational numbers that participants need to graph. Pi(π), -(½ x π), and √17 are easy to approximate with common rational numbers. On the other hand, the commentary describing the irrational number 2√2 is not...

Use an activity to illustrate the different forms of a quadratic function. Here, the task asks learners to use composition of given functions to build an explicit function. The process emphasizes the impact of the order of...

Who's your Daddy ... and Mommy for that matter? Given a first-generation group of gummy bear offspring, young scientists must determine which bears are their parents. An activity worksheet covers the differences in genotypes and...

Tap into the desire to learn about computer codes. Pupils apply the Tap Code and the Polybius Square to send secret codes using sound. They design a code that tells a robot what movements to make and then test out their code using one of...

Make young mathematicians' dreams a reality with this fun drawing project. Given the task of designing their dream home, students create drawings and physical models that demonstrate their understanding of proportion and scale.

Dive into this problem that illustrates a real-world application of the quadratic formula. Learners are given an equation that represents the height of a diver above the water t seconds after leaving the springboard. The task is to...

You don't need a scale to determine weight. This activity provides a way to use the concepts of air pressure and surface area to determine the weight of a vehicle by calculating the amount of weight each tire supports.

Two fish appear different, but how do scientists determine their genotypes? Scholars practice performing test crosses to determine the genotypes of fish given their phenotypes. They answer in-depth comprehension questions and complete...

This activity guides learners through an exploration of common transformations of the graph of a function. Given the graph of a function f(x), students generate the graphs of f(x + c), f(x) + c, and  cf(x) for...

How can baseball and skeet-shooting be modeled mathematically? Sports lovers and young mathematicians learn how to use quadratic equations and systems of equations to model the flight paths of various objects.

What kinds of birds are common in the area? Young scientists use household supplies to create bird feeders. They then document the birds that come to their feeders by keeping journals.