Young scholars define the importance of the properties of quadrilaterals. In this quadrilaterals lesson, students identify the general properties of and compare and contrast the properties of convex and concave quadrilaterals. Young...

Hands-on investigation of Riemann sums becomes possible without intensive arithmetic gymnastics with this interactive lesson plan. Learners manipulate online graphing tools to develop and test theories about right, left, and...

The more rectangles, the better the estimate. Using the interactive, pupils explore estimating the area under a curve using left-hand sums. Learners respond to challenge questions on how to get better estimates using the same technique.

Students observe how reflections differ in various types of mirrors. In this reflection lesson, students use cylindrical mirrors, plane mirrors, and concave mirrors to observe how each reflects the student's face.

This well-designed presentation covers many important aspects of the science behind light. In it, pupils view slides that have a lot of the important vocabulary associated with science, slides of famous scientists who made important...

The concepts of refraction and reflection gel with your physical science class during this colorful exploration. Shining lasers through Petri-dish-shaped gelatin desserts, they will notice how the light travels and bounces off the sides....

Elementary graders discover the concept of fractional pieces of a whole. They investigate the meanings of fractions in everyday life and why they are used. Pupils divide brownies amongst each other to demonstrate the use of fractions...

Ever sigh when learners ask why they have to know so many different forms of the quadratic equation? Here is a lesson that comes in handy! Using hands-on matching activities, quadratic equations are explored through...

Have some fun with functions with a short activity that asks learners to first sort scatter plot in terms of their correlation. They then sort graphs of different types of functions in terms of key features, such as slope.

Put your high schoolers to the test and see how well they know their quadratic functions. With excellent thought-provoking questions, learners use what they know about creating quadratic equations based off different pieces of...

Pupils calculate the equation of a quadratic in vertex form from a specific graph and determine an equation that would fit the description of a parabola. The final question determines the individuals' understanding of the signs of the...

Investigate sound waves with acoustic mirrors. Using audio software, groups make recordings of musical instruments, both with and without acoustic mirrors. They compare the recordings to see the effect of acoustic mirrors on sound...

Fifth and sixth graders are introduced to the primary landforms of Illinois and discover how they were created. Landform cards are made for each pupil. They use the twenty-questions format until they have identified each one. Then,...

Here is a very interesting way of studying triangles and polygons. Pupils work together and use pieces of string to create a variety of shapes. Depending on how many kids are manipulating the string at any one time, the number of...

M.C. Escher's "Hand with Reflecting Globe" and the work of Dick Termes, inspire this activity. Kids check out their reflection in a Christmas ornament or a bubble filter and recreate this distorted image on a vinyl ball.

Where did conic sections get their name? The equation and graph of a parabola are developed from the definition of the conic section. Teacher examples on graphing the equation and writing an equation from the graph round out the plan.

Derivatives are useful for many things — they can even keep track of particle motion. An informative lesson plan provides an introduction to the idea of the second derivative in particle motion. Class members determine the...

Graphing doesn't need to be tedious!  When pupils understand key features and transformations, graphing becomes efficient. This lesson connects transformations to the vertex form of a quadratic equation. 

Budding mathematicians graph given functions, identify the asymptotes, graph absolute values, and write a table of points. This three-page worksheet contains 23 problems.

Working backwards can sometimes help you see a path to solving a problem. In this chapter, properites of quadrilaterials are proven by looking at flowcharts and working the probem backwards. Worked through examples are given, along with...

In this light and optics learning exercise, students match the light and optics vocabulary with their definitions. Students match 21 words to their definitions.

In this curve sketching worksheet, students solve 13 short answer and graphing questions. Students find maximums, minimums, critical points, turning points, increasing/decreasing intervals, etc.

Students make mathematical argument using the concept of Limit. In this algebra lesson, student calculate the instantaneous rate of change from the linear graph. They use a TI-calculator to create a visual of the graphs.

In this optics worksheet, students read about how light can reflect or refract and how lenses and mirrors work. Then students complete 13 matching, 27 fill in the blank, and 8 word problems.