Mathematics Vision Project
Module 2: Systems of Equations and Inequalities
The brother-sister pair Carlos and Clarita need your class's help in developing their new pet sitting business. Through a variety of scenarios and concerns presented to the siblings, the learners thoroughly explore systems of equations...
Curated OER
Vocab Grabbing the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution
Learners identify concrete and abstract nouns in the preamble to the Constitution, and complete Frayer Model graphic organizers using history and current events as examples of American values. In this preamble lesson plan, students use...
Curated OER
Is the System Fair?
Students investigate shapes and patterns. In this algebra lesson, students move from concrete to abstract understanding of shapes and concepts. They use variable to identify the unknown.
Curated OER
Motivating and Mentoring Introverted Thinkers
A variety of strategies designed to intrigue and motivate introverted classes and students.
Illustrative Mathematics
Transforming the graph of a function
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 specific values of c. The...
Curated OER
The Final Copy
Write short stories in which events are presented in logical order, point of view is clear, theme and characters are developed. Middle schoolers also work on sensory language, concrete language and/or dialogue. They establish their...
Curated OER
Pocket Solar System
The scale of the solar system is difficult to grasp without some sort of concrete visual; with some register tape and different-sized stickers, teach astronomers of any age just how spread out our solar system really is. Try to use...
California Academy of Science
Pollution in Our Watershed
The concept of a how pesticides and other chemicals pass through a watershed can be difficult for younger learners to grasp without a concrete example. In the activity here, some blank paper, markers, and a spray bottle are all you need...
Illustrative Mathematics
Two Wheels and a Belt
Geometry gets an engineering treatment in an exercise involving a belt wrapped around two wheels of different dimensions. Along with the wheels, this belt problem connects concepts of right triangles, tangent lines, arc length, and...
West Contra Costa Unified School District
Writing Exponential Functions Based on Data
Give your class a concrete example of exponential growth and decay using this hands-on activity. These Algebra II lessons allow for the exploration of exponential growth and decay models, as well as the discovery of the patterns of each....
Curated OER
Images and Indirection
Students closely analyze a true event or moments associated with their life, then present the scene, and personal emotions and/or actions generated by that incident in a free verse poem. They learn the difference between words defined...
Curated OER
Vocabulary Development - Word Tiers
This lesson focusing on classifying vocabulary words as concrete, abstract, or content specific could best be used with older students and adults. A list of words and the classification chart is provided.
Curated OER
Understanding Nouns - Part One
Students explore nouns. In this grammar lesson plan, students review nouns through the use of a study sheet. Students complete a worksheet identifying the types of nouns, including common, proper, concrete, abstract, collective, and...
Curated OER
Egg Carton Binary Numbers
Learners take the abstract concept of binary representation and create a more tactile and concrete approach. Using egg cartons, they create a physical representation of binary numbers. The egg cartons become a tool to assist students in...
Illustrative Mathematics
Do Two Points Always Determine a Linear Function?
Your learners can approach this task algebraically, geometrically, or both. They analyze the building of a linear function given two points and expand the concrete approach to the abstract when they are asked to find the general form of...
Virginia Department of Education
Solving Equations
Demonstrate the abstract process of solving equations by using algebra tiles as a concrete representation. Scholars begin by solving equations through the use of manipulatives. As they gain more confidence, they progress to whiteboards...
Virginia Department of Education
Distance and Midpoint Formulas
Small groups work through two guided activities to derive the distance and midpoint formulas for the coordinate plane. The activities begin with concrete examples and move to abstract.
CK-12 Foundation
Input-Output Tables for Function Rules
Make the abstract a bit more concrete with an interactive that asks learners to slide an input value through a function to determine the output. Changing the slope and y-intercept allows them to see the how the output values change.
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District
Parts of Speech Nouns: Building Blocks of Grammar
An engaging PowerPoint presentation helps scholars learn the definition of a noun and provides examples of different types of nouns, such as person, place, abstract, and concrete nouns. Formative assessments within the resource check...
Science Matters
Hot Wire S’mores
The proof is in the marshmallows. Believing that electric energy can transform into heat energy can be abstract, but a hands-on lesson gives pupils a concrete example. Young scientists cut marshmallows with copper wires before and...
American Battlefield Trust
Contrasting the North and South Before the War
Fundamental differences between the North and South led to the South adopting a system of enslaved labor. These abstract ideas become concrete when class members create a standing cube using information provided in the resource. Young...
Curated OER
Poetry Book
Pupils study the following terms and concepts: word choice, dialect, invented words, concrete terms, abstract terms, figurative and sensory language. In cooperative groups, they select three of the terms, research them, and pick poems...
Curated OER
Fraction Lessons That Motivate
Fraction lessons can provide both concrete and abstract ways to teach students about the concept of equal parts.
Curated OER
Navigating by Landmarks
Third graders examine and apply the relationship between concrete landmarks, abstract written directions, and graphic representations on maps, and then develop their own landmark map for classroom use.