NASA presents a mini-unit on distances in our solar system. It incorporates scientific concepts of gravity, mass, density, and payload while your aspiring astronauts also employ mathematics skills. They calculate speed, they determine...

Teams use the design process to design, build, and test a model levee to protect the town from a wall of water. A handout provides a price list for the materials learners can use to build their levee within a budget.

Profit always seems to get everyone's attention. The same is true during a lesson on estimation. Learners use given information to estimate the cost of supplies for a painting job. They then develop a strategy for estimating the...

People often set off fireworks to celebrate. What is the cost of the annoyance of their neighbors? Economics help answer that question! Learners consider this problem, along with prompts on price and competition, using College Board...

How does one factor in the social costs of a product? What factors influence price? Learners consider the question and others using authentic College Board materials. Other questions examine profits and competition in the market and the...

Determine the cheapest way to the airport. Pupils read a scenario about trying to get 75 people to the airport using two different sizes of taxis. Learners calculate the number of smaller taxis needed given a number of large taxis and...

Determine the cost of projects based on volume or surface area. Pupils work problems to determine the cost of building a brick planter and a stainless steel feeder in the 27th installment of a 28-part series. Participants must consider...

Michael Phelps, the economist? Scholars research the economic advantages of specializing in one kind of service, and how it relates to athletes doing the same in their respective sports. They evaluate absolute advantage, production, and...

What financial situations and decisions await young learners after they graduate from high school? This project allows class members to glimpse into the types of responsibilities they will have as adults, from considering job...

Bridge the gap between mathematics and Career Technical Education. Pupils research the cost associated with building storage sheds and analyze possible profit. They build scale models and determine if building and selling the sheds is a...

How can a bakery—one of several in town—maximize its profits? A case study from College Board asks scholars to consider the question. Other practice queries examine the price and benefits of buying certain goods for one consumer and look...

What could be the link between a college education and reduced crime rates? Learners consider the question using authentic College Board materials. Other practice sets examine the effects of price and competition in various case studies.

Two transportation companies must decide the best way to compete. How will that decision affect their prices? Using College Board materials, future test takers examine the problem and think critically to solve it. Other prompts examine...

Monopolies may have an advantage in some markets, but what are they? A scaffolded problem set examines the effects monopolies have on a market. Other authentic College Board problems examine labor markets and how a variety of factors...

A rabies vaccine company has a monopoly, but fluctuations in wages are impacting its profits. A series of questions from College Board considers the problem. Other practice questions include an examination of price and output curves and...

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.

Pupils calculate the area of two rooms to re-floor. They research Lowe's and Home Depot to find the cost for different floor coverings. Given different promotions for the stores, individuals determine where to purchase the flooring based...

What do I want to do when I grow up? Learners research job categories and determine a career within the category. Using the chosen job, pupils find the hourly wage and calculate future income based on percentage wages. Individuals then...

Peer pressure and the desire for acceptance are powerful things. A thought-provoking lesson looks at the positive and negative effects of wanting to belong to a group. Class members examine the roles of the perpetrator, the victim, the...

Sixth graders investigate unit pricing to find which cup of coffee is a better buy. They use ratio and proportions to solve problems involving a change of scale in drawings, maps, recipes, etc. Students determine the unit cost of items...

By engaging in real life examples, learners practice measurement and conversion skills. They review a chart comparing pints, quarts, and gallons. Then, they complete a worksheet involving prices per unit. For example, they calculate how...

Comparing unit prices of food products is a skill that learners will use for the rest of their lives. Here is a simple plan that provides practice calculating the unit price for various grocery store products. Use two jars with differing...

Advanced ESL students can engage in this instructional activity designed to practice compiling lists, adding costs, and describing why they chose a particular item. They will choose items from a magazine that they'd like in their dream...

In order to better understand the US economy, learners read and interpret stock market price reports. They define profits and explain the role of profits in the American economic system for both firms and individual investors. Several...