It's scary how fast bacteria can grow — exponentially. Class members solve exponential equations, including those modeling bacteria and population growth. Lesson emphasizes numerical approaches rather than graphical or algebraic.

Allow your pupils to become the mathematicians! Individuals explore the properties of a midsegment of a triangle through construction and measurement. Once they figure out the properties, learners use them to draw conclusions.

Is the application of systems of equations giving your class headaches? Use this resource to build on your pupils' logic to lead them to building equations and using algebraic methods. The lesson begins with an exploration of...

Need to build a laser fence on Mars?  In this cute maximizing-area lesson, young explorers pretend to be prospectors on Mars and must determine the best way to use 20 meters of fencing in order to maximize their area. In addition,...

Building trigonometric basics here will last a mathematical lifetime. Learners expand on the previous instructional activity in a 36-part series by examining relationships between the sine and cosine of complementary angles. They...

Medians, midsegments, altitudes, oh my! Pupils study the properties of the median of a triangle, initially examining a proof utilizing midsegments to determine the length ratio of a median. They then use the information to find missing...

Keep everything under control. The lesson, the 16th segment in a 22-part unit, provides a more detailed look at the parts of a plane, specifically the control surfaces. Pupils learn about the construction of the wings and the tails and...

Consider the relationship between side length and area as an input-output function. Scholars create input-output tables for the area of squares to determine an equation in the first installment of a three-part unit. Ditto for the area of...

Teaching linear function relationships using contextual information is beneficial to pupils' understanding. The lesson uses problem solving to build linear functions given different information for each problem. This is the second...

From polyhedrons to platonic solids, here is a lesson that will have your classes talking! As an introduction to platonic solids, scholars cut and fold nets to create the three-dimensional solids. They use an interactive component to...

Don't let your young adults get lost in the alphabet soup of their paychecks and federal income taxes. Using sample pay stubs and reproductions of government forms, your class members will identify the purpose of such forms as a W-4 and...

Young mathematicians use bags of Skittles to help them gain practice in graphing and organizing data. They work in pairs, and after they have counted and organized their Skittles, they access a computer program which allows them to print...

Uncover the properties of translations through this exploratory lesson. Learners apply vectors to describe and verify transformations in the second installment of a series of 18. It provides multiple opportunities to practice this...

Count with ten frames in a first grade addition instructional activity. Kids determine how to identify numbers on a number line, as well as with ten frames, and complete ten frames to show their answers in several addition problems.

Sixth graders use Microsoft Publisher program to create a restaurant menu. Using that menu, other students will use estimation skills to decide on multiple combinations of meals they could make with the money they are given.

Introduce young mathematicians to the process of dividing fractions with a hands-on math lesson. Using the help of fraction strips and other visual models, children work through a series of example problems as they...

If a can has a volume of twelve ounces, how tall it should be? If you can work with volume formulas, it's is an easy measurement to find. After finding the volume of figures in the previous lesson of the series, learners now...

Create the ultimate miniature golf course. The 93-page model curriculum unit from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education contains nine lessons on understanding similarity in terms of both Euclidean geometry...

What a scam! Middle and high schoolers pose as journalists exposing consumer fraud. In this lesson, they write an article for a magazine using data collected during previous investigations (prior lessons) to defend their findings that a...

Using geoboards, computer programs, and hands-on manipulative materials, elementary schoolers engage in a study of two and three-dimensional geometric shapes. This lesson is chock full of good teaching ideas on the subject, and the...

Learners explore how the population decreased in native cultures.

Data distributions can be compared in terms of center, variability, and shape. Two exploratory challenges present data in two different displays to compare. The displays of histograms and box plots require different comparisons based...

Through a series of problems, learners determine the variability of a data set by looking at the deviations from the mean. Estimating means of larger data sets presented in histograms and providing a way to calculate an...

Students construct patterns with apples. In this mathematical thinking and patterning lesson plan, students compare and contrast several types of apples. Students complete patterns with a SmartBoard activity, and then draw apple patterns...