Illustrative Mathematics
Comparing Products
How can 5th graders show understanding that 30 x 225 is half of 60 x 225 without completing the computation? They can use an area model and draw it out. An array, or an open array, is an area model that allows for young learners to...
Illustrative Mathematics
Running to School
The object of this activity is to compute how far Rosa ran to school. Given in the exercise is the fractional number of miles between home and school and the fractional distance Rosa ran. The commentary shows several ways to have your...
Resources for Educators
Math & Science Connection
Whether you're using a collection of Dr. Seuss books to teach basic math skills like counting, adding, and subtracting, or exploring the different states of matter by melting a crayon with a hairdryer, a series of 11 fun activities...
Curated OER
Task: Grain Storage
Farming is full of mathematics, and it provides numerous real-world examples for young mathematicians to study. Here, we look at a cylinder-shaped storage silo that has one flat side. Given certain dimensions, students need to determine...
Illustrative Mathematics
Jim and Jesse's Money
Jim and Jesse started their road trip with the same amount of money. Your class must find the amount of money each one had given, the amount of money spent, and the ratio of money at the end. This is a comprehensive problem that takes...
Illustrative Mathematics
Art Class, Assessment Variation
Play with paint and decide the ratio to make different shades of green. When mixing paint colors, your painters should decide which ratios make the same shade and what is needed to mix other ratios for a different shade of green. This is...
Illustrative Mathematics
Salad Dressing
Aunt Barb's salad dressing is a mixture of oil, vinegar, salt, herbs, and a pinch of math. Fifth graders add the fractional measurements of ingredients to find a total amount. The fractions have unlike denominators. After finding the...
Curated OER
Folding strips of paper
Fifth graders need concrete experiences to introduce a unit on multiplying fractions by fractions. A strip of paper is used to create a number line and represent 5/6. It is folded first in half, and then in quarters. After unfolding,...
Illustrative Mathematics
Running a Mile
The single question in this activity has multiple ways to be solved. Two boys ran a mile. Their times were similar, except one time was a fraction of the other. Who ran faster? In demonstrating the answer to this problem, upper graders...
Illustrative Mathematics
Equivalent Expressions?
Pre-algebra pupils need to understand that two expressions are only equal if they have the same value. Show them that once the expression is multiplied by a number, the value of the expression changes. It makes for a good lead-in to...
Making Math More Fun
Making Math More Fun
Address fundamental math skills with a series of fun math board games. With 25 games that focus on addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, place value, and percentages, kids will quickly find that math practice is their favorite...
Illustrative Mathematics
Cynthia's Perfect Punch
Using a real-world example, this problem illustrates the thought process that learners need to engage in to understand adding mixed numbers with common denominators. First by looking at estimation, and then by drawing models that...
Curated OER
Jelly Beans for Sale
Students connect literature (story Jelly Beans for Sale by Bruce McMillan) to math concepts. In these estimating and money lessons, students work with jelly beans, unifix cubes, pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters, to estimate and make...
Barnstable Public Schools
Math Relay Races
A plethora of activities make up a cross curricular choice page filled with math games—relay races, dice, and crossword puzzles—a survey challenge equipped with data organization, graphing, a quicksand recipe, Hula-Hoop activity to...
Illustrative Mathematics
Stained Glass
A complex question looking for the total cost of a stained glass window by calculating area and circumference of a circle. With detailed components, this activity will challenge your designers to figure out if they have enough money to...