You've heard of counting sheep, but what about counting rabbits? This is a fun way to approach data analysis with young mathematicians. Examining a chart, they see how many times James and his family saw rabbits in their yard over a...

Walk the class through the steps of how to evaluate linear inequalities in one variable and graph the solution set. Define and discuss key vocabulary terms, then have individuals work problems of varying difficulty. Included are word...

Would you rely on a fortune cookie for advice? The lesson first requires future statisticians to categorize 100 fortune cookie fortunes into four types: prophecy, advice, wisdom, and misc. The lesson goes on to have learners use...

How does your garden grow? Use proportions to help Tim answer that question. By using their understanding of proportional relationships, pupils determine the number of seeds that will sprout. They create their own linear...

Why do all sizes of pictures not show the same thing? Class members analyze aspect ratios of various sizes of photos. They determine which sizes have equivalent ratios and figure out why some pictures need to be cropped to fit...

Model the effects of practice on texting speed. Pupils develop a linear equation that models the change in texting speed based on the amount of practice. The sixth performance task in an eight-part series requires learners to solve...

Design an efficient cereal box. Scholars use set volume criteria to design a cereal box by applying their knowledge of surface area to determine the cost to create the box. They then determine whether their designs will fit on...

Customers often want ribbon around fancy cakes, but how does a baker know how much ribbon to buy? Scholars view a cake with multiple layers in different geometric shapes. They must figure the perimeter and circumference and add them...

Seeing is believing. Given several bivariate data sets, learners make scatter plots using the online SeeIt program to visualize the correlation. To get a more complete picture of the topic, they research their own data set and perform an...

Hard boiled or raw? Which egg will you get? A hands-on activity has scholars explore the impact of conditional probability. Based on a skit from the Tonight Show, pupils model the selection of the two types of eggs using beads. They...

Quickly get to the decimal point. The last assessment in a nine-part series requires scholars to work with decimals. Pupils compare the race times of several athletes and calculate how much they have improved over time. During the second...

Work with fractional cookies. The three-part assessment task checks the pupils' ability to find the product of fractions and whole numbers, mixed numbers, or fractions. Learners determine the amount of ingredients needed and how many of...

Split the work three ways. Learners use their knowledge of fractions to solve problems dealing with splitting up work loads evenly between three groups. Scholars determine the fractional portion of work each group will do along with...

Make the cookies healthy. The assessment task asks pupils to determine the number of cookies they could make based on a given amount of ingredients. Given two sugar substitutes, learners determine which substitute would be better and...

Plant the data firmly on the graph. Given information about the growth rate of plants, pupils determine the heights at specific times and graph the data. Using the information, scholars determine whether a statement is true and support...

Obviously, four is the perfect number when you're playing Four Square. Scholars first use multiplication and division to solve a set of problems on the number of balls needed, the number of games, and the number of players required for a...

Let imaginations run wild as participants design animal pens. A performance task challenges young mathematicians to determine the perimeter or a missing side length of different animal pens. They then design pens that meet given...

Let knowledge grow bountifully like plants in a garden. Given a diagram of a rectangular garden split into plots, scholars determine the area of the entire garden and the areas of the individual plots. As a culminating activity, they...

Here's an assessment task that's better than watching a show. Young mathematicians solve word problems involving multiplication and division with equal groups. They must find the total number of attendees on a trip to a theater based on...

Paste this resource into your lesson plans like you'd paste a tile onto a mural. Given a diagram of a tile mural with rectilinear figures, future artists determine the perimeters and areas of the figures. They must then develop their own...

Aim high with a task on window washers. An assessment task challenges learners to determine the number of windows two people wash. They do this using a given number of window rows on each side of a building. In addition, they find the...

Discover how combinations are different from permutations. In the third installment of a 21-part module, scholars learn how to determine combinations of objects. They learn to distinguish between situations where order is important and...

A mountain of grass becomes a mountain of cash in the case of a young entrepreneur in the novel Lawn Boy. Arnold, a main character, begins a lawn mowing business and meets a stockbroker client that helps me manage his money....

Author Laura Ingalls Wilder takes readers back to the good ole days. In Little House in the Big Woods, she tells scholars about a family living in the woods during the 1870s. While reading, they complete sentences with vocabulary words,...