Boxing takes on a whole new meaning! The second installment of the three-part series has groups create lidless boxes from construction paper that can hold the most rice. After testing out their constructions, they build a new box....

Long considered the symbol of safe harbor and steadfast waiting, the lighthouse gets a mathematical treatment. The straightforward question of distance to the horizon is carefully presented, followed by a look into the...

Domain can be a tricky topic, especially when you relate it to context, but here is a lesson that provides concrete examples of discrete situations and those that are continuous. It also addresses where the input values should begin and...

See how design and geometry go hand in hand. The activity asks learners to use geometry to design a backyard garden given dimensions of each feature. Scholars work with ratios and scale to develop an accurate scale drawing that includes...

Ninth graders demonstrate application of area, surface, and volume. They apply formulas to a model of the classroom so they can determine the volume and surface area of the classroom.

Third graders use pattern blocks of one shape at a time to try to create a similar shape. They compare the perimeter of the new figure with the perimeter of the original shape and look for a pattern. Students use the pattern to predict...

Students create a quilt square for a class quilt using at least three, two-dimensional geometric figures. They research and write a brief description of at least two different quilt patterns that they find. Pupils discuss that quilts are...

In this scales instructional activity, students use addition, multiplication, and division to find out how much the shapes on the scales weigh. Students complete 8 problems total.

Parallelograms are pairs of triangles all the way around. Pupils measure to determine the area and perimeter of a parallelogram. They then find the area of the tirangles formed by drawing a diagonal of the parallelogram and compare their...

To take the longest path, go around—or was that go over? Class members measure scale drawings of a cylindrical vase to find the height and diameter. They calculate the actual height and circumference and determine which is larger.  

Building blocks have more uses than simply entertaining children. Young mathematicians calculate the volume of a given cube, and then calculate the volume and surface area of a prism formed from multiple cubes.

Learners explore the volume and surface area of three dimensional figures. Through the use of video, students discover three dimensional shapes, their uses in real-life applications, and methods used to calculate their volume and surface...

Students problem solve to open a cube to create different shapes. In this problem solving lesson plan, students are given a cube and the shapes to open it up to, and they have to cut the cube open to make certain shapes. This gives them...

Students create entries for the Architects of America contest, including a model of a futuristic structure, blueprints, a list of all plane and solid shapes in the structure, a persuasive argument paper that describes why the structure...

Fifth graders use formal geometric language to describe polygons (and other shapes) that will tessellate the plane and those that will not. Students make generalizations about the characteristics of a polygon (or other shape) that will...

Tenth graders create polynomial quilts. In this polynomials lesson plan, 10th graders use concrete models, such as construction paper, to create various shapes described. Students use the FOIL method to multiply terms and to get a square...

Third graders explore vocabulary associated with three dimensional figures.  In this transformations instructional activity, 3rd graders create two dimensional nets for three dimensional figures.  Students become familiar with...

Second graders utilize manipulatives (pentominoes) to demonstrate knowledge of: lines of symmetry, slides, reflections (flips), rotations (turns), area, and perimeter. This lesson plan gives students a meaningful way to practice these...

First graders explore eight geometry activities that improve understanding of positional words and shapes. They identify, describe, and create simple geometric figures. They help another student who may not understand the concept yet.

Students classify angles. In this angles activity, students explore the characteristics of angles, triangles, quadrilaterals and circles. They identify polygons and sing a classifying angles song. Students participate in a...

Graph A goes with equation C, but table B. The short assessment task requires class members to match graphs with their corresponding tables, equations, and verbalized rules. Pupils then provide explanations on the process they used to...

When told to describe a line, do your pupils list its color, length, and which side is high or low? Use a worksheet that engages scholars to properly label line graphs. It then requests two applied reasoning answers.

Get a line on the snakes. The assessment task requires the class to determine the species of unknown snakes based upon collected data. Individuals analyze two scatter plots and determine the most likely species for five...

Population density, it is not all that it is plotted to be. Pupils analyze a scatter plot of population versus area for some of the states in the US. The class members respond to eight questions about the graph, specific points and...