What determines whether a function has an inverse? Learners investigate that criteria when they examine values in a partially completed input-output table for two different functions. The task is to complete the table so that one of the...

Would you go by bus or car on the autobahn? Here, learners use distance, time, and average speeds to investigate the fastest way to get from Berlin to Frankfort for a soccer game. It might be fun to start with a discussion or short video...

Ideal for use as an introduction to the idea of inverse functions, this activity investigates rainfall as a function of time. Learners use the data displayed in a table of values to analyze the function and its inverse, including why the...

Here is an activity that presents a good example of a function modeling a relationship between two quantities. John is making DVDs of his friend's favorite shows and needs to know how much to charge his friend to cover the cost of making...

Mathematics minors consider the magnitude of a jumping flea as he hops from place to place. Through this exercise, they will investigate absolute values, as well as positive and negative rational numbers on a number line. The first page...

This is a wonderful exercise for learners to apply their critical thinking skills along with their knowledge of quadratic functions and parabolas. Young mathematicians investigate a real-world scenario about the height a baseball reaches...

What is pi anyway?  After this set of activities, your pupils should have multiple answers to this question. Investigate pi with various experiments and discoveries. Calculate the ratio circumference/diameter for different sized...

Roll the dice with this activity and teach young mathematicians about probability. Record outcomes for rolling two number cubes in order to determine what is most likely to happen. Graph the data and investigate patterns in the results,...

Learners investigate the symmetries of a convex quadrilateral in a collaborative activity. Rigid motion and complements are explored as learners analyze different cases of reflections across a line.

Develop young mathematicians' ability to compare fractions with investigation into the number 1/2. After brainstorming a list of fractions equivalent to 1/2, children identify a pattern in the numerators and...

Make your classroom interesting by teaching or assessing through tasks. Deepen the understanding of Geometry and motivate young mathematicians. The task uses investigation with tennis balls and their container to prompt learners to...

Exactly how fair are the board games children grow up playing? Young mathematicians investigate this questions as they work their way through this five-lesson series on basic probability. 

Inquiry-based learning and investigations form the basis of a deep understanding of quadratic functions in a very thorough unit plan.  Learners develop recursive and closed methods for representing real-life situations,...

Young mathematicians investigate the use of symmetry in graphic design. After first learning about reflection, translational, and rotational symmetry, children use this new knowledge to identify symmetry in letters of the...

Here learners get to flex some serious algebraic muscles through an investigation of logistic growth. The properties of the constant terms in the logistic growth formula are unraveled in a short but content-dense...

The coordinate plane links key geometry and algebra concepts in this approachable but rigorous unit. The class starts by developing the distance formula from the Pythagorean Theorem, then moves to applications of slope. Activities...

Triangles are all about threes, and practicing proving postulates is a great way to get started. The first page of the worksheet provides a brief introduction of the different properties and postulates. The remaining pages contain...

Presenting ... the gold standard for a instructional activity. Learners first investigate a task maximizing the area of a plot for gold prospecting. They then examine a set of sample student responses to evaluate their strengths and...

Investigate the different types of slope using graphs and ordered pairs. Scholars use the slope formula to determine the slope of a line between two points. Includes examples with a slope of zero and with no slope. The lesson follows a...

Investigate how similar and congruent figures compare. Learners understand congruent figures have congruent sides and angles, but similar figures only have congruent angles — their sides are proportional. After learning the...

The Pythagorean Theorem is a staple of middle school geometry. Scholars first investigate angle relationships, both in triangles and in parallel lines with a transversal, before proving and applying the Pythagorean Theorem.

Conquer any irrational fears you might have of irrational numbers. As class members investigate how to represent numbers geometrically, they learn about rational and irrational numbers, including approximating and ordering rational...

Squares, and circles ... and squares, and more circles. In this high school assessment task, pupils investigate the ratio of areas of two squares that are circumscribed and inscribed in a circle. They then determine the ratio of the area...

Sidewalk patterns ... it's definitely not foursquare! Learners investigate patterns in sidewalk blocks, write an expression to represent the pattern, and then solve problems using the expressions.