Cornell University
Math Is Malleable?
Learn about polymers while playing with shrinky dinks. Young scholars create a shrinky dink design, bake it, and then record the area, volume, and thickness over time. They model the data using a graph and highlight the key features of...
Curated OER
The Math in the Design and Building of Bridges
Research various types of bridge designs. Your class will be asked to consider what it would be like without bridges while learning about how they work. They will construct a model bridge based on given parameters. They then calculate...
Teach Engineering
Air Pressure
Investigate what is pushing on us. An intriguing lesson has pupils calculate the amount of force on various squares due to air pressure. Using the data, individuals create a graph in the third lesson of the Up, Up and Away unit...
Teach Engineering
Better By Design
Which modification is the best? Using the scientific method, pairs determine the effects of each control surface on the distance of a glider's flight. The activity, section 16 in a 22-part unit on aviation, allows pupils to gain a better...
Charleston School District
Identifying Series and Determining Congruence or Similarity
Learners consider a set of questions to determine a series of transformations that will move one figure to another. Once the series is determined, the pupil then determines whether the pre-image and image are either congruent...
Kenan Fellows
Farm to Fuel: The Alternative Fuels Industry
Need a lesson to fuel young minds? A variety of hands-on activities is sure to get your class fired up! Beginning with an introductory slideshow and culminating with group presentations, the week-long unit has something for everyone....
Radford University
Fibonacci is All Around
One ratio to rule them all. Young mathematicians investigate the Fibonacci sequence and the Golden Ratio. To begin the first lesson, they use a spreadsheet to see how the Fibonacci sequence gives the Golden Ratio. The second lesson...
Teach Engineering
Designing a Spectroscopy Mission
In this mind-bending activity, young engineers explore this question of whether or not light actually bends. Using holographic diffraction gratings, groups design and build a spectrograph. The groups then move on research a problem...
Pace University
Grades 7-8 Mean, Median, and Mode
Take a central look at data. The differentiated lesson provides activities for pupils to calculate central tendencies. Scholars begin choosing three central tendency activities from a Tic-Tac-Toe board. Learners then choose from sports,...
National Museum of Mathematics
Hands-On Data Analysis
Jump at the chance to use this resource. A kinesthetic activity has classmates jumping in several different ways (standing, single-step, and multiple-step jumps) to create handprints on poster paper taped to the wall. They measure the...
Radford University
How to Build a Happy Home
Build a complete house in just a few days. Learners create floor, roof, deck, and landscape plans for a two-story house. Scholars then use their knowledge of area formulas, trigonometric ratios, and the Pythagorean Theorem to determine...
Radford University
How do I Prepare this Piece of Floor Tile to Lay on the Bottom of my Kitchen Sink Cabinet?
How can you place a rectangular tile around a pipe? Scholars first use a model of a kitchen sink cabinet to take measurements. Using a compass and their knowledge of circles, they then cut out a circle from a piece of poster board (which...
Radford University
Running Laps During Soccer Practice
Which option involves running less? Given a situation in which players can either run around the school soccer field 20 times or run back and forth along the diagonal 20 times, learners decide which option would be better. They consider...
Out-of-School Time Resource Center
Nutrition and Physical Activity
Emerging nutritionists explore what it means to be healthy. In the beginning of the unit, your class will examine the five food groups and learn how food gets from the farm to our plates. This leads into the investigation of...
Curated OER
Bubblegum Math
Here is a lesson on how to convert inches to centimeters using bubblegum. In this measurement lesson plan, learners get into partners and blow bubbles. One student blows bubbles while the other measures the bubble in inches. Then the...
Curated OER
Mass Measurement
Middle schoolers explore geometry by completing a physics activity on-line. In this mass measurement lesson, pupils define the terms mass, volume, and density and identify their relationship with each other. They complete an on-line...
Curated OER
Measuring the Diameter of the Sun
Ninth graders study the sun and its distance from Earth. In this Sun's diameter lesson students examine how measurement data permits accurate measurement of the sun's diameter.
Curated OER
Food Math
Students brainstorm healthy food choices. In this health science lesson, students calculate how much of each food group they need daily. They plan a menu based on the "MyPyramid for Kids" food guide.
Curated OER
Heart Smart in a Heart Beat
As an introductory activity, young statisticians measure their heart rate at rest and after exercise and compute the mean and median, and create a box & whisker plot. This is followed by watching a video (that no longer seems...
Curated OER
The Consumer Price Index: A Measure of Inflation
Students examine inflation over the years and learn to calculate how it changes over time. In this money management lesson plan, students learn how price changes affect their purchasing power, how to come up with strategies for dealing...
Curated OER
Math Lesson Plan
First graders are introduced to how to use a ruler and its purpose. Using a boomerang, they estimate its length and then measure it using a string and ruler. In groups, they practice the same exercise with various objects while...
Curated OER
A Measuring Adventure
Students practice measuring items. In this measurement lesson, students read the book Measuring Penny and create their own system of measurement. Students measure various items in the classroom, using their creative measurement system.
Curated OER
Measuring Mass
Third graders engage in a lesson that is concerned with the estimate and approximation of different masses. They weigh different objects and compare the different measurements and then use a balance to compare them. Students define the...
Curated OER
Liquid Measurement
Third graders investigate liquid measurements by estimating how many cups it takes to fill containers. The students predict the liquid measurements and then find the actual amount using the water in a bucket. Students then compare...