Education Development Center
Distance, Rate, and Time—Walking Home
Dig into a classic math problem with your classes. Through an engaging task, learners work with rate and distance information to make conclusions. In the task, two people walk at different rates; one leaves first, and scholars...
Illustrative Mathematics
Modeling with a Linear Function
Here is a well-designed resource that provides five yes-or-no questions which model different situations with linear functions. It makes a good pre-test for the beginning of the unit. The purpose is to elicit common misconceptions of...
Illustrative Mathematics
The Lighthouse Problem
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...
Illustrative Mathematics
Rounding to 50 or 500
In a six-problem learning activity, children are guided to solve word problems that involve rounding to the nearest ten and nearest hundred. A commentary and answer key provide different approaches that learners may take in solving the...
Curated OER
Yam in the Oven
Your vegetable eaters will practice function notation statement interpretation in this short task. These few exercises will bring out misconceptions learners may have about function notation as well.
Curated OER
Using Function Notation II
Learners write an example to show a function statement true and another to show it false in this short task that addresses some common student misconceptions.
Illustrative Mathematics
Oakland Coliseum
Help algebra learners relate a real-life function that happens at the Oakland Coliseum every time the Raiders play. The resource states that the revenue of the Oakland Raiders home games is a function of the number of seats sold and the...
Education Development Center
Integer Combinations—Postage Stamps Problem (HS Version)
It seems the post office has run out of stamps! Learners build all the values of postage available if the post office only sells five- and seven-cent stamps. The task provides an opportunity to create an expression in two variables and...
Education Development Center
Interpreting Statistical Measures—Class Scores
Explore the effect of outliers through an analysis of mean, median, and standard deviation. Your classes examine and compare these measures for two groups. They must make sense of a group that has a higher mean but lower median compared...
Education Development Center
Creating a Polynomial Function to Fit a Table
Discover relationships between linear and nonlinear functions. Initially, a set of data seems linear, but upon further exploration, pupils realize the data can model an infinite number of functions. Scholars use multiple representations...
Education Development Center
Similar Triangles
Model geometric concepts through a hands-on approach. Learners apply similar triangle relationships to solve for an unknown side length. Before they find the solution, they describe the transformation to help identify corresponding sides.
Education Development Center
Absolute Value Reasoning
Teach solving absolute value inequalities through inquiry. Groups use their knowledge of absolute value and solving inequalities to find a solution set to an absolute value inequality. Working collaboratively encourages discussion,...
Illustrative Mathematics
Dividing by One-Half
Understanding when to divide by two or one-half can be confusing. Here is an activity that gives four different scenarios. It is up to your number crunchers to decide if they divide by two or one-half. The easiest way to approach the...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Scale Models
With instructions to adapt the activities for any grade K-12, any teacher can incorporate the concept of scale into the classroom with a simple, yet effective lesson.
101 Questions
Retina Display
Learners calculate the pixel density of a specific cell phone using the concept of similarity. They use information from the cell phone's website to make their calculations and then compare their results to the posted information.
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...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Population Genetics, Selection, and Evolution
The Hardy-Weinberg principle states that alleles and genotypes remain constant in the absence of evolutionary influences. Scholars complete a simple hands-on activity applying the Hardy-Weinberg principle to sample data. They observe how...
Teach Engineering
Magnetic or Not?
The class must determine the magnetic properties of different materials, including aluminum and steel by sorting through materials using a magnet. Groups make a prediction on whether a material is magnetic and then perform...