Shodor Education Foundation
Triangle Area
While the lesson focuses on right triangles, this activity offers a great way to practice the area of all triangles through an interactive webpage. The activity begins with the class taking a square paper and cutting in in half; can they...
101 Questions
Thanksgiving Taters
What would a meal be without the taters? The question is, how long does it take to peel those potatoes? Given the rate of peeling one potato, scholars predict the time it takes to peel the bag. The twist is that the first potato was...
Illustrative Mathematics
Friends Meeting on Bikes
It is the job of your mathematicians to figure out how fast Anya is riding her bike when meeting her friend. The problem shares the distance, time spent riding, and Taylor's speed leaving the last variable for your learners to solve. Use...
Teach Engineering
Egg Drop
Don't drop the ball on the resource ... drop an egg instead! A teacher-led demonstration has the class consider how to drop eggs into glasses when a tray is in the way. Hint: If you've ever seen a magician pull a tablecloth off a table,...
5280 Math
Decimal Patterns
Find patterns in the process instead of the result. Learners convert series of decimals and fractions identifying patterns along the way. The lesson includes nine problem tasks with progressively more involved patterns.
Illustrative Mathematics
Voting for Two, Variation 3
After calculating election votes, your learners must determine how many votes the winner, John, got above 50%. This multi-step problem encourages them to think in a deeper way about what the question is asking them to find. Use with...
Illustrative Mathematics
Voting for Two, Variation 4
After elections, the total amount of votes is not specified but the ratio of votes is. Your learners' job is to determine the fraction of votes John received above half of all votes. The problem can be solved abstractly or by other...
Illustrative Mathematics
Voting for Two, Variation 1
The votes are in and your mathematicians are going to calculate how many votes each candidate received. Three different solution choices are given, depending on which method is taught. Have your learners set up a table, compute parts, or...
Illustrative Mathematics
Making Hot Cocoa, Variation 1
Dividing with fractions can be a confusing task to some, but the activity illustrates how to make groups out of the problem and look at it visually. Use this problem with the lesson plan in the Additional Materials section to practice...
Illustrative Mathematics
Molly's Run
A simple lesson with a lot of support behind it. Your learners will find out how long it takes Molly to run a mile by choosing their solution method. The activity can be used as a lesson or as an independent assignment. Preface with...
Illustrative Mathematics
Making Hot Cocoa, Variation 2
Learners are introduced to dividing by fractions in a visual way. Setting up groups from the information in the problem allows them to see what we divide and why. Use with the previous lesson, which can be found in Additional Materials,...
Illustrative Mathematics
Voting for Three, Variation 1
This is an opportunity for young mathematicians to apply reasoning to solve real-world problems with ratios. Even though there are three candidates for class president, students will only consider two at a time, making the first problem...
Curated OER
Rounding and Subtracting
Common Core is all about getting your learners to open their minds and think about the why and how. This problem has them thinking about unknown numbers and their relationship with one another when we round and subtract. They will have...
Illustrative Mathematics
Shirt Sale
Everyone loves a good deal, and your mathematician's job is to calculate the original price when given the discount. A different type of problem than the traditional "find the percent change" has your learners working backwards to...
Curated OER
Unstable Table
Bothered by a wobbly table? Learn how to fix this problem using concepts of slope and continuity. Pupils first consider the problem in two dimensions and then progress to three dimensions. The solution is really quite simple.
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.
Curated OER
Delayed Gratification
Word problems are great for engaging critical thinking skills, and word problems involving money increase a child's financial literacy. Boost your critical and financial thinkers with a multi-step word problem involving money and problem...
Curated OER
Math: The Cathedral Project
Second graders take a field trip to a nearby church or other historical building and examine it from a mathematical perspective. In groups, they calculate the seating capacity, describe the window patterns, differentiate types of...
Curated OER
Measuring the Area of a Circle
When mathematical errors happen, part of the learning is to figure out how it affects the rest of your calculations. The activity has your mathematicians solving for the area of a circular pipe and taking into consideration any errors...
Illustrative Mathematics
Pick Two
Learning to break apart numbers into smaller pairs is a critical step young mathematicians take as they develop their number sense. To practice this skill, children are provided with sets of three numbers and are asked to pick the two...
101 Questions
Toilet Paper Roll
You won't want to flush a great lesson down the drain! An intriguing resource asks learners to predict the number of sheets of toilet paper on a roll. Presented with the dimensions of the roll and one sheet of paper, scholars make...
Curated OER
Task: Miniature Golf
"Fore!" All right, no one really yells this out in miniature golf, but this well-defined activity will have your charges using lots of numbers in their unique design of a miniature golf hole. Included in the activity criteria is the...
Curated OER
Choosing a College
How can mathematics help scholars choose a college? High schoolers learn how they can use decision matrices to rank colleges based on selected criteria. They also see how to weigh criteria using multiplication of the decision matrix by a...
101 Questions
Two Lane Road
Two vehicles move at a constant rate of speed toward each other, but when exactly will they pass? Pupils use still images from a video to determine the rate of speed and when the two cars meet. Then, they watch the complete video to...