Illustrative Mathematics
Firefighter Allocation
Creating equations with one variable to solve real-world-type problems is a key skill any algebra learner needs to master. Here the focus is on realizing that one can write the equation in different ways depending upon how one...
Curated OER
Basketball
Tap into the competitive nature of teenagers as your class practices setting up and solving rational equations. This activity starts with a specific ratio of games won to games played, then asks how many more games must be played to...
Illustrative Mathematics
Log Ride
The rides at a theme park always have limits on weight or number of riders. This makes a natural example of the use of inequalities to solve real-world problems. Learners explore intuitive solutions using substitution to solve the...
Illustrative Mathematics
Springboard Dive
Dive into this problem that illustrates a real-world application of the quadratic formula. Learners are given an equation that represents the height of a diver above the water t seconds after leaving the springboard. The task is to...
Illustrative Mathematics
The Missing Coefficient
This activity highlights the use of the remainder theorem to solve for the unknown coefficient of a specified polynomial when given one of its factors. Use this single problem as a warm-up exercise, a quick check-in at the end of a...
5280 Math
Pythagorean Triples
From Pythagorean triples to the unit circle. Learners use the Pythagorean Theorem to find Pythagorean triples and then relate their work to the unit circle in a fun algebra project. Their discovery that x^2+y^2 is always equal to one on...
Education Development Center
Creating Data Sets from Statistical Measures
Explore the measures of central tendency through a challenging task. Given values for the mean, median, mode, and range, collaborative groups create a set of data that would produce those values. They then critique other answers 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
Consecutive Sums
Evaluate patterns of numbers through an engaging task. Scholars work collaboratively to determine a general rule reflecting the sum of consecutive positive integers. Multiple patterns emerge as learners explore different arrangements.
Education Development Center
Proof with Parallelogram Vertices
Geometric figures are perfect to use for proofs. Scholars prove conjectures about whether given points lie on a triangle and about midpoints. They use a provided dialogue among fictional learners to frame their responses.
Howard County Schools
Generous Aunt
Witness the power of exponential growth with an activity that investigates two different savings plans. Class members create tables of values to see how and when a savings plan increasing exponentially exceeds one increasing linearly.
Curated OER
Activity Guide for Snow
Create a cross-curricular learning experience around a shared reading of Cynthia Rylant's book Snow. From writing poetry and a singing a song about snow, to creating paper snowflakes and solving math story problems, this resource uses...
Wake Forest University
Authentic Activities for Connecting Mathematics to the Real World
Check out the handout from a presentation that contains a collection of high school algebra projects connecting a variety of mathematics to the real world. Activities range from simple probabilities to calculus. The activities can be...
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
Powerpoint Tutorial Project
Students create non-linear, user-directed presentations in a presentation software application. They create, using Powerpoints, tutorial movies using the topic of solving a math story problem.
Curated OER
Percents: What's the Use?
Students explore percentages in real world situations. In this percents lesson, students determine the final sales price after discounts. Students interview community members and determine how percentages are used in the real world.
Curated OER
Equations and Inequalities Projects
Young scholars compose equations and inequalities whose solutions are the integers 1-31 and utilize them to number one month of a calendar. They take notes on two ways to work backwards from a solution: by using the number and by setting...
Teach Engineering
Win that Bid! Selling Your Power Solution
Power up! Class members research a type of power production using a great resource featuring a real-world problem. Groups select a type of power generation and pretend that they represent an engineering firm for their chosen power type....
Curated OER
Triangle's Interior Angles
Given a pair of parallel lines and a triangle in between, geometers prove that the sum of the interior angles is 180 degrees. This quick quest can be used as a pop quiz or exit ticket for your geometry class.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Eruptions: Old Faithful Geyser
How long do we have to wait? Given several days of times between eruptions of Old Faithful, learners create a graphical representation for two days. Groups combine their data to determine an appropriate wait time between eruptions.
Virginia Commonwealth University
General Construction Measurement and Dimensions
Learners construct their understanding of measurement and dimensions in this step-by-step approach that begins with an all group vocabulary introduction, consisting of measuring objects and dialoging using measurement vocabulary....
Teach Engineering
What's Wrong with the Coordinates at the North Pole?
Here is an activity that merges technology with life skills as individuals use Google Earth to explore the differences between coordinate systems and map projections. The self-guided worksheet is the fourth segment in a nine-part unit....
Illustrative Mathematics
Sarah, the chimpanzee
Is Sarah, the chimpanzee, smart or just a lucky guesser? Here, learners set up a simulation and read a dotplot to find out the likelihood of getting 7 out of 8 questions correct. One suggested modification would be to have your class...
Dr. Seuss Enterprises
Read Across America
Celebrate the whimsical world of Dr. Seuss on Read Across America Day with a collection of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics activities, each linked to a popular Dr. Seuss story.