Are we there yet?  Young trip planners learn about their state and plan a trip. They will select sites to see in three cities in their state, and record associated costs in a spreadsheet. While this was originally designed as a...

Graphing functions in a real world application makes math come to life. Learners graph points on a coordinate plane and identify various points on a graph by working through a set of real world problems. This is a perfect review exercise.

Introduce your class to the federal tax system through an algebraic lens. This resource asks pupils to examine the variable structure of the tax system based on income. Young accountants use equations, expressions, and inequalities to...

Surface area or volume? Pupils first review the difference between surface area and volume. They then use a two-dimensional net that helps them develop formulas for the surface area and volume of cylinders.

Youngsters become flexible problem solvers with this challenging lesson. If there are 24 square tables in a restaurant, how many customers can be seated at one time? They can use manipulatives or draw pictures to help them find the...

Perform operations to add, subtract, multiply and divide matrices. Then solve problems with vectors using matrices. A three day lesson: Matrix Madness, Mystical Matrices, and Decode the Encode. The last lesson has prizes that the class...

Do your young mathematicians get paid for chores at home? Use this familiar real-world concept to explore multiplication and money math. They use a chart of chore payments to answer six questions and determine how much money Joe and...

Learners calculate volume using the correct formula and the correct unit. They explore different prisms, spheres, cubes, and cones as they calculate volume and relate it to depths in oceans.

Is bigger really better? By the end of this lesson, learners will be able to apply formulas for computing the diameter of tires and wheel assemblies. Begin by showing a slide presentation that will review definitions for radius and...

Learners construct and use inverse functions to model a real-world context. They use the inverse function to interpolate a data point.

It's time to show off what they learned! The final lesson in the series is a review worksheet on the topics learned throughout the unit. Scholars solve systems of equations using graphic and algebraic methods, solve system-based word...

Looking for a real-world situation to practice converting units? In this problem, learners must change miles per gallon to liters per km (or vice versa) to determine which car gets better gas miileage. It is a relatively short problem,...

Perform data analysis on energy consumption to apply algebraic expressions to the real world. Learners will write and solve equations that answer various questions from residential power use. They will collect data at home and calculate...

When do you multiply a fraction by a fraction? Here, fifth graders are given 10 different word problems and asked to decide if multiplying 2/5 x 1/8 is appropriate. Many times, real-world word problems sound similar although the required...

Build up from the previous activity where your learners charted the population growth and decay of a fish pond with M&Ms®. Have them look at the data from that activity and create a Now-Next, or recursive equations, to predict the...

Examine scenarios involving number patterns. Learners complete a series of activities, including working with Pascal's triangle ando completing chart activities based on different pricing for pizza toppings. An included extension has...

What a great way to have pupils apply classroom learning to real-world skills! They complete problems involving the addition and subtraction of decimals related to banking-type questions, and then use a spreadsheet to display their results.

Show examples of fractions in the real world to help scholars grasp this complex concept. Because there is only one word problem here with an answer detailed below, this is ideal as an all-class warm up. Learners examine an image of a...

An outbreak of the swine flu on a school campus has caused an increase in the number of boxes of tissues sold by the school store. In a real-world-modeling activity, pupils use composition of functions to determine how the number of...

Which decimal is greater? Learners start by comparing eight pairs of decimals, writing in the symbol (> or <) to indicate values. The next two sections involve sets of three decimals. They start by circling the decimal with the...

There is more than one way to answer a question; especially when you have fractions in measurement. Here are three questions with real-world situations in which 5th graders are asked to provide answers in three ways: a larger unit of...

A real-world approach to common multiples asks learners to find different groups of flowers based on their multiples. Useable as a class activity or independent exercise, they will have to organize their thoughts to explain the totals of...

Young hopefuls can practice finding the average of a group of numbers represented in tables and word problems. 

Learners read a variety of word problems and find the mode, median, range, and mode from a given set of data. If calculators are not desirable, provide the class with notebook paper to work out the equations.