Here, second graders are tasked to find the patterns that have an even number of tiles. They are asked to think about why these patterns are even or odd and explain how they know.

An interesting way to look at the kitchen floor is to count the number of tiles in the border. Fred starts with four white floor tiles and writes an expression for the number of tiles needed for the colored border. Algebra learners are...

How many total tiles does it take to tile a table top? Learners apply geometric concepts to determine the number of tiles needed for a specific square table top, and then use the result to create expressions for the number of tiles...

Paste this resource into your lesson plans like you'd paste a tile onto a mural. Given a diagram of a tile mural with rectilinear figures, future artists determine the perimeters and areas of the figures. They must then develop their own...

Young geometers and biologists investigate the math of nature in an activity that is just the bee's knees. Participants will study the tessellations of hexagons in a beehive, along with the natural rationale behind the specific shape....

This can be used as a critical thinking exercise in congruence or as a teaching tool when first introducing the concept. Four octagons are arranged in such a way that a square is formed in the middle. With this information, geometry...

Remodeling projects require more than just a good design — they involve complex fractions, too. To determine whether a tiling project will fit within a given budget pupils calculate the square footage to determine the number of...

After learning that the sum of interior angles for triangles is 108 degrees, take it further to show that the sum of angles in any polygon is the same! Using hexagons, pupils practice finding the measure of the six congruent angles. Make...

A connecting-the-dots activity seems too easy for seventh grade but connecting vertices may prove a challenge. Class members first examine a figure created by drawing squares around the inside of an octagon and connecting the...

If you have two bags with an unknown number of tiles, represented by x, and you add three tiles to get seven total, you can set up a linear equation to represent the problem. Use this example and a few others to demonstrate how to solve...

Scholars learn to plot points on the coordinate plane. The lesson introduces the idea that the first coordinate of a coordinate pair represents the horizontal distance and the second coordinate represents the vertical distance. 

You'll never look at floor tiles the same again. An assessment task prompts learners to investigate relationships between patterns involving squares and kites to determine angle measurements. They then prove...

Only you can prevent shoplifting. Class members use a given floor plan to investigate the placement of a security camera. They must incorporate knowledge of area and percents to complete the task.

How many people can sit around a table? The 22nd part in a series of 36 continues the work on writing and evaluating expressions to include expressions with two operations. Pupils use models to determine an expression for the number of...

Symbols make everything so much more concise. Young mathematicians learn to write addition and subtraction expressions — including those involving variables — from verbal phrases. Bar models help them understand the concept. 

Add an outstanding resource to your repertoire. The first installment of a 36-part module looks at the relationship between addition and subtraction through an activity using tape diagrams. Pupils develop the identities w – x + x =...

Create your own adventure story ... well, not really. The fifth lesson in a 21-part series has pairs create story contexts for division problems. The lesson presents a step-by-step process for pupils to follow in writing such stories.

Individuals learn how to plot rational numbers on the number line in the sixth lesson of a 21-part module. They identify appropriate units and determine opposites of rational numbers.

It's great to have a large swimming pool. An interesting performance task asks learners to optimize the volume of pools for a given surface area. They consider four different shapes for pools and find the maximum volume for each pool.

Using the provided counting mats (1-6 and 7-12) and small objects to count with, guide your young learners to match the correct number of objects to the written numeral and dots. Class members will either read the numeral and count out...

Let knowledge grow bountifully like plants in a garden. Given a diagram of a rectangular garden split into plots, scholars determine the area of the entire garden and the areas of the individual plots. As a culminating activity, they...

Learners sometimes have difficulty making sense of a word problem. In a guided learning activity, pupils are asked to think about how to find an answer and explain their thinking, rather than finding the answer. It allows them to...

Get third graders excited to work find area and perimeter of unit squares, rectangles, and irregular shapes. A 36-page packet comes with task cards, graphic organizers, practice worksheets, printables with squares, exit tickets, and word...

This interactive activity gives you an opportunity to color in a tessellation that is different from the usual. Read the short introduction to find out more about this tessellation that doesn't repeat.