Curated OER
Investigation - What Does 1,000 Look Like?
Second graders determine what 1,000 items look like. In this math investigation lesson, 2nd graders collect 1,000 items and determine the best way to count them by tens and hundreds. They can use stickers on notecards to count to 1,000....
Texas Instruments
Graphing Calculator Investigation Graphs of Relations
Learners investigate relations in this algebra lesson. They graph the set of ordered pairs that determine a relation. Using a TI-83 Plus, your learners will enter the coordinates in a list, create a scatter plot, and manipulate the...
Curated OER
Getting It Right! An Investigation of the Pythagorean Theorem
Learners construct a variety of right triangles using a right-angled set square, cutting corners from pieces of paper or cardboard, and using dynamic geometry software. They measure the sides of these various right triangles and record...
Curated OER
Investigating the Climate System - Clouds
Here is a fabulous lesson plan on the Earth's radiant energy system. This amazing, 31-page document is chock-full of great activities, worksheets, lab sheets, quizzes, rubrics, and assessments. Learners model and explain cloud formation,...
GeoGebra
GeoGebra Graphing Calculator
So, exactly, what does it look like? The easily usable graphing calculator allows pupils to visualize the graph of equations and inequalities. The interactive supports any algebraic graph needed for high school mathematics and then some.
National Wildlife Federation
Stifling, Oppressive, Sweltering, Oh My!
Looking for a hot date? Pick any day in August, statistically the hottest month in the United States. The 15th lesson plan in the series of 21 instructs pupils to investigate the August 2007 heat wave through NASA data, daily temperature...
Curated OER
Crime School Investigations
Students solve a mystery at their school. In this classifying lesson, students find suspects who committed the crime. Students categorize them into race, sex, and fingerprint type. Students show their results in graphs.
Mathematics Assessment Project
Evaluating Statements About Enlargements
Double, toil ,and double linear dimensions. Learners first complete an assessment investigating how doubling linear dimensions affects the area of pizzas and the volume of popcorn containers. They then complete an activity investigating...
Mathematics Vision Project
Structures of Expressions
This comprehensive unit investigates transformations of quadratics, having learners follow "Optima" through the development and growth of her quilting business. Deftly weaving the story into the mathematical mechanics, the unit gives...
Teach Engineering
Android Acceleration
Prepare to accelerate your Android. Pupils prep for the upcoming activity in this third installment of a four-part series. The lesson plan progresses nicely by first introducing different types of acceleration to the class. The teacher...
Mathematics Vision Project
Geometric Figures
Logical thinking is at the forefront of this jam-packed lesson, with young mathematicians not only investigating geometric concepts but also how they "know what they know". Through each activity and worksheet, learners wrestle with...
Mathematics Vision Project
More Functions, More Features
Learners tackle a wide range of intimidating topics in this comprehensive unit that spans piecewise functions, absolute value of functions, and inverse functions (among other topics). Investigative group work alternates with more...
Illustrative Mathematics
How Many Cells Are in the Human Body?
Investigating the large numbers of science is the task in a simple but deep activity. Given a one-sentence problem set-up and some basic assumptions, the class sets off on an open-ended investigation that really gives some...
University of Georgia
Using Freezing-Point Depression to Find Molecular Weight
Explore the mathematical relationship between a solvent and solute. Learners use technology to measure the cooling patterns of a solvent with varying concentrations of solute. Through an analysis of the data, pupils realize that the...
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
Placing a Fire Hydrant
Triangle centers and the segments that create them easily become an exercise in memorization, without the help of engaging applications like this instructional activity. Here the class investigates the measure of center that is...
Mathematics Assessment Project
Circle Pattern
Cool circle patterns! To investigate patterns of shading in circles, learners use the values for specific examples of the pattern to generate a verbal rule for the arrangement.
Mathematics Assessment Project
Printing Tickets
That's the ticket! Pupils write and investigate two linear functions representing the cost of printing tickets. Individuals then determine which of two printing companies would be a better buy.
Balanced Assessment
Don't Fence Me In
Investigate the complexities of design problems using geometric concepts. The task asks scholars to design a fence for a horse based on the distance it can travel within one hour. It is a seemingly simple task — until individuals learn...
Concord Consortium
Boards I
Learners create patterns in a table to mimic the function of an electronic spreadsheet. The result is a table that creates an addition table for decimals in intervals of one-tenth. While creating the pattern, pupils must thoroughly...
Illustrative Mathematics
A Midpoint Miracle
Young geometers develop one of the fundamental properties of quadrilaterals (connecting side midpoints gives a parallelogram) in this short but thought-provoking exercise. Using a combination of hands-on techniques and abstract algebraic...
Illustrative Mathematics
How Many Leaves on a Tree? (Version 2)
A second attack at figuring out the number of leaves on a tree, this activity makes both an excellent follow-up to version 1 and a stand-alone activity. Learners practice setting parameters and deciding acceptable estimate precision, and...
Illustrative Mathematics
Return to Fred's Fun Factory (with 50 Cents)
The penny arcade gets the statistics treatment in this fun probability investigation. A non-standard game of chance is described and then the class is set loose to find missing probabilities, determine common outcomes, and evaluate...
Mathematics Assessment Project
Circles and Squares
Squares, and circles ... and squares, and more circles. For this high school assessment task, pupils investigate the ratio of areas of two squares that are circumscribed and inscribed in a circle. They then determine the ratio of the...