Illustrative Mathematics
Field Day Scarcity
Introduce young mathematicians to concepts of financial literacy with this open-ended word problem. With seven dollars to spend during field day and given a list of available items and their prices, children must determine how they want...
Teach Engineering
The Energy Problem
Think you can solve the energy problem? You'll first need to know about current energy use. Analyzing a set of circle graphs lets scholars see where energy consumption is the greatest, both by sector and by household use. They develop a...
EngageNY
Recursive Challenge Problem—The Double and Add 5 Game
Math is all fun and games! Use a game strategy to introduce the concept of sequences and their recursive formulas. The activity emphasizes notation and vocabulary.
SRI International
The Water Crisis
Water, water, everywhere, right? Wrong. Learners assess their own knowledge of water availability on Earth. Then, through a reading, a teacher-led presentation, and an activity, pupils learn about the importance of available clean...
Curated OER
Space Shuttle's Heat Shield Problem
Students participate in a role-play activity to determine how to replace heat shields on the space shuttle using polar coordinates.
Math Learning Center
Grade 5 Supplement Set A2 – Number and Operations: Primes, Composites and Common Factors
Incorporate riddles into your math lesson by having students make tree factors and determine if the number is a prime or composite. They will also use other clues to find the answer to the riddle while sharpening their...
US Department of Commerce
Learning About College Degrees and Lifetime Earnings
It's never too early to start thinking about college majors. Using census data, scholars research the lifetime earnings for two selected careers. They then write and solve word problems to compare the amounts. To add a visual component,...
DK Publishing
Using the 5 Times Tables, Part 3
Could your third graders use some more practice on the five times table? Six word problems guide pupils through the steps to solve multiplication and division problems with multiples of five. Two examples show them exactly how to use the...
US Institute of Peace
Mediating Conflict
Two's a negotiation, but three's a mediation! Demonstrate the differences between the two processes through a role-playing lesson. The activity familiarizes pupils with the role of a mediator and examines the types of situations that...
Statistics Education Web
The Egg Roulette Game
Hard boiled or raw? Which egg will you get? A hands-on activity has scholars explore the impact of conditional probability. Based on a skit from the Tonight Show, pupils model the selection of the two types of eggs using beads. They...
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....
Space Awareness
The Fibre Optic Cable Class
Many people know that fiber optics are used in delivering the Internet, but are surprised to learn they are also used in astronomy. Scholars explore light, reflection, and fiber optics through hands-on activities. They discuss...
Curated OER
The Little Prince: Problematic Situation
Your plane has crashed in the Sahara desert. What do you do? Explore the possibilities with a role-playing activity based on Antoine de Saint Éxupery's The Little Prince. In groups, kids decide whether they would walk to find help...
Centre for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching
Ten Data Analysis Activities
This thirteen page data analysis learning exercise contains a number of interesting problems regarding statistics. The activities cover the concepts of average measurements, standard deviation, box and whisker plots, quartiles, frequency...
PBL Pathways
Total Cost to Produce the Turbo Blender
Class members blend their knowledge of functions and problem-solving skills to provide business advice to the Turbo Blender manufacturers. Through a project-based approach, learners examine marginal cost data to produce a function....
Illustrative Mathematics
Shrinking
Is Aunt Nancy shrinking? Find out by calculating with the average height women lose each year. The activity practices multiplying and dividing with decimals and rounding the final answer.
Curated OER
Pike Problems in Lake Davis
Pike fish pose a threat to native trout and catfish in lakes. Would you drain and poison a lake to get rid of the Pike fish? If the lake was drained and poisoned, then refilled and repopulated with trout and catfish, how would you...
Henrico County Public Schools
Factoring Puzzle
Factoring polynomials is an essential part of writing equivalent expressions and algebraic problem solving. Here is a card game that serves an engaging activity for reviewing factoring of polynomials.
Royal Society of Chemistry
Allotropes of Carbon
Carbon takes on many forms including diamond, graphite, and buckminsterfullerene. Scholars review their knowledge of these three allotropes of carbon as they complete four puzzles. The first acts as a general review, and the other three...
Curated OER
Book Title: Ten Flashing Fireflies
This instructional activity engages learners in a variety of activities to build 1 to 1 correspondence, estimation, and problem solving skills. They discuss problem solving strategies, hear the story Ten Flashing Fireflies, compose...
Curated OER
Handcarts - A Unique Form of Transportation
An interesting historical fact about how handcarts benefitted to the Mormon pioneers is the context behind this math lesson. Using given facts and figures regarding the handcart, pupil pairs create math word problems, share them with the...
Curated OER
Problem Solving: Draw a Picture
In this problem solving worksheet, 1st graders read the word problems and then solve using addition. Students then draw or write to explain their answer.
Curated OER
Linear Equations
This is a great lesson from start to finish. With partners and on their own, learners write and solve linear equations and inequalities. They use manipulatives, group work, and an included worksheet to make magic with their problem...
Curated OER
Can You Tell What the Hidden Message Is?
In this math patterns worksheet, students use their problem solving skills to solve 6 problems that require them to complete messages by finding patterns.