Bowland
Mission: Rainforest
Young environmentally conscious mathematicians solve a variety of problems related to the central theme of uncovering illegal logging activities. They determine a base camp based on given constraints, investigate logging activities and...
Curated OER
Math: Finding Surface Area
Eighth graders engage in hands-on activities to determine the surface areas of various objects. Using boxes, they cut them so they can lay flat and measure all the various shapes, which can be calculated and added together to equal the...
Curated OER
Amazing Transpiration
Learners observe a leaf and discuss the way that water is released from a leaf through its stomata. For this water cycle instructional activity, students calculate how much water leaves produce from a whole tree. ...
Curated OER
How Size Shapes Animals
Students investigate how size affects large and small animals differently. In this animal lesson plan, students determine how size affects different animals by constructing their own animal out of marshmallows. Once students create...
Curated OER
Elements, Compounds, and Mixtures
In this elements, compounds, and mixtures worksheet, students answer questions about the properties of elements, mixtures, and compounds. Students identify the physical changes that is made to a substance to determine if it is an element.
Curated OER
Cylinder: Student Worksheet
Pairs of geometry whizzes work together to determine which of three differently shaped cylinders will have the greatest volume. Pupils cut out the three rectangles embedded in the plan, and tape them together to form a cylinder. From...
Curated OER
Baseball Geometry
Middle schoolers apply various methods for finding the volume and surface area of sphere. They compare and contrast results among these mathematical methods. They work in cooperative groups to discuss their results with one another.
Curated OER
Surface Tension and 3D Soap Films
Students are introduced to the concept of surface tension, its dependence on material composition, and how it can produce uniquely shaped surfaces.
Curated OER
Finding the Area & Volume of Buildings Using Architectural Drawings
Fifth graders find the area and volume of buildings. In this architecture instructional activity, 5th graders look at the drawings of three historic Tennessee buildings. They use these to help find the area and volume of the building.
Shodor Education Foundation
Volume of Prisms
Explore the concept of volume of prisms using an applet to perform the calculations. The link to the interactive applet is embedded into the lesson plan as well as a link to associated data sheets. Get your math class to the computer lab...
Curated OER
Parachutes: Is it Surface Area or Shape?
Pupils investigate how to make a good parachute. In this physics lesson, students observe the motion of parachutes as it falls and measure the time. They collect data and calculate the average descent time for each canopy shape.
Curated OER
Pacing a Gunther Chain
Students pace a Gunther Chain, a measurement used by foresters to determine distance and area. They discuss that pacing is individualized depending on age, gender, etc. They practice to find an average pace. Teams estimate, pace and...
Curated OER
Cap-It to the Max
Eighth graders compare the volume of three cylinders constructed from the same size sheet of paper. They use concrete and graphical models to derive formulas for finding perimeter, circumference, area, and volume of two and three...
American Museum of Natural History
What Do You Know About Astronomy
Develop an understanding of the universe. Learners answer 10 multiple choice questions about several topics in astronomy. Questions contain information about the age of the universe, gravitational attraction, galaxies, planets and comets...
University of Nottingham
Drawing to Scale: A Garden
See how design and geometry go hand in hand. The activity asks learners to use geometry to design a backyard garden given dimensions of each feature. Scholars work with ratios and scale to develop an accurate scale drawing that includes...
Radford University
Exploring Coal Pillar Mining
Coal mines can be a gold mine of math applications. After reading some basic information on coal mining, learners draw blueprints of a coal pillar in the shape of a composite figure. They find the volume of material from the coal pillar...
Curated OER
Traditional American Indian Lodges
Students explore the mathematical properties of traditional American Indian lodges. They examine the effect of increasing sides of a polygon, calculate the surface area of prisms and cylinders, and construct a classroom size pyramid...
Curated OER
How do living and non-living structures affect coral reef habitats?
Young scholars create model coral reefs showing surface area and including examples of communities. In this coral reef activity, students research and explore the functions or benefits from a coral reef. Young scholars design...
Curated OER
How Mountains Shape Climate
Students use raw data to make a climatograph; they explain the process of orographic precipitation and the concept of a rain shadow.
Curated OER
Castles
Students create a scale model to a castle using the dimensions they were given. They calculate the surface areas and volumes of each section of their castle.
Curated OER
TE Activity: The Boxes Go Mobile
Middle schoolers create a mobile of boxes and cubes that they made in a previous lesson that can be accessed from this page. They design the mobile using method that an engineer would use to balance the items based on surface areas and...
Exploratorium
Tired Weight
Take your class out to visit your automobile and use the tires to compute the weight of the vehicle. This is done by measuring the surface of the tire meeting the ground and the air pressure. This is a fun lesson in the relationship...
Teach Engineering
What a Drag!
Stop and drop what is in your hand! Pupils investigate how form effects drag in the 12th part of a 22-part unit on aviation. Groups create equally weighted objects and determine which one falls the fastest by collecting data.
Teach Engineering
Projections and Coordinates: Turning a 3D Earth into Flatlands
Introduce your class to map projections and coordinates, the basics for the work done in a GIS, with an activity that uses Google Earth to challenge learners to think about the earth's shape.