Save the world by designing a new soda can! Learners first measure the dimensions of a typical soda can and calculate its surface area and volume. They then use spreadsheet software to minimize the surface area for the volume, thus...

Nurture a love of math and farming at the same time. Pupils apply geometry concepts, such as surface area and volume of three-dimensional shapes and similarity ratios, to farming contexts. They consider the dimensions of bales of hay,...

Don't toy with using a fun lesson. Scholars design new toys and then create scale drawings. They determine the volume and surface area of the toys, and then research prices of raw materials to estimate the manufacturing costs.

Package design is an economic necessity. Young scholars assume the role in an interesting inquiry-based lesson. Given 24 cubic shaped candies to package, they must determine the arrangement that uses the least amount of cardboard to...

Fifth graders find the area and volume of buildings. In this architecture lesson, 5th graders look at the drawings of three historic Tennessee buildings. They use these to help find the area and volume of the building. 

How much plastic do manufacturers use to create water bottles each year? The class explores the number of water bottles used throughout the years to determine how many consumers will use in the future. Class members compare different...

Do domed structures have advantages over their less-than-spherical counterparts? Junior architects explore the pros and cons of domes through a design challenge. Teams work together to plan, sketch, build, and test domes created from an...

Farming is full of mathematics, and it provides numerous real-world examples for young mathematicians to study. Here, we look at a cylinder-shaped storage silo that has one flat side. Given certain dimensions, learners need to determine...

Who knew running a greenhouse required so much math? Amaze future mathematicians and farmers with the amount of unit conversions, ratio and proportional reasoning, and geometric applications involved by having them complete the...

Students compare and convert units of measurement within the United States customary system and within the metric system by baking cookies. Students discuss how to double the cookie recipe, how to make only half of the recipe, and how to...

Fourth graders, acting as foresters, determine timber volumes as sawtimber or pulpwood for marketing. They find the marketable value of a tree using its diameter and volume.

Students design a new classroom workplace. In this architecture lesson, students use area formulas to identify the problem with the existing desks in their classroom. Students design their own solution volume formulas to solve the...

Pupils discover plant chemical processes through three lab activities. Overheads, data sheets, and teaching procedures provided for the unit covering photosynthesis, respiration, and transpiration.