This is a cool math activity. Kids collect and interpret data based on a physical act. A board is balanced between a scale and a step, learners record a peer's weight as it decreases while s/he walks further away from the scale. They...

Your class will use a set scale to convert diameters of planets to the model size, the diagram given to expand on the number of planets drawn as concentric circles, and examine the scale that would be needed to fit the larger...

Host a design challenge of Olympic proportion! Junior engineers build their own bobsleds using simple materials. The activity focuses on kinetic and potential energy and how the center of mass affects motion on a downhill track....

How does your class measure up? Young scientists create a scale drawing of the JOIDES Resolution in a collaborative activity. The lesson incorporates mathematical principles with deep-sea exploration to focus on enhancing measurement...

After watching a video on how to read different types of scales, young mathematicians complete eight problems involving scales. From thermometers to number lines to rulers and clock, class members identify various numbers on scales.

Can you follow a composition of transformations, or better yet construct them? Young mathematicians analyze the composition of dilations, examining both the scale factor and centers of dilations. They discover relationships for both...

Does doubling mean everything doubles? Learners adjust the scale factor between two rectangles. Using the calculated measurements, pupils investigate the ratios between the lengths, perimeters, and areas of the rectangles.

Examine the relationship between ratios and scale. Young math scholars compare ratios of two models. They use the ratios to make a comparison between the two models. Each image uses a different scale, which requires learners to think...

Ramp up the engineering design process in your classroom with an activity that challenges teams to design, build, and test a small-scale portable wheelchair ramp. The class develops design requirements, and teams test their designs...

Make works of art using a vintage yet effective etching strategy. The surface of a semiconductor chip has specific patterns formed through a process called etching. Through a lab investigation, young scholars recreate that process...

Provide a Hooke for a lesson on elasticity with an activity that has groups investigate a set of springs. They use a set procedure to collect data to calculate the spring constant for each spring using Hooke's Law. The groups...

Compare sizes of microscopic items. Given a set of labels of microscopic objects, pupils try to place them in order from smallest to largest. Scholars then compare their lists to the actual comparisons along with the measurements of the...

Scholars weigh in on FDR's New Deal policies in an in-depth activity. The resource uses historical documents to explore whether the New Deal polices were reformatory or revolutionary. Learners review documents, rate them using a scale,...

What better way to learn how to use a microscope than building your own? A lab investigation has scholars use lenses from magnifying glasses and sheets of cork to design their own compound microscopes. They calculate focal length...

Here's a window into graphing calculators. Scholars use a graphing calculator to plot a quadratic function. They then adjust the window to make the graph look like that of a linear function and must recreate given graphs.

Did you know that Pluto is smaller than the United States of America? It is difficult to conceptualize the size of planets and the distance between them, and the activity addresses those exact issues. After a discussion, pupils create...

Build a scale model of a home built out of shipping containers. A hands-on activity has scholars watch a video about a home built from shipping containers and then design their own home. They build scale models of their designed homes...

Develop scales using tables. Pupils complete charts to show equivalent scale factors before using the completed tables to determine the sizes of scale drawings. They finish the lesson and demonstrate their understanding by completing a...

Pupils take photos from a given distance and determine the height of the person using a scale factor. Pupils calculate the ratio of student actual height to student photo height. They take pictures from 3 different distances to see if...

Teach your class to think outside the box. Scholars use the concept of equality to solve a problem in the assessment task. They determine how to use a scale to identify the one box out of a set of nine boxes that is heavier than the others.

Researchers use scientific data to understand what is inside each of the planets. The first in a series of six, this lesson builds off of that concept by having pupils use a data table to create their own scale models of the interiors of...

Turn it up! Sound scientists explore the decibel scale through an interactive that calculates movement up and down the scale. Part of a series of interactives that explore sounds and waves, the resource includes a help feature to support...

A short assessment has individuals determine the scale of a house plan. They use the scale to calculate the size of a door and window that need to be replaced, and then divide a bedroom in two, calculating the size of rooms created.

Examine an innovative approach to a large-scale model. Pupils across the state of Maine teamed up to create a model of the solar system that spans 40 miles. Put thinking skills to work within your classes as they make the calculations to...