Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Angles in Polygons

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Polygons — it's all about the angles. Groups work with dynamic geometry software to find the sum of the measures of the angles of various polygons. After finding the information for several polygons, the groups generate a formula that...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Evaluating and Simplifying Expressions

For Teachers 6th - 9th Standards
Discover how algebra tiles help evaluate expressions. Scholars learn to use algebra tiles to substitute values in for variables and evaluate expressions. The included worksheet contains a set of evaluation problems to assess individuals'...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Multiplying Polynomials Using Algebra Tiles

For Teachers 8th - 10th Standards
Tiles are not just for algebra—see how they can help with multiplication too. Young mathematicians learn to use algebra tiles to model the multiplication of polynomials. A follow-up worksheet provides practice with the skill.
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Adding and Subtracting Polynomials Using Algebra Tiles

For Teachers 8th - 10th Standards
Scholars learn how using algebra tiles to add and subtract polynomials can model how to combine polynomials. They use their newfound knowledge to complete a worksheet of problems.
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Cover Up Problems

For Teachers 6th - 9th Standards
Don't cover up this resource — use it out in the open! Pupils learn how to cover up various parts of a linear equation in order to help solve the equation. A worksheet of problems provides practice with this skill.
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Algebra Tiles and Solving Equations

For Teachers 6th - 9th Standards
Young mathematicians solve linear equations by drawing models of algebra tiles using colored pencils. To finish, they solve the same equations algebraically and check their answers using a graphing calculator.
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Solve for the Unknown

For Teachers 8th - 10th Standards
How can shapes help solve literal equations? Scholars first learn to replace variables with shapes to aid in solving literal equations. A worksheet of practice problems helps hone the skill.
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Greetings

For Teachers 6th - 9th Standards
Welcome learners to the world of algebra. Use a activity that poses a situation involving the profit from creating greeting cards to teach about algebra. It requires scholars to use linear functions and inequalities to solve problems.
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

3-D Figures

For Students 8th Standards
Scholars construct three-dimensional figures to study dimension and side views. Learners build models using linking cubes to match views of different sides. After practicing with models, they attempt to match three-dimensional drawings...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Area and Perimeter

For Students 8th Standards
Develop a strategy for finding the area and perimeter of irregular figures. Building on an understanding of finding area and perimeter of rectangles and triangles, learners apply the same concepts to composite figures. After...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Transformations

For Teachers 9th - 11th Standards
The coordinate plane is a popular place! Identify rotations, reflections, and dilations on the coordinate plane. Pupils work in small groups to match transformations of a figure with the description of the transformation....
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

The Pythagorean Relationship

For Teachers 9th - 11th Standards
Add up areas of squares to discover the pythagorean relationship. Small groups create right triangles with squares along each side. They calculate the areas of each square and notice the relationship. Groups construct other types of...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Properties of Quadrilaterals

For Teachers 9th - 11th Standards
What type of quadrilateral is that? Discover the difference between the types of quadrilaterals. Small groups investigate types of quadrilaterals using geometry software to find their properties. To keep track of the different...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Arc Length and Area of a Sector

For Teachers 9th - 11th Standards
What do skateboarding and baked goods have in common with math? You can use them to connect half-pipe ramps and cakes to arcs and sectors. Pupils compare the lengths of three different ramp options of a skate park. They calculate the...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Circles in the Coordinate Plane

For Teachers 9th - 11th Standards
Make the connection between the distance formula and the equation of a circle. The teacher presents a instructional activity on how to use the distance formula to derive the equation of the circle. Pupils transform circles on the...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Types of Variations

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Scholars determine how two quantities vary with respect to each other. They complete a fill-in-the-blank activity by stating whether the entities vary directly, inversely, or jointly, create equations that match different variations, and...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Calculating Measures of Dispersion

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Double the fun — calculate two measures of deviation. The lesson plan provides information to lead the class through the process of calculating the mean absolute deviation and the standard deviation of a data set. After learning how to...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Permutations and Combinations

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Counting is not all it adds up to be — sometimes it involves multiplying. The lesson introduces permutations and combinations as ways of counting, depending upon whether order is important. Pupils learn about factorials and the formulas...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

z-Scores

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Just how far away from the mean is the data point? Pupils calculate the standard deviation for a set of data and find out how many standard deviations a point is away from the mean. The teacher leads a discussion on how to calculate...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Powers of Ten

For Teachers 7th Standards
Investigate negative exponents of-ten. Pupils use the pattern of increasing powers of 10 to determine negative powers of 10. The scholars write the powers in expanded and product forms and make the connection to exponents using a...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Quadrilateral Sort

For Teachers 7th
If only you had a Sorting Hat to sort out quadrilaterals. Learners sort cutouts of quadrilaterals based on their properties and attributes. A flowchart helps them organize the results of the activity.
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Sales Tax and Tip

For Teachers 7th Standards
Don't forget to tip your server. Future consumers learn how to calculate sales taxes and tips. Pairs use actual restaurant menus to create an order and determine the total bill, including taxes and tips.
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Surface Area and Volume of a Cylinder

For Teachers 7th Standards
Surface area or volume? Pupils first review the difference between surface area and volume. They then use a two-dimensional net that helps them develop formulas for the surface area and volume of cylinders.
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Volume of a Rectangular Prism

For Teachers 7th Standards
Fill the minds of your young mathematicians. A hands-on activity has learners fill in a rectangular prism with unit cubes to determine its volume. the exercise provides a great hands-on way for learners to connect the activity...