This resource explores instructional practices for persuasive essay writing in English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies classes. It uses original content from the Texas Adolescent Literacy Academies: Focus on...

Challenge yourself and see if you can solve these math problems using Egyptian hieroglyphics. Egyptians excelled in mathematics and this lesson will help you understand hieroglyphic numbers. A podcast is included that explains the Rhind...

A brief explanation of the numbering system of the ancient Egyptians, with great drawings and sample problems. Use this resource to introduce yourself to the symbols ancient Egyptians used in mathematics. There are some activities to...

Contains plans for five 50-minute interdisciplinary lessons that ask students to write about math-related, informational books such as "Actual Size" (Jenkins, 2004) and "If You Hopped Like a Frog" (Schwartz, 1999). Students use books...

In this students are asked to write an equation to solve a real-world problem. There are two natural approaches to this task. In the first approach, students have to notice that even though there is one variable, namely the number of...

This is an exercise in creating equations from a situation with many variables. By giving three different scenarios, learners will be reviewing their definitions of the variables to emphasize the importance of defining variables when...

The goal of this task is to complete the square in a quadratic expression in order to find its minimum or maximum value. Aligns with HSA-SSE.B.3.b.

This problem provides students with an opportunity to discover algebraic structure in a geometric context. They will divide up polygons into triangles. The will use the sum of the angles of 180 degrees for each triangle. Aligns with...

In this instructional activity, 7th graders write algebraic expressions and determine if they have the same answer.

In this lesson, 7th graders write and solve an inequality to solve the problem.

This activity is a good practice for counting objects. Students will count pre-filled bags of objects and record their answers. Examples are included in this lesson. This activity can become a daily 10-minute routine with the students...

This problem introduces Carbon 14 dating which is used by scientists to date certain organic material. This version is based on the ratio of Carbon 14 to Carbon 12, which decreases at a constant exponential rate after an organism dies....

The purpose of this task is to introduce students to systems of equations. It takes skills and concepts that students know up to this point, such as writing the equation of a given line, and uses it to introduce the idea that the...

The purpose of this task is to provide students with an opportunity to explain fraction equivalence through visual models in a particular example. Part (c) should be approached as a discussion before students are asked to write an...

A friend of yours, Phil, writes to you asking about a new scratch-off lottery game. It costs $10 to play this game. There are two outcomes for the game (win, lose) and the probability that a player wins a game is 60%. A win results in...

In this task about canoeing, learners must analyze paddling speed and current speed, which are working against each other, to determine how long a canoe trip would take. They write expressions and analyze characteristics of the graph...

Eighth graders are presented with the distance-time graphs of two bike riders in a race. They are to identify the winner and write a story describing what is happening during the race based on the shapes of the graphs. Aligns with 8.F.B.5.

Eighth graders are asked to compare the income earned from two summer jobs stuffing envelopes. They are to draw graphs, write equations, and interpret the graphs. This task provides students with an opportunity to take the step from unit...

In this task, 8th graders examine the fee structures and features of three cell phone plans to highlight the advantages of each. They will need to write linear equations and draw graphs for each. They then choose the best plan for a...

A multi-step performance task word problem: In a poll of Mr. Briggs's math class, 67% of the students say that math is their favorite academic subject. The editor of the school paper is in the class, and he wants to write an article for...

In this task about canoeing, paddling speed, and current speed, students examine how long a trip would take at different speeds. They write a function equation, graph their equation, and explain their thinking. The primary purpose of the...

In this task, 6th graders solve fraction division problems by drawing a picture and writing a number sentence. Aligns with 6.NS.A.1.

This project resulted from of the collaboration of a computer aided drafting teacher, Chris Bond, and a math teacher, Lee Cable, (Hewitt-Trussville High School) to provide higher math expectations in CT and real life application in...

Contains plans for two lessons designed to help primary young scholars' reading comprehension with mathematical story problems. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains links to sites used in the lessons...