6-8
In this lesson, a string will be stretched across the classroom and various points will be marked for 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4. This classroom number line will be used to show that all proper fractions are grouped between 0 and 1, and that improper fractions or mixed numbers are all grouped above 1. Students clip index cards with various proper fractions, improper fractions, and mixed numbers on the clothesline to visually see groupings. Students then play an estimation game with groups using the same principle. Encouraging students to look at fractions in various ways will help foster their conceptual fraction sense.
9-12
In this lesson, students use uncooked spaghetti to transfer lengths from the unit circle to a function graph on large butcher paper. In the process, they discover the key features of sine and cosine graphs. The activity is presented for students working in degrees, but another version of the handouts is provided for students working in radians.
6-8
In this lesson, students explore linear equations with manipulatives
and discover various steps used in solving equation problems. Students
use blocks and counters as tactile representations to help them solve
for unknown values of
x.
6-8
Darts is a popular game in which players throw 3 darts, one at a time, aiming for a target. Different regions of the board give different points. In this lesson, students learn how to change the scale of an object, and how to measure and draw angles using a protractor. By the end of the lesson, students have created their own dartboard. The dartboard can later serve to emphasize properties of angles and angle pairs. This activity is a good one to do prior to a lesson in which students construct circle graphs. The practice they will get in this lesson drawing circles and measuring angles will help them in their quest to more accurately create circle graphs.
6-8
Tile floors are common in many homes and businesses. They are durable, beautiful, and can add value to the home or business but they can also be costly. In this lesson, students will create and estimate the cost of a tile floor design using geometric shapes, ratios, proportions, and percents. All cost estimates are based on the purchase of full boxes of tiles so students have to weigh cost against design considerations. Cost estimates also include labor and taxes for a more realistic estimate of what it costs for a great looking floor.
6-8
Students will conduct five experiments through stations to compare theoretical and experimental probability. The class data will be combined to compare with previously established theoretical probability.
6-8
Student will conduct a coin tossing experiment for 30 trials. Their results will be graphed and shows a line graph that progresses toward the theoretical probability. The graph will also allow for a representation of heads or tails throughout the experiment.
6-8
In this lesson, students will use formulas they have explored for the volume of a cylinder and convert them into the same volume for rectangular prisms while trying to minimize the surface area. Various real world cylindrical objects will be measured and converted into a prism to hold the same volume. As an extension, students may design and create a rectangular prism container according to their dimensions to compare and contrast with the cylinder.
9-12
Students explore and discover conic sections by cutting a cone with a plane. Circles, ellipses, parabolas, and hyperbolas are examined using the Conic Section Explorer tool. Physical manipulatives such as dough can optionally be used as well.
6-8, 9-12
In this lesson, students use polydrons to create nets of rectangular prisms. They discover that there are many configurations for rectangular prisms with the same volume, and determine that certain configurations minimize surface area. The lesson continues in a discovery activity related to building the most cost-efficient and appealing fish tank.