3-5, 6-8
Using data from the Internet, students summarize information about party affiliation and ages at inauguration of Presidents of the United States in frequency tables and graphs. This leads to a discussion about categorical data (party affiliations) vs. numerical data (inauguration ages) and histograms vs bar graphs.
3-5, 6-8
Students hear geometry terminology around them every day. By playing the games in this lesson, students use their knowledge regarding regular and irregular polygons to explore the properties of the shapes and learn new vocabulary when identifying characteristics of shapes.
9-12
In this lesson, students are introduced to basic graph theory and Euler circuits. They stitch paths and circuits to create their own graphs. Students also problem solve as they design a route that creates the same pattern on the front and back of a canvas.
9-12
In this lesson students use sidewalk chalk and rope to illustrate the locus definitions of ellipses and parabolas. Kinesthetics, teamwork, and problem solving are stressed as students take on the role of focus, directrix, and point on the conic, and figure out how to construct the shape.
9-12
In this lesson, students learn Polya's four-step problem solving heuristic and how to use metacognition. They practice these on simple word problems and equations, then apply the techniques to games and more complex problems. The problem solving heuristic can be applied to problems outside of mathematics and used for cross-curricular activities.
9-12
Before there were electronic calculators, there were logarithm tables and slide rules. In this lesson, students make and use slide rules to discover the properties of logarithms. The technique, analogous to number-line addition, reinforces the hierarchy among the operations of addition, multiplication, and exponentiation.
6-8
In this lesson, students develop a deep conceptual understanding between remainders and the decimal part of quotients. They learn how remainders and group size work together to influence the results that are displayed on a calculator. Students use beans to physically represent quotients that have remainders, and they compare remainders written as fractions of whole groups to the results obtained with a calculator.
6-8
Positive and negative numbers become more than marks on paper when students play this variation of the card game, Rummy. Engaged in a game involving both strategy and luck, students build understanding of additive inverses, adding integers, and absolute value.
6-8
What's at the end of the rainbow or, in this case, the ruler? In this
lesson, students find a treasure using directions involving bearing
(angles) and range (length). In the process, they measure angles
from 0° to 360°, use map scales, and measure lengths.
9-12
This lesson allows students to extend their idea of sequences beyond a list of numbers to mathematical objects like intervals by asking them to examine the infinite intersection of these sequences. This lesson works especially well just after students have worked with infinite geometric series. It even contains an unexpected application of geometric sequences and series.
