3-5
This activity involves taking a pulse, collecting and interpreting data, making predictions, and drawing conclusions. Its focus is the collection and analysis of data.
3-5
In this activity, students use the average adult's number of heartbeats per minute to predict how many times the heart would beat during various lengths of time. The students also draw conclusions on the basis of information about the human heart rate and that of other animals.
6-8
This lesson emphasizes the connections between science and mathematics by using a performance, or authentic, assessment format. Students explore applications involving their own heart. This activity involves students in interpreting factual information in a variety of problem-solving situations. Students also create and solve an original problem.
3-5
Students are encouraged to discover all of the possible combinations for outfits consisting of shirts and shorts. Students apply problem-solving skills (including elimination and collection of organized data) to draw their conclusions.
This lesson plan is also available in Spanish.
3-5
Students are encouraged to discover all the combinations for ice cream cones. They use problem-solving skills (including elimination and collection of organized data) to draw their conclusions. Students also discuss whether or not order matters mathematically for the given problem.
Pre-K-2
In this lesson for grades 1‑2, students balance pairs of like and
unlike objects by changing distance from the fulcrum. Students use a
crayon (as the fulcrum) and a ruler to represent the balance.
3-5
In this lesson for grades 3‑5, students participate in activities in
which they focus on patterns and relations that can be developed from
the exploration of balance, mass, length of the mass arm, and the
position of the fulcrum. The focus of this lesson is determining the
position necessary to balance uneven objects and the effect on balance
of moving the fulcrum.
6-8
In this lesson for grades 6‑8, students participate in activities in
which they focus on patterns and relations that can be developed from
the exploration of balance, mass, length of the mass arm, and the
position of the fulcrum. The focus of this lesson is the relationship
between the length of the arm and the mass of the objects.
Pre-K-2
In this lesson, students participate in activities to develop concepts of measurement and statistics. Students are asked to measure distances using non-standard units and to record their measurement in a bar graph. Then they are asked to make comparisons using the bar graph.
6-8
Using the story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calveras County" by Mark Twain, students simulate a jumping-frog contest and determine the distances "jumped." The students record the distance of individual jumps in centimeters and determine the total distance jumped (the sum of the three separate jumps) and the official distance (the straight-line distance from the starting line to the end of the frog's third jump). The students compare the range and median of the total distances with those of the official distances of the group.
