3-5, 6-8
Use this tool to strengthen understanding and computation of numerical expressions and equality using a balance scale.
3-5, 6-8
Use this tool to build up to algebraic thinking by exploring how to balance shapes of unknown weight.
6-8
In this lesson,
students learn the definition of like terms and gain practice in identifying
key features to sort and combine them. Most middle school students are adept at
recognizing the nuances of dress and manner that identify groups and cliques
among their peers. This lesson applies the observation and sorting skills that
students already possess to the important task of identifying and combining
like terms. Students will play the game Ker-Splash and derive rules for working
with like terms.
6-8
The lesson is based upon Aesop’s fable,
“The Crow and the Pitcher,” and involves students making predictions and conducting
experiments to determine how many pebbles the crow would need to add to the
pitcher in order to bring the water to drinking height. In the course of the
investigation, students gain a real-world understanding of linear functions and
such concepts as slope,
y-intercept,
domain, and range.
3-5, 6-8
In this lesson, students use their previous knowledge of
multiplication to identify factors and form products. Students will use Illuminations’
Times Table to identify various patterns in a multiplication table. They will then
play the Multiple Factors Game and Times Square to reinforce their
understanding of factors and multiples.
6-8
The
shortest distance between two points is a line. But what is the shortest time
to travel between two points on different terrains? In this lesson, students
will predict, estimate and then calculate the path that results in the fastest
time to travel between two points when different terrains affect the fastest
path. This lesson is designed as an introduction to the Calculation Nation
® game
DiRT Dash and prepares students to apply mathematics to improve their
performance in the game.
6-8
This lesson explores the
concept
of slope through a student-centered problem of data collection and evaluation.
Students guess which of several flights of stairs is steepest, and then use
measures of slope to test their hypothesis.
6-8
Students use their class schedules to create
time-distance graphs by counting the number of walking strides they take from
their lockers and timing themselves as they walk through their class schedules.
They will use their graphs to answer questions about slope,
x- and
y-intercepts, and the meaning of horizontal and vertical lines.
6-8
In Parts I and II of this investigation, students learn about the notion of equivalence in concrete and numerical settings. As students begin to use symbolic representations they use variables as place holders or unknowns. This part of the i-Math investigation illustrates the continued transition from the concrete balance view of equivalence to a more abstract view.
3-5, 6-8
Using the online game Deep Sea Duel, students play a card game against Okta. The objective is to choose cards so that some subset of three cards within their hand has a particular sum. Students will play several variations of the game, attempt to identify a winning strategy, and compare the game to other games that they know.
