9-12
Sea gulls and crows feed on various types of mollusks by lifting them
into the air and dropping them onto a rock to break open their shells.
Biologists have observed that northwestern crows consistently drop a
type of mollusk called a whelk from a mean height of about 5 meters.
The crows appear to be selective; they pick up only large-sized whelks.
They are also persistent. For instance, one crow was observed to drop a
single whelk 20 times. Scientists have suggested that this behavior is
an example of decision-making in optimal foraging.
9-12
As you review student work in this unit, it is important to remember
the mathematical objectives/expectations of this Unit Plan that are
stated in
Principles and Standards for School Mathematics.
6-8
In this lesson, students will compare the price of a toll to the distance traveled. Students will investigate data numerically and graphically to determine the per-mile charge, and they will predict the cost if a new tollbooth were added along the route.
3-5, 6-8
Students will play
Sticks and Stones, a game based on the Apache
game "Throw Sticks," which was played at multi-nation celebrations.
Students will collect data, investigate the likelihood of various
moves, and use basic ideas of expected value to determine the average
number of turns needed to win a game.
6-8
In the following lessons of this unit, students will have an opportunity to fully explore the patterns that result from the Paper Pool game. In this lesson, however, students will only spend time learning the rules, playing the game, and collecting data.
6-8
Students will continue their investigation of the Paper Pool game by exploring more tables and organizing the results. Using the data that they collect, they will attempt to find a relationship between the size of the table, the number of hits that occur, and the pocket in which the ball lands.
6-8
In the first four lessons of this unit, students investigated the Paper Pool game, collected data, identified patterns, and made predictions about the number of hits, the pocket in which the ball lands, and the path of travel. In this lesson, students finalize their work and write a report that summarizes all of their findings.
6-8
In this lesson, students continue their investigation by discovering a rule to predict the pocket in which the ball will land. As an extension, students can also consider the number of squares that a ball crosses while traversing its path.
6-8
Finding a rule for the number of hits is only the first step in exploring the Paper Pool game. Students can gain a deeper understanding of the patterns by considering graphical representations of the results.
6-8, 9-12
The consideration of cord length is very important in a bungee jump—too short, and the jumper doesn’t get much of a thrill; too long, and
ouch! In this lesson, students model a bungee jump using a Barbie
® doll and rubber bands. The distance to which the doll will fall is directly proportional to the number of rubber bands, so this context is used to examine linear functions.
