3-5
Students measure distances using standard and nonstandard units and record their measurement in various tables. Then use descriptive statistics to report the results. In this lesson, students play a game in which they pitch cards and measure the distances traveled.
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.
3-5
Students determine the amount of each ingredient needed to make brownies, and then they figure out how to divide the brownies evenly among their classmates. This lesson helps students reinforce their measurement skills in a practical situation.
3-5
In this lesson, students read the book
Counting on Frank. They
use information in the book to make estimates involving volume. In
particular, students explore the size of humpback whales.
3-5
In this activity students collect height data and then construct a
box‑and‑whisker plot to display the results. The activity sheet
presents a sequence for setting up a box‑and‑whisker plot.
3-5
In this lesson, students explore how variations in solar collectors
affect the energy absorbed. They make rectangular prisms that have the
same volume but different linear dimensions. Students investigate
relationships among the linear dimensions, the area, and the volume of
rectangular prisms.
3-5
In these activities, students look at attributes that vary from coaster to coaster, attributes that make each scream machine uniquely thrilling. Students use a Web site to view photos of roller coasters from around the country. Based on the pictures, students predict which coaster is faster, which is higher, which goes farther, and which takes longer. They look up data on another Web site to check their predictions. Finally, students evaluate their estimates of speed, height, etc., to see whether their estimation skills improve with experience.
3-5
Students participate in an activity in which they develop number sense in and around the shopping mall. They develop their skills in determining percents and estimating area.
3-5
Students compare the amount of water they use in daily life with the
amount allotted for each person each day on a Space Shuttle. Within
this context, students estimate and measure the weight of, and amount
of space occupied by, a gallon of water. They collect, organize, graph,
analyze, and interpret data from their investigations. The activities
in this lesson are designed to span 2‑3 class periods.
3-5
In the second lesson of this unit, students pose and refine questions that can be addressed with numerical data. They consider aspects of data collection such as how to obtain measurements and record the data they collect. They represent and analyze the ordered numerical data by describing the shape and important features of a set of data and compare related data sets, with an emphasis on how the data are distributed. In collecting data, students measure with standard units and carry out simple unit conversions, such as from centimeters to meters or feet to inches.
