6-8
Students learn the basics of the metric system. They identify which units of measurement are used to measure specific objects, and they learn to convert between units within the same system.
6-8
Students experiment with units of liquid measure used in the customary system of measurement. They practice making volume conversions in the customary system.
6-8
Students extend their knowledge of proportions to solving problems dealing with similarity. They measure the heights and shadows of familiar objects and use indirect measurement to find the heights of things that are much bigger in size, such as a flagpole, a school building, or a tree.
6-8
Students use real-world examples to solve problems involving scale as they examine maps of their home states and calculate distances between cities.
6-8
Students will measure the length and width of a rectangle using both standard and non-standard units of measure. In addition to providing measurement practice, this lesson allows students to discover that the ratio of length to width of a rectangle is constant, in spite of the units. For many middle school students, this discovery is surprising.
6-8
Students measure the circumference and diameter of circular objects. They calculate the ratio of circumference to diameter for each object in an attempt to identify the value of pi and the circumference formula.
6-8
Using a circle that has been divided into congruent sectors, students will discover the area formula by using their knowledge of parallelograms. Students will then calculate the area of various flat circular objects that they have brought to school. Finally, students will investigate various strategies for estimating the area of circles.
6-8
In this lesson, students develop the area formula for a triangle. Students find the area of rectangles and squares, and compare them to the areas of triangles derived from the original shape.
6-8
Students will use their knowledge of rectangles to discover the area formula for parallelograms.
6-8
Students discover the area formula for trapezoids, as well as explore alternative methods for calculating the area of a trapezoid.
