9-12
Interactive computer-based tools provide students with the opportunity
to easily investigate the relationship between a set of data points and a
curve used to fit the data points. As students work with bivariate data
in grades 9-12, they will be able to investigate relationships between
the variables using. Using interactive tools like the one below,
students can investigate the properties of regression lines and
correlation.
Pre-K-2
This activity provides opportunities for creative problem solving while
encouraging young students to estimate length and angle measure. Using
the Turtle Pond Applet,
students enter a sequence of commands to help the turtle get to the
pond. Children can write their own solutions using LOGO commands and
input them into
the computer. The turtle will then move and leave a trail or path
according to the instructions given.
6-8, 9-12
This lesson invites students to investigate the patterns when a "plus sign" (a cross-shaped arrangement of five squares) is placed on the board in various locations. Students will conjecture about the pattern of the five displayed numbers, the sum of the five numbers, and any other patterns that they notice. Students may also explore similar patterns when other shapes, such as a 2 × 1 rectangle, are placed on the hundreds board.
3-5, 6-8
In this activity for grades 4-6, students attempt to identify the concept of a million by working with smaller numerical units, such as blocks of 10 or 100, and then expanding the idea by multiplication or repeated addition until a million is reached. Additionally, they use critical thinking to analyze situations and to identify mathematical patterns that will enable them to develop the concept of very large numbers.
3-5
Oil spills are in the news. To make real-world connections, this lesson provides hands-on experiences with mixing oil and water, provides surface area information about the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and gives students opportunities to estimate small oil spills of their own making.
3-5, 6-8
Who can build the best boat? In this lesson, students are challenged to create aluminum foil boats that are then tested by filling them with plastic bears until they sink. The lesson serves as a fun, hands-on way to collect data. The data from two attempts is collected and used to make two class box-and-whisker plots with some surprising results.
6-8
In this lesson, students learn how to measure the area of the tire footprint on a car and to find air pressure using a tire gauge. Students then find the weight of the car using their fraction multiplication skills.
9-12
Students sometimes have difficulty using the order of operations when
evaluating expressions. By converting these expressions into binary
expression trees before evaluating them, students gain a better
understanding of the order of operations. In addition, students learn
to represent algebraic expressions using prefix notation, which is
often called "Polish Notation," because of the nationality of its
inventor, Polish logician Jan Łukasiewicz.
6-8, 9-12
An Armstrong number is an
n-digit number that is equal to the sum of the
nth powers of its digits. In this lesson, students will explore Armstrong numbers, identify all Armstrong numbers less than 1000, and investigate a recursive sequence that uses a similar process. Throughout the lesson, students will use spreadsheets or other technology.
6-8
A political map of the United States after the 2000 election is largely red, representing the Republican candidate, George W. Bush. However, the presidential race was nearly tied. Using a grid overlay, students estimate the area of the country that voted for the Republican candidate and the area that voted for the Democratic candidate. Students then compare the areas to the electoral and popular vote election results. Ratios of electoral votes to area are used to make generalizations about the population distribution of the United States.
