Wile E. Coyote - Modeling with Quadratic Functions (Writing project)

This is a creative writing project (dealing with Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner) dealing with modeling falling bodies with quadratics and solving quadratic equations. An optional aspect is to have students estimate the instantaneous rate of change.

Capture-Recapture

Imagine that a city employee is given the task of counting the number of fish in a city pond in a park. The “capture-recapture” method may be used to approximate the number of fish in the pond. The employee could capture a number of fish, say 20, and tag them and release them back into the pond. Waiting until the fish have a chance to become mixed with the other fish in the pond, the employee can capture more fish. If the number of fish captured is 25 and 4 of them are tagged, we can use proportional reasoning to estimate the number of fish in the pond.

Creating an Exponential Model - The Salary Problem

This video is a short demonstration of how a constant percent change can be represented using an exponential function. The context is an individual is given a salary and gets a 5% annual raise.

Exploring the Function Definition and Notation

This worksheet will allow students to explore the function topic by answering questions about the definition, working with the notation, finding domain and range and performing some basic compositions.

Modeling with Exponential Functions

A worksheet involving exponential modeling.

Growth Factors

This short video describes where a growth factor comes from and how to use it for a percent increase.

Problem Solving Template

Problem solving template used in my classroom. In PDF and Word formats. Created by members of Cohort 1 in Collaboration with Dr. Vicich.

System of Inequalities

Students create a system of inequalities given certain real-life conditions and then find solutions of their system that would fit their scenario.

Quadratic - Fence Problem

This is an activity designed to introduce a lot of concepts tied to quadratic functions. A piece of advice, make sure each group uses TWO pieces of pipe cleaners.

To Rent or Not to Rent....

An real world intro activity to solving systems of equations using a graph.

Explorations with Unit Rates, Slope, Equations of a Line and an Intro to Systems of Equations

Handouts to walk students through exploring unit rates, slope, equation of a line, x and y intercepts and an intro to systems of equations.

Transforming a Sine Function

This applet allows the user to transform the coefficients of a sine function and see how it changes the resulting graph.

Definite Integral using Substitution

Inside Mathematics Educator Resource Site

Inside Mathematics is a professional resource for educators passionate about improving students' mathematics learning and performance. This site features classroom examples of innovative teaching methods and insights into student learning, tools for mathematics instruction that teachers can use immediately, and video tours of the ideas and materials on the site.

Mathematics Vision Project Website

MVP provides curricular materials aligned with the Common Core State Standards for secondary mathematics. These items are free to download and remix.

Average Athletics

One of the measures of central tendency is the mean/average. Many do not know much about the average other than it is calculated by "adding up all of the numbers and dividing by the number of numbers". This activity is designed to help students get a conceptual understanding of what an average is and not just how to calculate a numerical value.

SRS vs. Convenience Sample in the Gettysburg Address

Students have an interesting view of what a random sample looks like. They often feel that just closing their eyes and picking “haphazardly” will be enough to achieve randomness. This lesson should remove this misconception. Students will be allowed to pick words with their personal definition of random and then forced to pick a true simple random sample and compare the results.

Roll a Distribution

The purpose of this lesson is to allow the students to discover that data collected in seemingly similar settings will yield distributions that are shaped differently. Students will roll a single die 30 times counting the number of face up spots on the die and recording the result each time as a histogram or a histogram. Students will be asked to describe the shape of the distribution. Combining work with several students will yield more consistent results.

Who’s the Best Home Run Hitter of All time?

This lesson requires students to use side-by-side box plots to make a claim as to who is the "best home run hitter of all time" for major league baseball.

Why do we need MAD?

Students will wonder why we need to have a value that describes the spread of the data beyond the range. If we give them three sets of data that have the same mean, median, and range and yet are clearly differently shaped then perhaps they will see that the MAD has some use.

The Forest Problem

Students want to know why they would ever use a sampling method other than a simple random sample. This lesson visually illustrates the effect of using a simple random sample (SRS) vs. a stratified random sample. Students will create a SRS from a population of apple trees and use the mean of the SRS to estimate the mean yield of the trees. Students will then create a stratified random sample from the same population to again estimate the yield of the trees. The use of the stratified random sample is to control for a known source of variation in the yield of the crop, a nearby forest.

Sampling Reese’s Pieces

This activity uses simulation to help students understand sampling variability and reason about whether a particular sample result is unusual, given a particular hypothesis. By using first candies, a web applet, then a calculator, and varying sample size, students learn that larger samples give more stable and better estimates of a population parameter and develop an appreciation for factors affecting sampling variability.

Valentine Marbles

For this task, Minitab software was used to generate 100 random samples of size 16 from a population where the probability of obtaining a success in one draw is 33.6% (Bernoulli). Given that multiple samples of the same size have been generated, students should note that there can be quite a bit of variability among the estimates from random samples and that on average, the center of the distribution of such estimates is at the actual population value and most of the estimates themselves tend to cluster around the actual population value. Although formal inference is not covered in Grade 7 standards, students may develop a sense that the results of the 100 simulations tell them what sample proportions would be expected for a sample of size 16 from a population with about successes.

A Bug's Life - Estimating Area of Irregular Polygons

This is a creative writing project that includes a rubric for scoring student's work. It works well as a team project. The focus of the project is on solving a contextual problems involving area of a two-dimensional object composed of triangles, quadrilaterals, and polygons.

Flintstone's Writing Project - Sampling

This writing project was written as a letter from Fred Flintstone to the students asking for their advice on proper sampling techniques that requires their mathematical “expertise”. This clearly defines the target audience for the paper and gives the students an idea of the mathematical background that they should assume of the reader. The plot lines in the project is a little bit goofy, although not imprecise, which helps relax the students and gives them the opportunity to be creative when writing their papers.

Powers of Ten - Number Sense

Students (and adults) have a difficult time trying to grasp very large (and very small) numbers. This activity uses an interesting context (astronomical objects0 to stimulate their interest in modeling enormous distances in a way that can help them understand relative distances. Students naturally arrive at the need for a different kind of number scale than linear and arrive at a "power of ten" (logarithmic) scale. The lesson includes an extension for advanced students ready to begin to investigate logarithms.

Proportional Relationships of Triangles - An Activity

This is a two-part activity and will most likely take two 50 - 55 minute class periods – one day per part. Part I (Day one) is a hands-on activity that allows students to work together on computers to discover the proportional relationship between a pair of similar right triangles. Ideally, you will have a class set of computers or a computer lab you could use for this lesson. If you don't have access to these resources you can run a demonstration on one computer and project it for the class and have students come up to manipulate the triangles.

Directed Distance - An Introduction to "Graph"

This annotated lesson can be used to introduce directed distance and the concept of graph. It can be used as the very first experience students have with graphs, as a review, and/or as an introduction to “circular” coordinates (you can choose to never refer to them as polar coordinates). It is highly interactive and connects the concepts of “new” graphing systems to rectangular coordinates. Initially, there is a brief history given and review of the Cartesian rectangular coordinate system.

Sugar Packets - Dan Meyer Three Act Task

The question is simple: How many sugar packets are in a soda bottle? The lesson hooks students immediately with the initial video clip of a man sitting in a restaurant downing packets of sugar one-after-another! The mathematics involved is proportional reasoning.

Number Systems - Place Value

Exploring different number bases may not only help you if you are needing in some particular application (like computers or electronics), but also in helping you make sense of the number system with which you are most familiar – the base 10 number system.

25 billion apps - Dan Meyer Three Act Task

The question is simple: When should you start bombarding the App Store with purchases if you want to win a $10,000 App Store Gift card? The lesson hooks students immediately with the initial video clip of a “live” counter of current downloads showing the number approaching 25,000,000,000. The mathematics deals with modeling a linear relationship between two quantities

Preheating the Oven

Students use rate of change ideas to predict how long it will take for an oven to preheat to 400 degrees. The youtube video may be used to bring drama to the lesson! A link to the video is here and also in the documents. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2ooIWFAcII&list=UUiPlxONW80Z8rGpu3lSLwjg

How Big or How Little?

This activity is designed to have students think about what it means to “keep it in proportion” – a very common phrase, but what does it mean?

Rule Time: Salute to Speed

You will need these video clips: Part 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XLkMx58Mb8 Part 2 (after the problem situation is resolved) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ28I3TLcRI Outtakes if you want - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObBiRjepgxA

Survivor - Mathematics!

Students will apply their understanding of linear and quadratic functions to solve a Survivor challenge!

Rule Time: Salute to Brakes

This project involves a movie that was written by, directed by, and starring Scott Adamson and Trey Cox. The focus of the project is making sense of the idea of quadratic functions from a rate of change perspective. First, watch Part 1 with your class. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2huVGJXnH8 Then watch Part 2 after the problem has been resolved. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KStlLsmURcw

Rule Time: Salute to Sports!

The purpose of this module is to help students learn important applied mathematical concepts regarding exponential and logistic functions. Students will also learn how to graph and interpret exponential (and logistic, if desired) functions. The unique element of this lesson is the use of video to generate interest in the students and motivate the content through interactive technology, humor, and cooperative learning. Students are encouraged to work together and help each other “make sense” of the activities. You will need these video clips: Part 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUavijWEwaQ Part 2 (after the problem situation is resolved) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfGj7Ik7Zao

Dimensional Analysis: Using the Idea of Identity Multiplication

Reflecting over my years of teaching, I have found that students are challenged by what would seem to be an easy question – “How do we convert from one unit of measure to another?” When confronted with this type of question, I have come to recognize that many students fall back on relying on a procedure that they try to recall.

Adding Integers

This is a series of lessons focused on: Making Zero (Sea of Zeros idea) Adding integers using chips and a checking account analogy It contains three activities and homework: Part 1 - Making Zero Part 2 - Adding integers with the Chip Model Part 3 - Adding inetgers with the Checking Account Analogy Homework To see a related video, go to: http://vimeo.com/71450580

Subtracting Integers

This is a series of lessons fouced on Making sense of integer subtraction using number lines, patterns, and the chip model It contains two activities and homework Part 1 - Number lines and Patterns Part 2 - Chip Model Homework To see a related video, go to: http://vimeo.com/71450580

Yellow Starburst - Dan Meyer Three Act Task

This lesson is designed to introduce students to probability using Dan Meyer's three-act-task, Yellow Starburst. After viewing a brief introductory video clip, students are asked to determine how many Starburst packs have exactly one yellow Starburst and how many packs will have exactly two yellow Starbursts.

Number Sense: Getting a Feel for "BIG" numbers

Good number sense is fundamental for success in estimation, approximation, and problem solving. We need to develop a sense of large numbers because newspaper and television news reports contain many references to large quantities. This activity has students working with large numbers to understand their relative magnitudes.

What does division mean and how do you do it?

This activity focuses on the idea of divsion and challenges students to make sense of what division means and helps students to make sense of the traditional algorithm of "long division."

Rational Number Project - Initial Fraction Ideas

This is a series of lessons from the Rational Number Project (http://www.cehd.umn.edu/ci/rationalnumberproject/default.html) including teacher notes, activities ready to be copied. The Rational Number Project (RNP) is a cooperative research and development project funded by the National Science Foundation. Project personnel have been investigating children’s learning of fractions, ratios, decimals and proportionality since 1979. This book of fraction lessons is the product of several years of working with children in classrooms as we tried to understand how to organize instruction so students develop a deep, conceptual understanding of fractions. You may pick and choose the lessons that you would like to try and do not need to complete them all in order.

Fraction Operations and Initial Decimal Ideas

This is a series of lessons from the Rational Number Project (http://www.cehd.umn.edu/ci/rationalnumberproject/rnp2.html) including teacher notes, activities ready to be copied. The Rational Number Project (RNP) is a cooperative research and development project funded by the National Science Foundation. Project personnel have been investigating children’s learning of fractions, ratios, decimals and proportionality since 1979. This book of fraction lessons is the product of several years of working with children in classrooms as we tried to understand how to organize instruction so students develop a deep, conceptual understanding of fractions. You may pick and choose the lessons that you would like to try and do not need to complete them all in order.

Now THAT'S Some Gas Mileage!

This activity involves working with percentages and is connected with the ACCR Standards at the sixth and seventh grade levels.

Spreading Rumors!

Welcome to Rumor Middle School! News at Rumor Middle School travels quickly! Use the information presented in the problem to determine how many kids will know a rumor an hour and ten minutes after the first person shared it.  Then, find what time it will be when over 4,000 students know the rumor! Stick with it! Use multiple strategies, and be ready to share and defend your work!

Pythagorean Theorem Investigation: It's As Easy As… a, b, c

Oftentimes, the Pythagorean Theorem is taught from the standpoint of, "Here is the formula, let's practice finding the lengths of the sides of triangles!" without helping students understand or develop the relationships between the sides on their own. This activity helps students experience those relationships using multiple approaches, prove why the theorem is true, and practice using it. 

A Motorcycle Transaction

Myles purchases two motorcycles without his mother's permission. She makes him sell them. You will determine if he made a profit or a loss in this buying and selling transaction. Concepts: percent to decimal conversion, finding the percent of a number, and calculating the percent of change.

Thinking About Exponents

The idea of negative exponents and zero as an exponent is a problem that persists with students into a college calculus class. What is, for example, 2-4 and why? This activity is designed to help students to make sense of exponents from a real-world context.  By the way, I plan to follow this up with an extension including rational exponents like 21/2.

Piggy Bank Ca$h!

Meredith has LOTS of one dollar bills in her piggy bank, and she discovers something special when she stacks the bills in piles of 5, 6, and 8 bills. Find a pattern to answer some questions about what will happen if she stacks the bills in piles of 9. 

A Coin Conundrum!

Figure out how many nickels and how many quarters Jamie has if you also know the total value of the coins. Then, take the problem to a whole new level by mixing in several dimes. Now THIS is a real coin conundrum!

An AREA Riddle

Knowing the perimeter of a certain rectangle, see if you can figure out what the area of the rectangle might be. Then, discover what happens to the area when the perimeter of the rectangle doubles...

Fantastic Fruit!

Algebra at its finest! The weights of several different fruits are being compared in this problem. Use the given information to state the weight of various fruits in terms of the other fruit...

Can We SWIM Yet?

The Johnson family is SO excited to go swimming in their new pool! Which of the three hoses should they use to fill it the most quickly? How long will it take to fill if they use all three of the hoses? 

Proving the Pythagorean Theorem with Geogebra

The Pythagorean theorem is one of the most important concepts in all of mathematics. This activity uses Geogebra to help students see why the relationship between the sides of a right triangle are as they are. 

College Success - Comparing Two Populations

In this task, students are able to conjecture about the differences in the two groups from a strictly visual perspective and then support their comparisons with appropriate measures of center and variability. This will reinforce that much can be gleaned simply from visual comparison of appropriate graphs, particularly those of similar scale. Students are also encouraged to consider how certain measurements and observation values from one group compare in the context of the other group. 

Sochi Olympics - Junior High Math Contest

This is the 2013 Chandler-Gilbert Community College Junior High Math Contest Team Project. You may use all or just parts of it as it contains lots of different math topics including: The idea of AVERAGE The idea of AVERAGE SPEED and GRAPHS of LINEAR FUNCTIONS The idea of CREATING and INTERPRETING BOX and WHISKER PLOTS  The idea of SLOPE The idea of ANGLE The idea of PERCENT Look at the project and decide what parts your students are ready to tackle...and HAVE FUN!

Mathematics and Advertising

This activity is from the 2011 CGCC Junior High Math Contest Team Project. You may pick and choose which parts of the project to use or use it all! Percent increase/decrease and Area of circles The Counting Principle Pythagorean Theorem and Ratios

Sunsplash

This is a series of activities from the 2007 CGCC Excellence in Math Junior High Contest Team Project.  You can pick and choose which parts of the project you want to use or do them all! Volume and converting of units Circumference and average speed Understanding average speed Readiing and interpreting line graphs Volume of a cylinder and rates

Solving Systems of Linear Equations

This is a lesson to introduce the idea of solving systems of equations using graphical methods and substitution.  The goal is to help students to make sense of the meaning of the solution to a system and to make sense of what it means to substitute.

Biking to Bernie's

Sampling Techniques - Jelly Blubbers

This activity introduces the Simple Random Sample (SRS) to students, and shows why this process helps to get an unbiased sample statistic. Relying on our perceptions can often be deceiving. In this exercisestudents are asked to determine the average length of a jellyblubber (a hypothetically recently discovered marine species) using a variety of techniques. The student will learn that a Simple Random Sample (SRS) is the most accurate method of determining this parameter, and that intuition can be deceptive. 

Division of Fractions

This is a series of 4 activities designed to help students to focus on the idea of division from a proportional reasoning perspective.

Geometric Sequences

This lesson utilizes the softward Smart Notebook to introduce students to geometric sequences and related vocabulary, as well as how to find the nth term of a geometric sequence. Several practice problems are included.

Fractions and Free Throws

Do we always add fractions by first finding a common denominator, etc.? Or, could it make sense to add two fractions by adding the numerators and denominators? This activity explores these questions.

Nana's Lemonade - Dan Meyer Three Act Task

In a brief video, students are confronted with the situation of a person squeezing a lemon slice into a small cup of water. Then a "big gulp" cup is placed next to the smaller, lemon filled cup. By asking the question, "How many lemon wedges do you need to add for the same lemony taste?" students will begin to experiment and mathematically determine the answer.

Shooting Hoops! - Dan Meyer Three Act Task

In this lesson, students learn to graph quadratic equations, translate between the vertex, standard, and factored forms, and recognize the impact of changing the parameters of a quadratic equation.

What is my portion of the bill?

Earth Day Math

This powerpoint presentation for Earth Day Mathematics Lesson touches on many mathematical concepts such as volume, estimation, mean (average), measurement, and unit conversion. Students work in cooperative groups to find the approximate volume of rubber that a small business has 'rescued' from a local landfill. Alternate application ideas provided.

Pennies From Heaven

The focus of this activity is to describe the shape of a distribution and to describe the center and spread. Students use data they collect (penny ages) to describe the distribution by its SOCS (Shape, Outlier, Center, Spread). 

2015 Excellence in Mathematics Contest

This is the Team Project from the 2015 Junior High Excellence in Mathematics Contest at Chandler-Gilbert Community College. It involves lots of open ended problems from many mathematical areas: Find the weight of a snowman (geometry, proportional reasoning) Find how long it takes ice to form on a lake (rate of change, awkward units) Questions about the amount of mining done in Northern Minnesota (proportional reasoning, conversions) You can use just one part or all parts depending on the audience and the purpose.

Is Manute, minute?

A powerpoint presentation that can be used to introduce the topic of scatterplots and lines-of-best fit using a fun context. 

Number Systems - Binary, Decimal, and Other systems

Students can struggle mightily with understanding place value as they begin to add and subtract numbers and "carry" and "borrrow". This short activity can be a great way to help students understand the concept of place value.

Sharing Pencils

Sarah and Michelle are working on a class project using colored pencils. Given some information about the number of pencils that Sarah and Michelle had when they started, and how some sharing of pencils has taken place, students must employ proportional reasoning skills to determine how many colored pencils the girls now possess.

Steeper, Faster, Division, and Slope

What does "steeper" mean? What does "faster" mean? And how do these ideas connect to the idea of linear functions? This 3-part series explores these questions and helps students to understand why we divide when computing slope and what proportional correspondence has to do with it all!

Here Fishy, Fishy!

Yolanda and Zachary each have some fish. Zachary gives Yolanda some of his fish, and now he has twice as many fish as she does. Students must utilize given information and apply proportional reasoning skills in order to figure out how many fish Zach gave Yolanda.

Paper-folding - Exponential Growth/Percentage Change

In this activity students are posed a simple question, "How tall will a paper be if it is folded 50 times?" and it is used as a fun way to introduce them to the concepts of growth factors, and percentage change. 

Is the Sine a Circular Function? How about a Star Sine?

Students are often challenged by seeing the conncection between the unit circle and the graph of the sine and cosine functions. This activity is designed to take students out of their comfort zone to experience what the "sine" function would look like if it were based upon other geometric figures. 

Straighten up and Fly Right!

The purpose of this lesson is to allow the students gather data in a fun way and answer a statistical question through analysis of the data.  Students will fly paper airplanes and analyze the data to determine which style of plane flies longer.

Talking Two-Way Tables

When analysis of categorical data is concerned with more than one variable, a two-way table (also known as a contingency table) can be used. These tables provide a foundation for statistical inference, where statistical tests question the relationship between the variables based on the data observed. This activity begins to explore statistical inference and testing. 

Titanic - Two Way Tables

Two way tables help us in so many ways...association and probability are just two! This PP is classroom ready to use with your 8th grade or high school students. 

Titanic & Two-Way Tables (Illustrative Mathematics)

This is the first task in the series of three, which ask related questions, but use different levels of scaffolding. Also, the third task uses a more detailed version of the data table. The emphasis is on developing their understanding of conditional probability.

Histograms vs. Bar Graphs

Using data from the Internet, students summarize information about party affiliation and ages at inauguration of Presidents of the United States in frequency tables and graphs.  This leads to a discussion about categorical data (party affiliations) vs. numerical data (inauguration ages) and histograms vs bar graphs. This activity is from NCTM Illuminations at http://illuminations.nctm.org/Lesson.aspx?id=2983

Creating a Collaborative Classroom Culture: Team Building Activities

A website with many team building activites to assist in building a collaborative classroom culture. Go to: https://getrealmath.wordpress.com/team-building-activities/ and download as many as you want! 

Creating a box plot on the TI 84 Calculator

Steps for entering data into lists and creating a box (box and whisker) plot. 

Creating a Histogram using the TI 83/84 calculator

The steps to creating a histogram on the TI calculator. 

Coin Counting - Dan Meyer Three Act-Task

Systems of equations can be a difficult concept for students to understand. This activity is a useful tool for introducing the concept in a concrete way that will help them make sense of the ideas and procedures for solving a system of linear equations. 

Shipping Routes - Dan Meyer Three Act Task

The questions are simple: As two ships leave port at the same time but at different speeds, we wonder if they will ever meet again? And if so, how long will that take? The lesson hooks students immediately with the initial video clip of two simulated ships leaving port and separating from one another as they travel at slower rates. 

Wile E. Coyote - Modeling with Trigonometric Functions (Writing project)

This project requires students to mathematically model the design of a roller coaster using a sinusoidal function to estimate the total cost of construction.   *If an instructor would like a student solution just contact one of the authors. 

Cal Clulus: In Pursuit of Justice!

This project involves a movie that was written by, directed by, and starring Dr. Scott Adamson and Dr. Trey Cox. The focus of the project is making sense out of average rate of change, instantaneous rate of change, and the Mean Value Theorem. Watch this clip first with your class before doing the activity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBRwU9ubYQo After doing the activity, view the 2nd part of the video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqy3VivFs9Y

Derivative of Trigonometric Functions

This is a project designed for a Calculus 1 course.

Oscar the Grouch and His New Home

This is a Calculus III project focused on Lagrange multipliers and constrained optimization.

How Many Houses?

Carpenters and apprentices are busy building houses... Students are asked to answer four questions regarding the relationships between the number of workers and how many houses can be built during a specific number of days.

A Pool Design Pattern

A pool desinger has lost his plans for some large, rectangular pools. He needs your help to sketch the next two pools in the pattern, and to develop a rule to determine how many tiles he'll need to create a visual model of the designs.

Two Pails

This problem will challenge you to think about how to acquire 5 gallons of water if the only tools that you have are a 3 gallon pail and a 7 gallon pail. A great logic problem!

Find the Fraction!

Students will certainly need to persevere while applying their prior knowledge about variables, expressions, and equations to solve the fraction problem posed in this activity!

How Many Chickens?

Farmer Frank raises chickens and pigs. Students are asked to use specific given information to determine how many of Farmer Frank's animals are chickens. This problem will require students to persevere as they apply prior knowledge of fractions, ratios, and percents to algebra concepts such as solving a system of equations.

Is Ellen Correct?

This clip was edited for middle school students: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeOLW-NqQt4

Covariation and the Finger Tool

The intended sequence is: Sprinter Skateboarder Bungee Jumper Jump start the car

Broomsticks - Multiplicative Reasoning

This is the broomsticks activity created by Ted Coe.

Linear Function Model - Blood Alcohol Content

This is the PowerPoint version of the activity related to developing a linear function model for the context of BAC.

Quadratic Function Models - Fuel Efficiency Context

A PowerPoint presentation associated with the context of fuel efficiency as related to speed in miles per gallon. The intent of the task is for students to articulate the meaning of the parameters (coefficients) of a quadratic function model.

Theoretical vs Empirical Probability-Dice Activity

M & M Variablility

NEW and IMPROVED Division of Fractions

A NEW and IMROVED division of fractions activity designed to develop the...do I have to say it..."Keep Change Flip"...algorithm.  Includes student pages, teacher pages (with answers and description of the intended thinking) and a Smartpen pencast where I provide an overview/example of the intended thinking. Note that the pencast document comes in the form of a PDF - check out this for details as you need a PDF reader like Adobe Acrobat X in order to view the pencast. -http://www.livescribe.com/en-us/faq/online_help/Maps/Connect_Desktop/c_viewing-and-playing-a-pencast-pdf.html

Motivating Function Notation

Pat Thompson, ASU Mathematics Educator, wrote an article titled "Why use f(x) when all we really mean is y?” (see below for a link to the article). This activity is designed to help motivate a need for function notation and uses desmos.com as a tool. http://pat-thompson.net/PDFversions/2013WhyF(x).pdf

California Adventures- Central Tendency and Variation

Multiplying Improper Fractions

Instructional videos for multiplying mixed numbers/improper fractions. The intent is NOT to share the most efficient, compact way to multiply. The point is to make sense of multiplication. Part 1 - multiplying two digit whole numbers in context. Part 2 - multipying mixed numbers using the idea from Part 1

Tree Diagrams and Compound Probabilities

Goal: The goal of this activity is for students to understand how to find probabilities of compound events by drawing tree diagrams and listing out sample spaces. Depending on the grade level, with or without replacement events can also be used and illustrated. Materials Needed: Each person in the group will need a copy of the worksheet.

Central Tendency and Measures of Dispersion

Goal: The goal of this activity is to allow students the ability to practice data collection and find measures of central tendency and dispersion. Wrap up questions will also allow for an insight into how each of these calculations are related to one another. Materials needed: 12 small bags of M & M’s (they can be the fun size or regular packs), calculator and the M & M worksheet and answer sheet.

Ice Cream and Temperature-Correlation Activity

Goal: The goal of this activity is for students to graph the data on a scatterplot and discuss the relationship they see between ice cream and temperature. 

Outlier Activity

Goal: The goal of this activity is for students to interpret measures of central tendency when an outlier is present. They will also be able to identify which value is an outlier and create a boxplot as well.

Inferences about two populations

Goal: The goal of this activity is for students to compare to samples from two different populations. They will make inferences based on what they find from their dot plot.

Contingency Table Activity

Goal: The goal of this activity is to read a table and gather data from it and use it to create a contingency table. Students will then be asked a series of questions discussing what they see when they create a contingency table and what are some of the benefits with using one.

Understanding probability using a deck of cards

This activity is to familiarize your students with a standard deck of cards. Have your students get into groups of 2 or 3 and walk them through the beginning part. You can chose to have your students simplify each probability as a fraction or round to the thousandths place. Hopefully the students will see that all of the probabilities they find will always be between 0 and 1 inclusive.

AN algorithm for subtraction

A 2nd grade student shared an algorithm for subtraction that was learned at home. This provides a great opportunity to make sense of mathematics! With a focus on place value, the algorithm can be made sense of by our students.  The PDF Pencast simply explains the algorithm...share it in class and use it as a context to make sense of math, develop number sense, focus on place value. NOTE: Adobe Reader DC (or equivalent) is needed to view the "video" aspect of this pencast PDF.

Creating a Probability Model

Goal: The goal of this activity is for students to grasp the understanding of how to put together a probability model for the rolling of a single die and also the sum of the rolls of two dice.

Estimating the Mean

Goal: The goal of this activity is for students to randomly draw words from an excerpt to estimate the mean length word count of the entire document. 

Creating a histogram using temperatures

Goal: The goal of the current activity is to have students read data from a map of the U.S., create a frequency table, answer questions and create a frequency histrogram.

Area of a house

Goal: The goal of this activity is for students to find the area of a house floor plan. They will need to use their knowledge of rectangles to identify the missing side lengths to find the correct area. This also allows students to see how area is used in a real-life application.

Scatter Plot Activity

Goal: The goal of this activity is for students to see different types of correlation and recognize the patterns associated with each type of correlation. They will then have to create their own scatter plot based on directions given.

Is a Super Ball REALLY Super?

Is a Super Ball REALLY "super?"  This activity allows students to collect data and to make an argument regarding this quetions. See the PowerPoint for details about the activity... Note: It is best to gain access to an authentic, Wham-O Super Ball made with Zectron! https://www.amazon.com/orginal-super-ball-wtih-zectron/dp/B0001ZN49I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1513808409&sr=8-2&keywords=whamo+super+ball

Cat food and Recycling

Knee surgery & Muscle weakness

Tesla Roadster Loan

Tesla Roadster Trip

Developing and Solving Equations Unit

Equations and Expressions Module

Ratios & Proportions Unit