Illustrative Mathematics
Field Day Scarcity
Introduce young mathematicians to concepts of financial literacy with this open-ended word problem. With seven dollars to spend during field day and given a list of available items and their prices, children must determine how they want...
Illustrative Mathematics
Representing Half of a Circle
Geometric shapes make great visual models for introducing young mathematicians to the concept of fractions. Looking at a series of four circles, young scholars are asked to determine whether or not one half of each circle is shaded. To...
Illustrative Mathematics
“Crossing the Decade” Concentration
Young mathematicians concentrate on learning to fluently count. Following the rules of the classic game Memory, children take turns flipping over cards in order to find pairs of numbers that cross a decade (e.g. 29 and 30). For younger...
Illustrative Mathematics
Counting Circles II
Fill those extra ten minutes of math time with this fun counting activity. Given a short sequence of numbers, young mathematicians stand in a circle and count one-by-one until the last number is reached, at which point the whole group...
Illustrative Mathematics
Comparing Numbers
Young mathematicians spin their way to a deeper number sense with this fun, collaborative activity. Using two spinners, one with the numbers 0-9 and the other with the decades 00-90, pairs of students take turns building and comparing...
Illustrative Mathematics
Making a Clock
Have a fun time teaching children to read analog clocks with this whole-group math activity. Using large sets of the numerals 1-12 and 0, 5, 10...55, the teacher creates a large clock on either the carpet or the white board, explaining...
Illustrative Mathematics
Hundred Chart Digit Game
Math games, especially in the primary grades, provide great opportunities for developing the number sense of young mathematicians. Working in pairs with a deck of single-digit cards, students take turns drawing two cards and reading the...
Curated OER
Music and Sports
With so much talent in the classroom, do your musicians and athletes have related interests? This problem has your learners taking data from their classmates to decide whether there is an association between the two activities. The...
Curated OER
Animal Brains
Do big bodies make big brains? Let your learners decide whether there is an association between body weight and brain weight by putting the data from different animals into a scatterplot. They can remove any outliers and then make a line...
Scholastic
Study Jams! Order Fractions & Decimals
Going from fraction to decimal and decimal to fraction shouldn't be a chore, but an easy step for young mathematicians to do within problems. This interactive lesson shows how long division can change any fraction to a decimal. Started...
Scholastic
Study Jams! Combinations
With so many combinations, this colorful video allows your learners to mathematically figure out how many options they have when purchasing t-shirts. One instructional activity teaches how to find out the combinations, and the second...
Scholastic
Study Jams! Choosing the Correct Graph
With so many types of graphs, don't let your learners get stuck figuring out which one to use. To track how Zoe spent her allowance, use this interactive lesson to review all the types of graphs and pick the best one to display the data....
Scholastic
Study Jams! Measure Length
Mia's pet lizard has grown a lot since he was a baby and she needs help measuring his length now that he's an adult. After choosing the best tool for the job, RJ goes step by step through the measurement process, modeling how to use both...
Scholastic
Study Jams! Proportions
Join Zoe and Sam as they use proportions to budget money for their Green Earth Club. Watch as they set up and solve a series of proportions using cross multiplication and division. A great resource that brings together prior knowledge of...
Scholastic
Study Jams! Rate
Zoe is reading books over vacation and wants to know at her current rate, how many will she finish by the end. Building on prior knowledge of fractions and ratios, young mathematicians learn how equivalent rates are used to answer her...
Scholastic
Study Jams! Place Value
Looking at large numbers can intimidate many young mathematicians. Use Zoe's place value machine to help learners understand the meaning behind each digit in a whole number. After learning about the ones, tens, and hundreds places,...
Scholastic
Study Jams! Estimate Whole Numbers
Expand on prior knowledge of place value to teach your class how to round whole numbers. This essential skill is explained with the help of a number line before introducing the explicit rules for rounding numbers up and down. Work...
Scholastic
Study Jams! Order Whole Numbers
Mia's been practicing for the hundred yard dash and wants to know if she's improving. Help order her race times from greatest to least while learning how to compare numbers using place value. A variety of additional examples are included...
Lorain County Community College
Review of Fractions
Put your mathematicians to the test and see if they can complete this challenging fraction review worksheet. The problems include mixed numbers, one-step equations, and all the operations, some with multiple steps necessary. This...
Illustrative Mathematics
Chicken and Steak, Variation 2
Many organizations put on barbecues in order to make money. In a real-world math problem, the money allotted to purchase steak and chicken at this barbecue is only one hundred dollars. It is up to your potential chefs to figure out how...
Illustrative Mathematics
Who Has the Best Job?
Making money is important to teenagers. It is up to your apprentices to determine how much two wage earners make with their after school jobs. Participants work with a table, an equation, and a graph and compare the two workers to see...
Illustrative Mathematics
Battery Charging
Your class will be very interested in the results of this activity. How long does it take a MP3 and video game player to charge? Sam only has an hour and the MP3 player only has 40% of its battery life left. Plus, his video player...
Illustrative Mathematics
Sore Throats, Variation 2
What does math have to do with a sore throat? When you mix water and salt you have a great review of how to represent proportional relationships by an equation or graph. Here the proportions of the mixtures may be different, but the...
Illustrative Mathematics
Summer Swimming
Here is a real-world application for systems of equations. When is it better to pay an enrollment fee and lower daily rate, and when is it better to pay the regular price? The local swim center is having a special offer, reductions in...