1.OA Fact Families with Pictures

This is a task from the Illustrative Mathematics website that is one part of a complete illustration of the standard to which it is aligned. Each task has at least one solution and some commentary that addresses important asects of the task and its potential use. Here are the first few lines of the commentary for this task: Write as many equations for each picture as you can. Use the numbers 4, 1, and 5. Here are some equations for this picture. 4+1=5 \hskip4em 5 = 4+1 5-1...

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Illustrative Mathematics

F-LE.4 Graphene

This is a task from the Illustrative Mathematics website that is one part of a complete illustration of the standard to which it is aligned. Each task has at least one solution and some commentary that addresses important asects of the task and its potential use. Here are the first few lines of the commentary for this task: Graphite is a mineral with many technological uses and it is perhaps most familiar for its use in writing instruments. At the atomic level, it is made ...

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Illustrative Mathematics

8.EE The Intersection of Two Lines

This is a task from the Illustrative Mathematics website that is one part of a complete illustration of the standard to which it is aligned. Each task has at least one solution and some commentary that addresses important asects of the task and its potential use. Here are the first few lines of the commentary for this task: Draw the two lines that intersect only at the point $(1,4)$. One of the lines should pass through the point $(0,-1)$. Write the equation of each of the...

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Illustrative Mathematics

G-SRT Ask the Pilot

This is a task from the Illustrative Mathematics website that is one part of a complete illustration of the standard to which it is aligned. Each task has at least one solution and some commentary that addresses important asects of the task and its potential use. Here are the first few lines of the commentary for this task: In the July 2013 issue of United Airlines' Hemisphere Magazine the following article appeared: Write down an equation that describes Captain Bowers' me...

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Illustrative Mathematics

Ordering 4-Digit Numbers

In this task students must place 4-digit numbers into order from smallest to greatest and greatest to smallest.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Illustrative Mathematics

Surface Tension Lab

Students extend their understanding of surface tension by exploring the real-world engineering problem of deciding what makes a "good" soap bubble. Student teams first measure this property, and then use this measurement to determine the best soap solution for making bubbles. They experiment with additives to their best soap and water "recipes" to increase the strength or longevity of the bubbles. In a math homework, students perform calculations that explain why soap bubbles form spheres.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Chuan-Hua Chen

Games at Recess

While students need to be able to write sentences describing ratio relationships, they also need to see and use the appropriate symbolic notation for ratios. If this is used as a teaching problem, the teacher could ask for the sentences as shown, and then segue into teaching the notation. It is a good idea to ask students to write it both ways (as shown in the solution) at some point as well.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Illustrative Mathematics

6.EE,RP 7.EE,RP Anna in D.C.

This is a task from the Illustrative Mathematics website that is one part of a complete illustration of the standard to which it is aligned. Each task has at least one solution and some commentary that addresses important asects of the task and its potential use. Here are the first few lines of the commentary for this task: Anna enjoys dinner at a restaurant in Washington, D.C., where the sales tax on meals is 10%. She leaves a 15% tip on the price of her meal before the s...

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Illustrative Mathematics

Miles to Kilometers

In this task students are asked to write two expressions from verbal descriptions and determine if they are equivalent. The expressions involve both percent and fractions. This task is most appropriate for a classroom discussion since the statement of the problem has some ambiguity.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Illustrative Mathematics

Let's Find Out About Money

This activity is designed to teach the attributes of each coin (penny, nickel, dime and quarter), including physical characteristics and value.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Here Comes the Hurricane! Saving Lives through Logical Reasoning and Computer Science

Students use a hurricane tracking map to measure the distance from a specific latitude and longitude location of the eye of a hurricane to a city. Then they use the map's scale factor to convert the distance to miles. They also apply the distance formula by creating an x-y coordinate plane on the map. Students are challenged to analyze what data might be used by computer science engineers to write code that generates hurricane tracking models. Then students analyze a MATLAB® computer code that uses the distance formula repetitively to generate a table of data that tracks a hurricane at specific time intervals. Students come to realize that using a computer program to generate the calculations (instead of by hand) is very advantageous for a dynamic situation like tracking storm movements. Their inspection of some MATLAB code helps them understand how it communicates what to do using mathematical formulas, logical instructions and repeated tasks. They also conclude that the example program is too simplistic to really be a useful tool; useful computer model tools must necessarily be much more complex.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Armando Vital, Fritz Claydon, Justin Chang, K. B. Nakshatrala, Rodrigues, Stuart Long

Pingus Penguins: Writing Good Instructions

Students use the free computer game Pingus to learn how engineers, specifically environmental engineers, use their technical writing skills to give instructions and follow the instructions of others. Students learn to write instructions to express their ideas in clear, organized ways using descriptive, un-ambiguous sentences, as an example of one type of technical writing that important for engineers. The students write instructions enumerating how to beat a game level, which represents surveying that level for environmental problems. As a test of their instructions, students review each others' instructions and offer suggestions for improvement, and then revise their instructions to make them better. Students also see some examples of environmental problems.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Lori Rice, Paul Cain

AstroPoetry Writing

An activity combining language and science to encourage students to think about the night sky to help them write a poem related to astronomy.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Christie McMonigal, Astronomers Without Borders

K-Act. 08: Language Arts Writing Experience

In this lesson students will write and illustrate a picture of their favorite food. Their completed product will be a page for a class book.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Fire Science and Technology Model

A fire fighter is an emergency safety professional who responds to fire scenes to extinguish fires and assist fire victims. Many fire fighters are certified first responders, meaning they can assist victims by providing CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and other basic life saving techniques. This course provides students with an introduction in the history of fire fighting, basic firefighting skills, personnel rules and regulations, professional organizations and standards, elementary fire behavior, fire control techniques, firefighting tactics and strategy, fire ground safety and operations, apparatus and equipment operation and maintenance, fire investigation, report writing, wild land training, and physical fitness.

Material Type: Full Course, Lesson Plan

NSI: Nature Scene Investigators

This activity sets an exciting tone of exploration and discovery, encouraging an inquiry mindset in students that helps establish a community of curious, active learners. Students gain tools to explore the natural world—and are inspired to discover and attempt to explain the abundant nature mysteries that surround us. NSI works well at the start of a field experience, to get students excited about nature mysteries. It provides an opportunity for an instructor to coach students in inquiry skills, by using the language of science and engaging in scientific discussions. For instructors with less experience leading open-ended explorations and discussions, this can be a challenging activity to lead successfully the first time. The write-up includes detailed support, by providing information and strategies for the instructor. Students focus on a mystery object, generate observations, questions, evidence-based explanations and share what they already know from other sources. Once students are familiar with these practices, they can use them to investigate and make explanations about anything they find in nature through their field experience(s).

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Writing nuclear equations for alpha, beta, and gamma decay

Writing nuclear equations for alpha, beta, and gamma decay. Created by Jay.

Material Type: Lesson

Author: James Luer

CS In Algebra 1.4: Writing Contracts

Students will work their way through a number of new functions, first using each to solve a problem, and then writing a contract which describes it.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Multipurpose Poetry: Introducing Science Concepts and Increasing Fluency

Creepy crawlers, hoppers, and fliers are the focus of this lesson in which students chorally read poems about insects and use the Internet to locate facts about their assigned insects.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan

Hour of Code 1.1: Write your first computer program

In this lesson, learners of all ages get an introductory experience with coding and computer science in a safe, supportive environment. This lesson has been designed for young learners, ages 4-10, but can be adapted for older learners using the differentiation suggestions provided.

Material Type: Lesson Plan