Constructing Meaningful Math Projects Here are four key attributes I look for when developing math projects: juicy data, interesting conflict, an expert's lens, and a final product.
An Inductive Exploration of Linear Graphs Let's play with linear graphing! First, don't set this up as a direct instruction lesson. That wouldn't be playing. Instead, capitalize on your students' ability to think inductively and recognize patterns. Set up a situation where they can construct their own meaning.
A Math Question That Moves Around on Bloom’s I was aiming for engagement rather than higher-level thinking.
Fizz Buzz – A Divisibility Game Here's a quick to learn but difficult to master math game. Start with some basic divisibility rules, but then feel free to extend it to any math topic.
Prime Number Explorations Students learn about prime numbers early in their careers, but the true, quirky nature of these numbers isn't really explored unless kids go on to become math majors. Here are three fun prime explorations suitable for even young students.
Fixing my “Think Like A Statistician” Frame I used a Depth and Complexity Frame like this with my math students. Let’s look at how we could improve this. Some problems: It asks four unrelated questions. I want to build a sequence of questions that climbs Bloom’s Taxonomy. Most of the questions are naturally answered with “yes” or “no” or a list. Questions […]
Mathematical Curiosities Sometimes you encounter that math student who is simply interested in numbers. Here are some famous (and not so famous) sets of numbers that have curious properties.
Olympic Medal Math Project In the paper, I read about Norway's dominance of the Winter Olympics, despite being a tiny country. I love this juxtaposition of unexpected data! Let's turn it into a math project. Here are some questions I thought of…
Conflict and Quadrilaterals Rather than merely asking "what patterns are there in these quadrilaterals" we'll set up an exploration of conflict and quadrilaterals.
Math Project: Furnish A Hotel Starting with an IKEA catalog, a hotel furnishing math project was born. Use this project as a tool to differentiate your math instruction and impart some practical knowledge on your students.
