Nathan’s Hot Dog eating contest will return this year

No Joke ... the MLE (Major League Eating) is a World organization that oversees speed eating contests.  Entrants to the various competitions must be members of the MLE in order to compete. One annual event on Coney Island, NY is very well known. Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest has been held each July 4th since 1972.

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What do you wonder about this event?

What questions do you have from looking at the historical data?

How have the records changed?  Why do you think that is so?

How many hot dogs can a human possibly eat in 10 minutes?

 

The activity: hot-dog-eating.pdf

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Memorial Day 2021

This Monday, Americans will celebrate Memorial Day.  Who are we honoring?  How did the holiday come about?  Isn't Memorial Day usually on May 30th?

Students learn a little about the history of the holiday, analyze the possibilities and patterns for when it is celebrated and make observations about the incredible numbers of deaths that have been caused by war. While trying to make observations about the numbers, they can't help but appreciate the terrible cost of war and the gift that those that serve in the military have given to us and to our country.

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Tree for Springtime

Here in the Northeast, flowers are blooming and trees are leafing out.

We thought the creation of a tree that grows before your eyes might be akin to what is going on all around us.

What do you see that is happening as this tree grows?

How do you think that we made this picture?

Would you like to try to create a picture like this one?

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Can I get your order right?

Updated!

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You can order a ton of combos at Chipotle.  They advertise that there are 65,000 ways to order their meals.  Do you think that is correct?

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Shooting for Three

Updated!  The NBA court has a 3-point line that separates how many points a player will earn for his team by making a basket from outside of that line. Teams have been shooting more and more three's, but should they be and why?

Are all three point shots equal?  Is the three point shot worth it?  In this activity students read graphs, find distances using either scale or the distance formula, and work with probability and expected value.  Students might also do some reasoning with arcs of circles.  Please note - as students find the distance of the three point line from the rim, they should use the center of the rim. 

Start your class off with this this video of some amazing 3-pointers: Great 3-pointers video

The activity: ForThree2021.pdf

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AQI – Air Quality Index

The AQI is a measurement of how much particulate matter, dangerous ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide there is in the world's atmosphere at any one time and place.

This World Map of AQI readings is a fascinating way to look at world areas and consider what needs to be changed.

Students learn about the scale of the AQI and research some of the contributors for many unhealthy locations.

The activity:  AirQuality2021.pdf

CCSS: 5.MD, HSS.ID

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