Use our present need for cleanliness to engage your students. Does it really matter whether you kill 99.9% of the bacteria or 99.999% of the germs? In this activity, we’ve asked students to consider whether these claims about these two…
Bake it, deep fry it or barbecue it? When do I have to wake up to begin preparations? How long will the cooking take? How much will it cost? How many can I feed?
Updated! Why should students do well in school, graduate high school, or go on to college? In this activity median earnings by various education levels are explored. Students compare the earnings of a non-high school grad with workers who graduated…
As we get ready for next week’s holiday, students can study a map of the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, describe, measure and hypothesize why this route was chosen and then calculate how long each band will be marching…
Updated for 2019! In 2017 Russel Westbrook had one of the most dominating seasons ever, averaging a trip!e double per game. James Harden lit up the league in 2018 and is considered the favorite for MVP. Or what about Stephen…
We’ve found that some students believe that the approximation that their calculators show for irrational numbers is exact. Here’s an activity that you can advertise as long multiplication review. After they study our calculations have a discussion just to clarify…
In Massachusetts, Monday April 15th, 2019, will be a holiday from school and work. We celebrate Patriots’ Day on the 3rd Monday in April to commemorate the beginning of the Revolutionary War and the battles of Lexington and Concord. Students…
One of my favorite foods is a burrito. One of my favorite places to get a burrito is Chipotle. Their food is delicious and environmentally friendly. For Halloween 2016, Chipotle ran a promotion and charity drive. Chipotle offered $3 burritos…
Updated for 2021! Gymnasts have just successfully competed in St Louis, Missouri for positions on the USA Olympic team. As you watch their performances don’t you wonder how their scores are determined and what the top score could be? (It’s not a…
Monday, April 15, 2019 Patriot’s Day, is the next running of the Boston Marathon. What do you know about marathons? What do you know about the Boston Marathon? How long do you think the marathon is? Make your best guess.…
Otha Anders used picking up pennies as a way to remember to pray. In this 3-act activity we try to estimate how much he actually collected and stored in 5 gallon water jugs. Kick off the activity with the article with…
Act One: Clemson Football Head Coach, Dabo Swinney, offered an amazing “poll party” with pizza for everyone if Clemson makes the College Football Playoffs in the last poll of the season. See the written news story here. See the news video clip…
What additional information would you like to know? Record your data from your investigation … either from your own research or from what your teacher can supply. Use all the information that you have gathered to determine which banana deal is…
Updated for 2017! American Pharaoh was the first horse to win not only the Triple Crown but also the Breeder’s Cup race = Grand Slam! Never done before. Involve your students in this soon-to-be event while reviewing fractions, calculating miles…
In 1950, one gallon of gasoline costs $0.27. Today the prices are going down but are they as low as they were in 1950? Or could $0.27 buy more in 1950? In this activity we begin to understand the relative…