Tag: 8.F

What is an atmospheric river (AR)?

Atmospheric Rivers! How are they ranked? Students become familiar with this weather phenomena and learn how they are measured. To more fully understand their power, students compare the strength of an AR to the momentum of a Mack truck using rate conversions.

Before the holidays (16 activities)

We have tons (well, 16) of activities to bring to your class in this last week before the holiday break. Movies, science, art, cooking, economics, weather and the logic of calendars. Enjoy!

Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones

This week Hurricane Fiona caused major damage to Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean, This is the season for increased cyclonic activity around the globe.  How are hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones related? There is a measurement called the Accumulated…

At last, its summer again

How much pee is in this pool? – A Canadian chemist, Xing-Fang Li, has found a marker for urine that chlorine doesn’t disguise. In this activity, students calculate volume of several pools, change that cubic foot volume to gallons of pool water,…

Happy Friday the 13th!

Don’t worry, 13 is a Happy number! Students learn a new function and test whether a number is Happy or Sad. The activity: Friday-the-13th.pdf CCSS: 5.OA, 6.EE, 8.F, MP1, MP7, MP8

April 15th happenings

We have 6 April 15th activities. The Boston Marathon, Where your tax money goes, Jackie Robinson, and Paul Revere’s ride.

Olympic Schedule

The Winter Olympics begins this week in Beijing.

Wikipedia had this schedule of events. We think that there is a lot of information missing and apparent in this graphic. What can you tell and what would you like to know?

Federal debt and deficit – What are they?

What’s the big deal with our national debt?  Do we actually borrow money to cover our debt?  If we do, imagine the interest charges? Help your students (and their families) understand the meaning and repercussions of too much debt. The…

The new R-naught number

Now we’re plagued with the Delta variant of the coronavirus.  What was the original virus’ R-naught number and what has it become?

Tree for Springtime

What is happening here?

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…

At least the days are getting longer

What’s your guess?  How fast are the number of daylight hours changing each day?  Are the changes dramatic or subtle? Students make guesses; compute how long, on average, the change in daylight hours should be; and finally understand the variability in our year of daylight hours.

Summer Solstice, the longest day

Sunday, June 21st, 2022 (Revised and updated) Sunrise on summer solstice at Stonehenge On Sunday, June 21st, at 5:13 am EDT, the Earth’s North Pole will be tilted as far towards the Sun as it will ever be in the year.…

The Forever Roll

Why would anyone need such a big roll of toilet paper?  How does it compare to Charmin’s other toilet paper products? If this roll lasts for one month, how big a roll would I need to be able to last for one year?