|
Activity / Description |
|
|
1
|
|
13
*
7 = 28
Watch Abbott and Costello do some mathematical
hocus-pocus with multiplying 13 x 7 and getting an
answer of 28. Explain how Costello cheated with
place value to get an answer of 28. |
2
|
|
Billiard
paths
Here you will find an unusual billiard table. The
dimensions are determined by the numbers on the
sliders. Your Challenge: See if you can come up
with a way to predict (1) what the number of
touches will be for any given size billiard table
and (2) which corner the ball will end up in. |
3
|
|
Birthday
problem
What is the probability that in a room of 23
people that 2 people share the same birthday? Use
the applet to determine the probability
experimentally. |
4
|
|
Boutique
-
Making Change
At the Boutique shop the student plays the role of
a store clerk who sells clothes. The main task is
to handle the exchange of money and give correct
change. In this example, the student is given
$5.00 for an item that costs $4.22. The right
change is 78¢. What are the different ways you
could make the necessary change? |
5
|
|
Broken
Calculator
In this game you have to get
as close as possible to a given number, by using
the still working buttons of a broken calculator.
Challenge: make your computation come out to 25 if
the 5 key is disabled. |
6
|
|
Buffon’s
needle
The challenge in this
activity is to see if the students can make a
prediction about the likelihood of toothpicks
landing on lines when dropped randomly using
experimental and theoretical data. |
7
|
|
Burgerama
Lesson Plan: What’s my Order? This
lesson uses an applet to get after how (1)
fractions are related to a unit whole (2) to use a
model to compare fractional parts of a whole and
(3) to order fractions. |
8
|
|
Bus
Problem
You are about to go on
a field trip with the entire school.
Everyone will be traveling by school bus. If each
bus can seat a maximum of 30 people, how many
buses will you need to transport everyone? |
9
|
|
Candy
investigation/
Candy Circle graphs
How many M & M's are there in this mystery
bag? The challenge is to come up with an educated
guess based on data analysis. |
10
|
|
Climate
in
NJ
What's the temperature
usually like in September? |
11
|
|
Coin
Flipper
Use this applet to answer
some questions about probability of tossing coins
a lot of times! (MW only!) |
12
|
|
|
Cost
of
mailing a letter
How much does it cost to mail a letter given the
weight? Use Excel to graph and answer the
question. |
13
|
|
|
Crickets,
Chirps
& Temperature: Is there a relationship?
Could you use crickets as a temperature
thermometer? In this lesson, you will learn ways
to find relationships between two variables (like
pitch and temperature) so that for a certain pitch
of a cricket chirp you can approximate the
temperature. |
14
|
|
|
Darts
–
decimal |
Similar to Fraction Darts. Except
here you need to enter your dart throws in decimal
form. |
15
|
|
|
Darts
–
fraction |
" The object of the Fraction Darts
challenge is to ""pop"" balloons located on a
number line between 0 and 1. The Darts are
"thrown" by entering a number in fractional form.
Here is a glimpse of a game in progress. Two darts
(5/8 and 3/4) have been thrown so far. Notice that
3/4 is too big and 5/8 is too small." |
|
|
|
Diagonals
of
Polygons |
The pentagon has 4 diagonals. How
many diagonals does a 13-gon have? Can you find a
rule that will help you to answer the question
without drawing the figure? |
|
|
|
Dog
Years |
Hey Big Guy, Count your blessings!
If you were a dog, you’d be over 100 years old.
How old is the birthday person? Use the applet to
figure out the answer. |
|
|
|
Estimating
Heights |
In a letter professor Sanders asks
your class: Is there a way to predict the height
of a person by just knowing the length of the
radius bone? Your students will need to do some
measurements to find out. |
|
|
|
|
|
Exterior
Angles
of triangle |
Can you figure out a method to
determine the measure of the exterior angle of the
triangle in each sketch without using a measuring
device or Sketchpad’s tools? Study your results
carefully. Next determine angle BCD in the figures
above without using any measuring device like a
protractor. Explain (1) what you did and (2) why
it works. |
|
|
|
|
|
Factor
Game
|
Two players compete for high score
by picking numbers from a board (screen) which are
then added to their score. There is a catch
though. Whenever Player A picks a number, the
total of every factor of that number still showing
on the screen is added to the opponent's score.
When the opponent, Player B, chooses a number,
that number is added to his/her score, but Player
A gets the total of all remaining factors of the
number B chose. Game continues until all numbers
have been picked. High score wins. |
|
|
|
Factor
Game
(NCTM Version) |
Similar to Microworld version of
the Factor game except its more challenging in
some respects.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Factor
Tree |
This manipulative allows you to
construct factor trees (to the prime factors) for
two numbers, and then from the prime
factorization, you are asked to identify the Least
Common Multiple (LCM) and the Greatest Common
Factor (GCF) of the two given numbers. |
|
|
|
|
|
Fair
Game?
One die |
Play with a partner. Take turns
rolling a die. Roll 30 times. Player 1 scores a
point if the roll is even. Player 2 scores a point
if the roll is odd. |
|
|
|
|
|
Fair
Game?
One Die Race |
In this activity you use a
Microworlds applet to roll one die many times. The
object is to see if you can predict which event
(1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6) will come up most often and
win the race. |
|
|
|
|
|
Fair
Game?
Special Sums |
Players take turns rolling 2
number cubes. Player A gets a point if the sum is
1, 2, 3, or 4. Player B gets a point if the sum is
5, 6, 7, or 8. Player C scores a point if he gets
9, 10, 11, or 12. Is this a fair game? Play 15
rounds and find out. |
|
|
|
|
|
Fair
Game
Dilemma: Odd or Even? |
Two players roll 2 cubes. Player 1
wins if sum of cubes is even, player 2 wins if the
sum is odd. Is this a fair game? |
|
|
|
|
|
Far
Fetched
Areas Glitch Problem |
In order to find out the area we
need to make a drawing of our tiles and then use a
program called the Geometer’s Sketchpad to tell us
how many square centimeters there are in our
tiles. |
|
|
|
|
|
Fat
Cat
Activity |
" Is the heaviest cat always the
fattest cat? Why or Why not? Compare Blob with
""Lean and Mean"". Which one is the fatter cat?
Why?" |
|
|
|
|
|
Fraction
Track
Game |
By working on this activity,
students have opportunities to think about how
fractions are related to a unit whole, compare
fractional parts of a whole, and find equivalent
fractions. |
|
|
|
|
|
Game
of Number Guess – Decimal version |
The assumption of this number
guess game is that the mystery number will be a
whole number. But what if 4 is too big and 3 is
too small? What would be your next guess? |
|
|
|
|
|
GEPA
prep with Sketchpad |
A set of 5 problems with
accompanying Sketchpad files that are interesting
ways to prepare for standardized tests like ASK 8
in New Jersey. |
|
|
|
|
|
Get
to
Know Sketchpad – Triangles |
Using Sketchpad students make a
chart of examples of triangles that can be
described both by their angles and sides. Are
there any that are impossible? |
|
|
|
|
|
Getting
to Know Sketchpad - Triangles & Spinwheels |
See description of Spinwheels I
and II. |
|
|
|
|
|
Glob
Hunt:
Coordinate Graphs |
Students practice their
coordinating graphing skills while they track down
the location of a green glob. Happy hunting. |
|
|
|
|
|
Golden
Ratio |
The ratio, called the Golden
Ratio, is the ratio of the length to the width of
what is said to be one of the most aesthetically
pleasing rectangular shapes |
|
|
|
|
|
Green
Globs
Contest |
"Students combine computer game
fun and serious mathematics in a face-off of the
""Green Globs Challenge."" After learning about
coordinate graphs and equations in math class,
students put their knowledge to work by playing
the ""Green Globs"" computer game using classroom
computers and laptops. Highest score wins." |
|
|
|
|
|
How
Far
was your Trip? |
Today we are going to find out who
traveled the average distance to get to this
workshop. First we'll start off with a guess. What
do you think is the average distance that the
members of this group traveled today? |
|
|
|
|
|
How
High? |
In this activity you will learn
something about how to determine the volume (how
much liquid) there is in the rectangular Tank. |
|
|
|
|
|
Hundred
Board |
NCTM version. Very clever way to
do times tables! |
|
|
|
|
|
Integer
Addition
using Color Chips |
This MattiMath virtual
manipulative activity uses plus and minus chips to
demonstrate adding positive and negative numbers. |
|
|
|
|
|
Investigate
reflections |
A Geometer's Sketchpad exploration
activity. |
|
|
|
|
|
Jinx
Puzzle
1 |
Repeat this puzzle with a variety
of rational numbers (both positive and negative.)
What do you discover? Do you think this puzzle
always works? (Spreadsheet version.) |
|
|
|
|
|
Jinx
Puzzle
2 |
Repeat this puzzle with a variety
of rational numbers (both positive and negative.)
What do you discover? Do you think this puzzle
always works? (TI calculator version.) |
|
|
|
|
|
Job
Offer |
YOU GOT THE JOB! You have a choice
of 2 payment plans. Study carefully both plans
before deciding. |
|
|
|
|
|
King
Arthur’s
Dilemma |
" During one of the meetings of
the Knights of the Round Table, one of the Knights
asked for the hand of King Arthur's daughter in
marriage. Much to the dismay of the King an outcry
came from the other Knights. Each of the Knights
asked to be the spouse of the King's daughter.
Perplexed by the outcry, the King devised the
following scheme to choose the one to marry his
daughter..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mac
Currency
Problem:
How much would you pay for a
Big Mac in some other countries? |
|
|
|
|
|
Mind
Reader |
Solve a math problem and watch the
computer guess your secret symbol. How does the
computer know it? It uses Algebra. See if you can
figure out how! |
|
|
|
|
|
Morris
the
Cat Expands |
What happens to Morris when you
double his coordinates? Half his coordinates? Make
a prediction about how Morris will stretch or
shrink if you know the stretch or shrink factor. |
|
|
|
|
|
Name
the
Shapemakers |
"Discover what other shapes these
""disguised"" squares make. " |
|
|
|
|
|
Number
Town: Family Fractions |
"It's time for all 25 fractions in
Number Town to return to their “home” color pad.
Your task is to move each of them to their
respective pads. You are successful if clicking on
the fraction (1) switches its form from fraction
to picture ID (or visa versa) and not cause the
fraction to ""run away"" from the pad." |
|
|
|
|
|
Olympics
Activity |
Are we faster, stronger, better
than we used to be? |
|
|
|
|
|
Pattern
Blocks
for Sale |
How much should we charge for the
design if the square costs $1.00? |
|
|
|
|
|
Pick’s
Rule
(Theorem, Law) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pizza
Time! |
It's lunch time and your friends
are hungry. So you decide to share an extra large
pizza. But after looking at the menu above, you
start to think that maybe you can get more for
your money if you order three medium pies instead
for the same price. So what is it? One extra large
pie, three medium pies, or do you think it doesn't
matter because you are going to get the same
amount of pizza either way? Please explain your
reasoning. |
|
|
|
|
|
Power of 2 |
Paper folding problem: How many
times would you need to fold a piece of paper
(assuming its possible so that the number of
sheets would pile high enough to reach the moon? |
|
|
|
|
|
Ptomaine
Fish
Co. Decisions |
Groups of students will choose the
most economic fish delivery plan from 3 company’s
proposals. They use a spreadsheets to come up with
their recommendation to the CEO of the Ptomaine
Fish Co. |
|
|
|
|
|
Rectangle:
Area
& Perimeter |
Question: What is the largest the
area of a rectangle be if its perimeter is 20? |
|
|
|
|
|
Repeating
and
terminating Decimals |
Can every fraction be written as a
decimal? This spreadsheet activity will help you
to find out. |
|
|
|
|
|
Road
Sign |
What’s wrong with the sign? |
|
|
|
|
|
Shoe
size vs. Height |
Do taller people have larger feet?
In this activity you will use a spreadsheet and
the length of your feet and height to help you
find out. |
|
|
|
|
|
Shopping
Spree
(Best buy) |
You’re giving a party and have to
go shopping for snacks. You’ve heard about online
shopping services and want to give them a try.
Because you have a limited amount of money, you
want to get the best buys that you can, so you’re
going to comparison shop and buy the items where
you get the most for your money. |
|
|
|
|
|
Spinwheels
1 |
Step-by-step instructions for you
and your students to create an animated pinwheel
with Geometer's Sketchpad. |
|
|
|
|
|
Spinwheels
II |
Version 3 of spinwheel with hole. |
|
|
|
|
|
Spiros |
Whumpus, Whimsy or Gloop? Which
Creature is it? |
|
|
|
|
|
Temperature
-
USA |
Look at a USA Today Weather page.
It shows a map of the United States color coded
according to temperature. Based on the temperature
bands you see, what kinds of conclusions can you
make about temperature patterns on this map? |
|
|
|
|
|
Tessellations:
Semi
regular |
This activity asks the student to
make a semi-regular tessellation. There are 8 such
tessellations. Students use Sketchpad shapes above
to make all the tessellations and then explain why
they tessellate. |
|
|
|
|
|
The
letter R Expands, Contracts and goes Negative! |
Enlargement activity on a
coordinate axis. |
|
|
|
|
|
Tri
or
Not to Tri |
2 GSP downloads |
|
|
|
|
|
Types
of
Triangles |
This activity deals with scalene,
isosceles, equilateral, and right triangles.
Students use a GSP sketch or an interactive web
page to drag and manipulate four triangles, one of
each type, and use the activity handout(s) to
guide their exploration. |
|
|
|
|
|
West
Challenge |
Play the West game. (You will find
it on your computer.) Also play the West Round
Trip game which also takes you backwards from
Great Gulch to the start. In the process you will
learn about negative numbers! |
|
Updated: 2.4.09
|