Deflategate
The deflated ball controversy makes an interesting segue into negative number line understanding. A particular digital psi football gauge reads 0 when the ball is at a proper NFL in...
Number Sense
Genres
Grade
How much does a Lego cost?
This is a three act task, with an activity guide. Show students the act one video. What questions do they have? How much could the Star Wars kit cost? Follow the activi...
How much should you spend on this sale?
This activity can be used in a large range of grade levels. Your class can work on percents, linear equations or piecewise functions.
Act One: We missed the semi-annual sale but we want to get ready...
Kilauea's lava flow
[caption id="attachment_15749" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Halema‘uma‘u Lights the Morning Sky - Photo taken from the overlook by the Volcano House on January 30, 2014 - NPS photo[/caption]
Th...
How large a TV should I get?
Whether you are in middle school or high school, someday you are going to be moving out and you might need to select the right size HDTV for your living space. I found this guide th...
Saffron and paella
In order to cook Paella (a delicious Spanish rice dish) I needed to buy Saffron spice. It was hugely expensive. So, I've decided to start a business of growing saffron and becoming immen...
The growth of Godzilla
Image from Kris Holt: http://www.policymic.com/articles/76357/the-scary-way-godzilla-has-evolved-through-the-years-in-one-chart
The new Godzilla movie is out at theaters. ...
An ounce of cola
Which is more expensive; gasoline? milk? or cola? Students calculate the per ounce cost of each of these liquids in a story about a man doing errands. After finding the per ounce price, ...
Cost of light bulbs - updated!
Algebra
Number Sense
Math and Science
Math and Social Studies
Ratio and Proportion
Data and probability
There's a lot of misinformation out there about the cost to consumers of CFL and LED bulbs and the savings in energy and money that could be realized.
Let your students "do the math" and realiz...
Green, green river
During the St. Patrick's Day parade in Chicago, the local plumbers union dyes the Chicago River emerald green.
Students learn what PPM (parts per million) means and attempt to figure ...