Shared Items

Squaring the Triangle

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This activity allows the user to investigate the fundamental ideas behind the Pythagorean theorem and the nature of triangles. From the Shodor Education Foundation.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Interactive, Lesson Plan, Student Guide

Fabulous Fractals and Difference Equations

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This learning video introduces students to the world of Fractal Geometry through the use of difference equations. As a prerequisite to this lesson, students would need two years of high school algebra (comfort with single variable equations) and motivation to learn basic complex arithmetic. Ms. Zager has included a complete introductory tutorial on complex arithmetic with homework assignments downloadable here. Also downloadable are some supplemental challenge problems. Time required to complete the core lesson is approximately one hour, and materials needed include a blackboard/whiteboard as well as space for students to work in small groups. During the in-class portions of this interactive lesson, students will brainstorm on the outcome of the chaos game and practice calculating trajectories of different equations.

Material Type: Lecture

Author: Laura Zager

Adjustable Spinner

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This activity allows the user to explore experimental and theoretical probabilities by adding and removing sections of a circle. This is an interactive Java-based activity with suggested lessons and exploration questions.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Interactive, Lesson Plan, Simulation, Student Guide

Helping Your Child Learn Science and Technology

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This guide offers a dozen fun learning activities parents can use at home to help children (ages 3-10) learn about bubbles, bugs, surface tension, adhesives, friction (using gelatin), volume (using measuring cups), static electricity (using balloons), cause and effect (using plants), chemical reactions (using cake), and more.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Evolution

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This is a companion web site to the PBS series Evolution. It contains numerous interactive exercises and simulations keyed to the episodes of the show. The Evolution Library has a large number of useful resources indexed by topic. While it is listed as a reference site, it contains animations, simulations, and tutorials as part of the larger site.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Interactive, Simulation

Probability and Geometry

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The activity and two discussions of this lesson connect probability and geometry. The Polyhedra discussion leads to platonic solids, and the Probability and Geometry discussion leads to connections between angles, areas and probability. The subtle difference between defining probability by counting outcomes and defining probability by measuring proportions of geometrical characteristics is brought to light.

Material Type: Interactive, Lecture Notes, Lesson Plan

Action Chains

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This lesson plan teaches students to elaborate on an event in a narrative by expanding their sentences into action chains. The result is a more detailed picture of an event in a narrative.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Create a Graph

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Graphs and charts are great because they communicate information visually. For this reason, graphs are often used in newspapers, magazines and businesses around the world. Here you will find five different graphs and charts for you to consider.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Interactive, Teaching/Learning Strategy

Author: NCESKids'Zone

Braking Distance

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This task provides an exploration of a quadratic equation by descriptive, numerical, graphical, and algebraic techniques. Based on its real-world applicability, teachers could use the task as a way to introduce and motivate algebraic techniques like completing the square, en route to a derivation of the quadratic formula.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Illustrative Mathematics

Seven Circles I

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This task is intended to help model a concrete situation with geometry. Placing the seven pennies in a circular pattern is a concrete and fun experiment which leads to a genuine mathematical question: does the physical model with pennies give insight into what happens with seven circles in the plane?

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Illustrative Mathematics

eSkeletons

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This interactive site allows participants to learn about skeletal anatomy by viewing the bones of a human, chimpanzee, and baboon. The Comparative Anatomy section enables users to make direct comparisons of bones. The material is appropriate for science teacher education as it illustrates how careful observation leads one to wonder about the dizzying beauty of a planet that works by bringing us one different creature after another.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Diagram/Illustration, Interactive

Authors: Dr. John Kappelman, University of Texas at Austin

Conditional Probability and Probability

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This lesson is based on several interesting problems. Each problem has a somewhat unexpected answer; in fact, many people have a hard time accepting experimental results for these problems, as the results may seem counterintuitive. This very difference in expectations and actual results leads to a deeper consideration of the related mathematics and to acquiring new tools for solving problems, namely the ideas and formulas connected with conditional probability and probability of simultaneous events.

Material Type: Interactive, Lesson Plan, Simulation, Student Guide