Lessons in Units
CCSS UnitsHow much of what we see is advertising? Students decompose irregular shapes to find how much of their visual field is occupied by advertising in real life and online.
Could Inspector Javert have survived the fall? Students use quadratic models to determine how high the bridge was in Les Misérables, and explore the maximum height from which someone can safely jump.
Is there an upside to negative feelings? Students use integers to compare good and bad days and use absolute value to explore what happens when we reinterpret negative moments in a more positive light.
How much is money worth? Students apply operations on rational and decimal numbers to calculate how much the U.S. Mint spends on different coins, and discuss whether we really need all these coins.
Which size pizza should you order? Students apply the area of a circle formula to write linear and quadratic formulas that measure how much of a pizza is actually pizza, and how much is crust.
In which Major League Baseball stadium is it hardest to hit a home run? Students find the roots and maxima of quadratic functions to model the trajectory of a potential home-run ball.
Do taller sprinters have an unfair advantage? Students use proportions to find out what would happen if Olympic races were organized by height.
In basketball, should you ever foul at the buzzer? Students use probabilities to determine when the defense should foul...and when they should not.
How do the rules of an election affect who wins? Students calculate (as a percent) how much of the electoral and popular vote different presidential candidates have received, and add with integers to explore elections under possible alternative voting systems.
How much does Domino's charge for pizza? Students use linear functions — slope, y-intercept, and equations — to explore how much the famous pizzas really cost.
Who should buy health insurance? Students use percents and expected value to explore the mathematics of health insurance from a variety of perspectives.