USU Math 5010

Overview: Two different bar graphs are made from the same survey of favorite foods. The students need to determine which graph is more fair and why, by studying the graphs and altering the data.

I think a lot about my math teaching. Perhaps too much. This is my outlet. I hope you find it interesting and that you’ll let me know how it’s going.

Let us climb peaks by all means, because their beauty attracts us; not because others have failed, nor because the summits stand 28000 ft above the sea…Let us approach the peaks with humility, and through finding the way to them…learn to solve their problems. Eric Shipton (1938)

As an introduction to our unit on surface area and volume of solids, my students investigated cross-sections of solids through a Play-Doh Cross Sections lab activity. Materials: play-doh, paper plates, dental floss, plastic knife, and ruler.

Coming together to create a real learning environment for students

In 1885, a short pamphlet was published containing a strangely compelling story - a kind of cross between Edgar Allan Poe and the Wild West. It claimed to record a letter written in 1822 by a Thomas Jefferson Beale to a Mr Morriss, which in turn claimed to contain three encoded texts (now known as ‘B1′, ‘B2′, and ‘B3′) describing the location and beneficiaries of a huge treasure haul hidden in Bedford County, Virginia during 1819 and 1821.

Matt Townsley HS math educator turned curriculum & technology directorAssessment enthusiast

The consideration of cord length is very important in a bungee jump—too short, and the jumper doesn’t get much of a thrill; too long, and ouch! In this lesson, students model a bungee jump using a Barbie® doll and rubber bands. The distance to which the doll will fall is directly proportional to the number of rubber bands, so this context is used to examine linear functions.