“I live and die by your website!” ~ a coordinator in Washington
Students will find at least three ways to express the weight of the world’s heaviest pumpkin.
First, students will make a guess. How much does the heaviest pumpkin in the world weigh?
Then, they’ll convert that measurement into units of their choosing. I demonstrate with “Mr. Byrds.”
Students will find the information to calculate how many times we could fill up a jet plane using the fuel that would fit in an olympic-sized pool.
First, students will need to figure out how much water is in an olympic-sized pool, pick a plane, and determine much fuel that plane can hold.
I’ll reveal how many times I could fill up my jet plane.
Students will figure out much pasta they can cook using the water in an olympic-sized pool.
First, students will need to figure out how much water is in an olympic-sized pool and how much water you need for a pound of pasta.
I reveal my calculations – which may or may not be the same as what students arrived at. And that’s ok!
Students will find the information they need to calculate how many 2 liter bottles they could fill up using the water in an olympic-sized pool.
First, students will need to figure out how much water is in an olympic-sized pool.
I reveal my calculations – which may or may not be the same as what students arrived at. And that’s ok!
Students will balance various requirements in order to find the perfect gifts for their very special friends.
Students look for gifts that have a large volume while balancing a low price.
Next, they find gifts that are heavy, but don’t take up much space. And also are as cheap as possible.
For the third gift, students are looking for something long – maximizing one dimension while minimizing the other two. They’ll also want to save money.
Use this step whenever you’d like. Students can write a letter explaining their thought process behind the gift(s) they chose.
Students will convert between multiple measurements and calculate area per hour to estimate how long it will take to mow a large lawn.
Students begin by identifying what information they’ll need to know. Then they will try to find that info. We’re going for a rough estimate here, so they really only need to know the size of the Great Lawn, the speed they will walk, and the width of their mower.
Next, they convert all of their units into feet and square feet (feel free to adapt this however you’d like).
Now, they calculate how many square feet of grass they can mow in one hour and then determine how long it would take to mow the whole lawn.
As an extension, students can pick a new mower and a new speed and re-calculate their time. Alternate speeds could include: world’s fastest mile time, fastest land animal, student’s sprinting speed, backwards walking speed, etc.
Finally, they can pick a new lawn, determine the measurements, and decide how long that lawn would take to mow.
Students explore the big idea: Shapes can have the same perimeter, but very different areas.
Students create at least five different rectangles with 16m of perimeter.
They organize their information and look for a pattern between the shape’s dimensions and its area.
Students create three ways to use three of their different rectangles. I give an Alien Zoo example.
Students explore the properties of angles, search city maps for intersecting streets, and then design their own street intersection.
Explore how a lone angle creates a second angle. And the two angles always add up to 360º.
Explore how 2, 4, 6, or even 8 intersecting angles still add up to 360º.
Browse online city maps (Google Maps, Open Street Maps, etc) to find an interesting intersection of streets. Measure these angles and check that they also add up to 360º.
Create their own intersection of streets. They’ll label the street names, mark interesting sights, and measure each angle, ensuring that they add up to 360º.
Students will calculate the volume of laptops throughout history using the formula for the volume of a rectangular prism.
Find five laptops from across history (this Wikipedia page is a nice starting point) and jot down essential information..
Calculate the volume of their five laptops, estimating them as rectangular prisms.
Pick their two favorite laptops and sketch them using this triangular dot grid paper to create accurate, 3d scaled drawings.
Explore shapes with equivalent volumes. They will redistribute the volume of one of their laptops into a new, 3D shape. Same volume but different dimensions.
Finally, students will build two of their sketches: the laptop’s original dimensions and then a model of the reconfigured dimensions with an equivalent volume. Naturally, they can continue extending this idea by finding equivalent volumes of other items or building on the marketing of their “new laptop design.”
Students will calculate how much it would cost to fill up a car with liquids of their choosing.
Students compare the cost of various liquids with gasoline.
Then they choose a car and determine its fuel tank capacity.
Using my 2008 Kia Rondo, we calculate the price per fill up.
Students use price anchoring to create an advertisement comparing gas prices to another liquid.
Students will determine how the diameter and circumference of circles are related.
First, students make a guess about how many times they’d need to go across a circle in order to equal the distance around.
Next, they’ll measure across printouts of famous circles.
Then, using string, they’ll measure around.
Now, students will look for a relationship between the diameter and circumference.
We reveal that the relationship is π.
I explain a bit more about π.
Students will create purposefully misleading graphs to better learn how proper graphs should be created.
Technique 1: Showing Just a Moment
Technique 2: Bar Graphs with Bad Scales
Technique 3: Leaving Out Information
Technique 4: Asking the Wrong Group
Technique 5: Line Graphs with Bad Scales
Bonus: Getting Too Fancy
Now, your students will produce their own bad graphs.
Using Google Earth and authentic measurements, students will reach a reasonable estimate of how many students could fit on their playground.
Make guesses about how many people could fit on a four-square court.
Calculate the area of a four-square court as well as how much space a student takes up.
Calculate how many people really could fit on a four-square court and then test it with real kids.
Calculate how many students could fit onto the entire playground using Google Earth.
Extend the idea to calculate how many people could fit into other large spaces.
Students will determine which unit is most likely if an elephant weighs 176,000. Then… the real fun begins.
First, I tell students that my elephant weighs 176,000. They must determine the most likely units.
We learn that this is in ounces. Now, students have to find out how many corgis it would take to equal the weight of one elephant.
Now, students determine how many cars (they pick the make and model) it would take to equal the weight of one elephant.
Finally, students get to pick their own unit of measurement and compare it to the weight of an elephant.
Students will determine which unit is most likely if a movie is 0.017 long. Then… the real fun begins.
I tell students that I’ve just finished an epic movie that was 0.017 long. They have to determine which unit I’m using.
I offer some scaffolding help to get kids started on their unit conversions (not necessary for all students).
Then, we wonder how long this movie would be if measured in months?
Now, we determine the length of the movie when measured in days on Venus!
Finally, students can pick their own unit of time to measure the length of this long movie.
Students will convert between many US units of volume.
We have a bathtub filled with 640 of water. Which unit is most likely?
What if we filled that bathtub using juice boxes? How many would it take?
What if we filled an Olympic-sized pool using bathtubs?
Finally, students pick their own item to fill a bathtub with.
Students will convert between many units of time.
I announce that I’ve just turned 341,640 old and ask students to determine which units make the most sense.
I provide a little scaffolding, showing why months is a very unlikely unit.
Then, I ask students to determine how old I am in Saturn years.
After revealing my findings, I ask a final question: how many flies’ lifetimes old am I?
I reveal my answer and then open the door for students to use other unusual units of time to express my (or their!) age