Real-World Math Activities for Grades 3–12

Spiraling squares - compass and straight edge

Can you see the many spirals in this design? Students calculate the size of each increasing round of squares and consider what sort of spirals these must be....

Algebra Number Sense Grades 6–HS

Value of a lifetime of Whoppers?

Locked in a smelly bathroom for one hour and then promised a lifetime of Whopper meals 🍔 , an Oregon man sued BK when the manager's promise was...

Algebra Number Sense Grades 4–7

Pythagorean Triples and coloring

Pythagorean triples are not only handy for students to recognize but produce some interesting and lovely patterns. We've combined a little coloring with our Pythagorean Triple pattern investigation...

Algebra Number Sense Grades 6–HS

Weird wing prices

Clicking on this image will show it larger in a new window. Danny's Wok in Philadelphia has a huge price list for ordering their famous chicken wings. Why...

Algebra Number Sense Grades 6–7

Sol LeWitt's pyramid - How might you count those blocks?

Sol LeWitt, Four Sided Pyramid, 1999, Hirshhorn Museum Sculpture Garden, Washington DC Sol LeWitt (1928 - 2007) was a an American artist involved in Conceptual art and Minimalism....

Algebra Number Sense Grades 4–HS

Fibonacci coloring

Let your students simply enjoy coloring our designs or artistically play with the whole creation of Φ designs. Simply coloring our Fibonacci patterns might allow students to ponder...

Algebra Number Sense Grades 3–HS

Pizza party figuring

In this activity students decide how to divide 2 pizzas amongst 6 adults and 3 pizzas amongst 8 kids. Fractional pizza parts need to be drawn and considerations...

Number Sense Geometry Grades 3–5

How many wings did the Bills send the Bengals?

Cincinnati Bengals serving their thank-you gift from the Buffalo Bills to the Autism High School at the Children's Home of Cincinnati On December 31st, 2017, the Cincinnati Bengals...

Algebra Math and Food Grades 4–6

Is this promo a good deal?

McDonald's was offering an "Arch Card" special deal. If you bought an Arch Card for $100 you were entitled to a free BigMac or EggMcMuffin every week for...

Number Sense Math and Food Grades 4–6

Spiraling triples

Let students explore the patterns of perfect squares and Pythagorean Triples as they analyze our piece of art and decide why the resulting construction looks like spiraling squares....

Number Sense Geometry Grades 6–HS

Hands of Support

Lorenzo Quinn, an Italian sculptor, created and temporarily installed this piece of art entitled "Support" in Venice. Quinn used his own children's hands to design this piece. His...

Math and Art Ratio and Proportion Grades 5–HS

Should I get the Big One?

Let your students decide if the BIG one is a fair deal. Which size will they get? Which size offers the most value? Make a guess, then do...

Algebra Math and Food Grades 6–7

Activity Library

Results