Adult Learners will review the previous lesson, measuring with a thermometer, to continue their application in horizontal number lines. Learners will use the number line to increase their understanding of integer values as well as apply their understanding to solving real world problems.

Students use the scientific method to determine the effect of control surfaces on a paper glider. They construct paper airplanes (model gliders) and test their performance to determine the base characteristics of the planes. Then they change one of the control surfaces and compare the results to their base glider in order to determine the cause and effect relationship of the control surfaces.

This resource links to both the Fractions progression document published by the Common Core Writing Teams in June 2011 and the Module posted on the Illustrative Mathematics website.

In this video from Cyberchase, Harry must score a total of 50 points in various events to qualify for the Northern Hemisphere games in New Orleans.

This activity is an easy way to demonstrate the fundamental properties of polar and non-polar molecules (such as water and oil), how they interact, and the affect surfactants (such as soap) have on their interactions. Students see the behavior of oil and water when placed together, and the importance soap (a surfactant) plays in the mixing of oil and water which is why soap is used every day to clean greasy objects, such as hands and dishes. This activity is recommended for all levels of student, grades 3-12, as it can easily be scaled to meet any desired level of difficulty.

Students use gumdrops and toothpicks to make lithium atom models. Using these models, they investigate the makeup of atoms, including their relative size. Students are then asked to form molecules out of atoms, much in the same way they constructed atoms out of the particles that atoms are made of. Students also practice adding and subtracting electrons from an atom and determining the overall charges on atoms.

This is the third of six lessons teaching basic concepts related to positive and negative integers. This lesson will review previous knowledge about negative numbers and teach adding integers with the same sign, with connections to “real life” situations such as gains and losses in football yards or bank account overdraws.

In this Cyberchase video segment, the CyberSquad locates the Cyberchase Council by using negative numbers.

The purpose of this task is for students to apply their knowledge of integers in a real-world context.

In the Mapping Earthquakes to Save the World activity, students leverage real-time data to plot earthquakes on a world map. The fate of the world is in their hands – the President of the United States has asked for their help to save humankind. Students identify patterns in their data and connect earthquakes with tectonic plates, making recommendations back to the President about where people are safe and where people are most at risk. This activity was heavily inspired by a project from the Stevens Institute for Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education.

In the Mapping Earthquakes to Save the World activity, students leverage real-time data to plot earthquakes on a world map. The fate of the world is in their hands – the President of the United States has asked for their help to save humankind. Students identify patterns in their data and connect earthquakes with tectonic plates, making recommendations back to the President about where people are safe and where people are most at risk. This activity was heavily inspired by a project from the Stevens Institute for Technology Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education.

Rational Numbers

Type of Unit: Concept

Prior Knowledge

Students should be able to:

Solve problems with positive rational numbers.
Plot positive rational numbers on a number line.
Understand the equal sign.
Use the greater than and less than symbols with positive numbers (not variables) and understand their relative positions on a number line.
Recognize the first quadrant of the coordinate plane.

Lesson Flow

The first part of this unit builds on the prerequisite skills needed to develop the concept of negative numbers, the opposites of numbers, and absolute value. The unit starts with a real-world application that uses negative numbers so that students understand the need for them. The unit then introduces the idea of the opposite of a number and its absolute value and compares the difference in the definitions. The number line and positions of numbers on the number line is at the heart of the unit, including comparing positions with less than or greater than symbols.

The second part of the unit deals with the coordinate plane and extends student knowledge to all four quadrants. Students graph geometric figures on the coordinate plane and do initial calculations of distances that are a straight line. Students conclude the unit by investigating the reflections of figures across the x- and y-axes on the coordinate plane.

Students watch a video showing the highest and lowest locations on each of the continents. Then they create a diagram (a number line) for a book titled The World’s Highest and Lowest Locations. Students show four of the highest elevations and four of the lowest elevations in the world on their diagrams.Key ConceptsA complete number line has both positive numbers (to the right of 0) and negative numbers (to the left of 0).Negative numbers are written with a minus sign—for example, –12, which is pronounced “negative 12.”Positive numbers can be written with a plus sign for emphasis, such as +12, but a number without a sign, such as 12, is always interpreted as positive.Every number except 0 is either positive or negative. The number 0 is neither positive nor negative.Goals and Learning ObjectivesCreate a number line to show elevations that are both above and below sea level.

Students answer questions about low temperatures recorded in Barrow, Alaska, to understand when to use negative numbers and when to use the absolute values of numbers.Key ConceptsThe absolute value of a number is its distance from 0 on a number line.The absolute value of a number n is written |n| and is read as “the absolute value of n.”A number and the opposite of the number always have the same absolute value. As shown in the diagram, |3| = 3 and |−3| = 3.In general, taking the opposite of n changes the sign of n. For example, the opposite of 3 is –3.In general, taking the absolute value of n gives a number, |n|, that is always positive unless n = 0. For example, |3| = 3 and |−3| = 3.The absolute value of 0 is 0, which is neither positive nor negative: |0| = 0.Goals and Learning ObjectivesUnderstand when to talk about a number as negative and when to talk about the absolute value of a number.Locate the absolute value of a and the absolute value of b on a number line that shows the location of a and b in different places in relation to 0.

The first two parts of this task ask students to interpret the meaning of signed numbers and reason based on that meaning in a context where the meaning of zero is already given by convention.

Whole numbers are no better than any others! Practice plotting values on the number line as a passionate activist rises up and demands equity for all numbers, including fractions and decimals.

This supplemental resource provides problems and activities related to Numerical and Algebraic Operations & Analytical Thinking in Middle School Mathematics.