American Pi

This project requires students to put to use their percent skills: tax, tip, discount and commission. They plan a night out with friends including a new outfit, dinner and a movie all while staying within a given budget. Then they put together all of their selections in a presentation. This is the part the students love! This project takes about 3-4 class periods. A worksheet and rubric are included for assessment. I have used this project in my class for a few years, and my students always say

American Pi - The Cost of Feeding Olympians - Multiplying and Dividing Decimals This real world activity has students work the find the cost of feeding all of the Olympians and their coaches for the Olympics. Students must research the cost of each item and then find the total cost of purchasing the needed amount of that item. They will find the total cost and the unit rate. This activity is tiered (1-low, 2-mid, 3-high). Each level has more questions than the previous one. As the level increa

AmericanPi - Composite Figures Using Scale and Percents This real world activity has students finding the area and perimeter of composite figures by addition. Students will then use this information to solve real world problems, such as the cost of paint to paint one irregular shaped wall (including a discount and tax). It should be taught after students have already learned how to calculate percentages. This activity includes 2 sets of multi-step composite/complex figures problems. Each set h

American Pi - Weather Activity - Adding and Subtracting Decimals with Estimation This activity requires students to look up the precipitation levels for a given city. They then have to estimate the sums and compare the estimates with the actual sums. This activity is tiered (1-low/mid, 3-high). Each level has more questions than the previous one. As the level increases, students are also required to do more calculations. You can use this activity in class to ensure your students are all cover

This project is for students to learn facts about important government buildings, as well as the geometric features that make the building unique. The students will create scale drawings and models and design a power point slide show to share what they learned about the building. This is a great cross-curricular project allowing the students to use their math skills while they learn about the history and use of some of our most famous government building. If you have access, students may also

American Pi - Gymnastics Vault Scores - Adding and Subtracting Decimals This real world activity has students use the scores from the 2012 Olympics Vault to find the sums and differences between scores. They also have to determine how many more points athletes would have had to score to reach certain ranks. This activity is tiered (1-low/mid, 2-high). Each level has more questions than the previous one. As the level increases, students are also required to do more calculations. You can use th

This activity is included 3 sets of integer word problems. They are leveled low, middle, high and are listed in that order. The low level questions give hints or require only 1-2 steps. The high level has more complex, multi-step problems. You can use this activity in class to ensure your students are all covering the same concept but at their individual levels of mastery.

One of the best ways to help your students succeed is to help them set goals for themselves and keep track of their progress toward those goals. I have used this progress monitoring form with great success. My students get a new form for each new skill. They keep the forms in a data folder (folder with prongs) which they use every day in class. This progress monitoring form has a place for: learning target recording pre-test score recording formative assessments (checkpoints) recording post-te

This activity is included 3 sets of a coupon activity which requires students to apply operations with decimals and compare decimals. They are leveled low, middle, high and are listed in that order. The low level questions give hints or require only 1-2 steps. The high level has more complex, multi-step problems. The students are given a school supply list and are asked to find the total for various combinations of items as well as use coupons. You can use this activity in class to ensure your

In this activity, students must find the area of two different sized pizzas then compare the areas by showing work, drawing it out, and explaining it in words. It is leveled low, medium, and high, and the activities are listed in that order. Low: given only diameter to find area Medium: given diameter for one and circumference for the other High: given diameter for one and circumference for the other; also have to find the better buy This activity should take about 30 minutes.

This activity is included 3 sets of comparing decimals activities. They are leveled low, middle, high and are listed in that order. The low level questions give hints or require only 1-2 steps. The high level has more complex, multi-step problems. In this activity, students are required to compare, add, and subtract decimals represented in a temperature chart over a week's time. The skills covered are: estimation compare decimals order decimals add decimals subtract decimals average decimals T

Use this game board for any concept you would like. I have used it in class to review concepts such as equations and functions. Students choose their own path which has them complete 3 different activities and about 25 practice problems. Provide your students with 4 activities and a list of practice problems. The students enjoy this game board because it makes the practice much more fun than just doing practice problems. Plus, they get some choice in what they have to do.