These lessons are designed to give teachers a script to follow when using the activities and discussions developed for Project Interactivate. Each lesson gives prerequisites, preparation instructions, a suggested outline, and alternate outlines. Teachers who have designed alternative versions of lessons are encouraged to submit them to the Interactivate Archives. Use this form to contact the Interactivate Team for details.

The lessons are arranged according to the NCTM Principles and Standards for School Mathematics.

Number and Operation Concepts

Geometry and Measurement Concepts

Function and Algebra Concepts

Probability and Data Analysis Concepts

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View suggested activities and corresponding lesson plans suggested for ELEMENTARY GRADES 3-5.




Number and Operation Concepts

Lesson: Description:
Practicing Arithmetic Students practice arithmetic skills. Can be tailored for practice of all types of single operation arithmetic ranging from simple addition to operations with integers and decimals.
Fraction Facts Introduces students to fractions and explores basic mathematical operations with fractions, comparing fractions, and converting fractions into decimals or percents.
Comparing Fractions The following discussions and activities are designed to give students practice in comparing fractions. The activities provide ample practice opportunities to reinforce the information from the discussions.
Multiplying Decimals and Mixed Numbers Reinforces skills associated with multiplying decimals and mixed numbers.
Patterns In Fractals Introduces students to the idea of finding number patterns in the generation of several different types of fractals.
Patterns In Pascal's Triangle Shows students that number patterns exist in the Pascal's Triangle, and reinforces student's ability to identify patterns.
Sets and Venn Diagrams Introduces students to the notions of sets, elements, and Venn diagrams.
Venn Diagram Shape SorterAllows students to sort different shapes into Venn diagrams.
An Introduction to Sequences Introduces students to arithmetic and geometric sequences. Students explore further through producing sequences by varying the starting number, multiplier, and add-on.
Clock Arithmetic and Cryptography Introduces students to modular (clock) arithmetic and how modular arithmetic can be used to encode messages using simple shift, multiple and affine ciphers.
Estimation Introduces students to making estimations.



Geometry and Measurement Concepts

Lesson: Description:
Perimeter Introduces students to the concept of perimeter.
Area Introduces students to the concept of area.
Length, Perimeter and Area Introduces students to length, perimeter and area.
Lines, Rays, Line Segments, and Planes Introduces students to lines, rays, line segments, and planes.
Angles Introduces students to acute, obtuse, and right angles as well as relationships between angles formed by parallel lines crossed by a transversal.
Quadrilaterals Introduces students to quadrilaterals with an emphasis on defining characteristics of parallelograms, rectangles, and trapezoids.
Surface Area and Volume Introduces students to the concepts of surface area and volume.
Pythagorean Theorem Students learn how the Pythagorean Theorem works and how to apply it.
Translations, Reflections, and Rotations Introduces students to concepts of transformations.
Geometry in Tessellations Explores lines, planes, angles, and polygons in tessellations.
Symmetry in Tessellations Examines plane symmetry.
Visual Patterns in Tessellations Explores the mathematical nature of art and tilings and looks at the role of math in nature and our culture.
Introduction to Fractals: Infinity, Self-Similarity and Recursion. Introduces students to the ideas involved in understanding fractals.
Geometric Fractals Outlines the approach to building fractals by cutting out portions of plane figures.
Fractals and the Chaos Game Outlines the approach to playing the chaos game and how it relates to geometric fractals.
Properties of Fractals A capstone lesson to allow students to build a working definition of fractal.
Chaos Students learn about the concepts and applications of chaos.
Pascal's Triangle Looks at how Pascal's Triangle can be used to generate Sierpinski triangle-like results.
Irregular Fractals Looks at how irregular fractals can be generated and how they fit into computer graphics.
The Mandelbrot Set Introduces all of the 2 variable function and prisoner/escapee notions necessary to understand the Mandelbrot set.



Function and Algebra Concepts

Lesson: Description:
Introduction to Functions Introduces the basic ideas needed for understanding functions.
Introduction to Linear Functions Introduces the basic ideas needed for understanding linear functions.
Graphing and the Coordinate Plane Students learn basic ideas about graphing points on the coordinate plane.
Cartesian Coordinate System Introduces students to plotting points on the Cartesian coordinate system -- an alternative to "Graphing and the Coordinate Plane."
Graphs and Functions Demonstrates the connections between formulas and graphs.
Functions and the Vertical Line Test Introduces students to the vertical line test for graphs of functions.
Reading Graphs Demonstrates the connections between formulas, graphs and words.
Impossible Graphs Teaches distinguishing between possible and impossible graphs of functions as well as causes of graphical impossibility.



Statistics and Probability Concepts

Lesson: Description:
Probability and Sports Considers probability concepts on the basis of statistics in professional sports.
Ideas that Lead to Probability Introduces students to concepts used which lead to probability.
Introduction to the Concept of Probability Introduces students to simple probability concepts.
Tree Diagrams Probability Introduces the concept of tree diagrams as a way to compute probability of a multi-step event.
Probability and Geometry Students learn about how probability can be represented using geometry.
Conditional Probability and Probability of Simultaneous Events Introduces conditional probability and the probability of simultaneous events.
Replacement and Probability Extends the notion of conditional probability by discussing the effects of replacement on drawing multiple objects.
From Probability to Combinatorics and Number Theory Looks at data structures and their applications to probability theory.
Expected Value Introduces payoffs and expected value.
Unexpected Answers Considers probability problems with unexpected and surprising answers.
Statistics and Shopping Looks at statistics and data analysis concepts from the practical questions that arise in everyday life.
Mean, Median and Mode Introduces statistical measures of center.
Fire!, Probability, and Chaos Utilizes and reinforces concepts of probability, mean, line plots, experimental data, and chaos in analyzing a forest fire simulation.
Stem-and-Leaf Plots Introduces students to stem-and-leaf plots and calculating the mean, median, and mode from the plots.
Histograms and Bar Graphs Introduction and fine points of using bar graphs and histograms.
Box Plots Introduces students to quartiles and box plots.
The Bell Curve Introduces the normal distribution and looks at the bell curve controversy.