Twitter-Length Tasks can be quickly and simply explained, yet allow for extensive exploration. Draw six dots. A line segment that connects two dots is worth 1 point – as long as it doesn’t intersect any other line segments. A line segment with one intersection is worth ½ a point, a line segment with two intersections is worth ¼ a point, three… Read more →
Twitter-Length Tasks can be quickly and simply explained, yet allow for extensive exploration. Use one cut to make a square into 2 pieces. What types of shapes are possible? (Two Rectangles, two trapezoids, a triangle and a trapezoid, what else?) How many different types of shapes can you create if you used 2 cuts to divide the square? Is the answer… Read more →
Twitter-Length Tasks can be quickly and simply explained, yet allow for extensive exploration. Draw a line segment inside a square the stretches all the way to the edges of the square.Draw an intersecting line segment. Draw another line segment so that each line only has one intersection point inside the square.How many line segments can you add to the square making… Read more →
Twitter-Length Tasks can be quickly and simply explained, yet allow for extensive exploration. Which has the greater portion of its area remaining: a circle with an inscribed square cut out or a square with an inscribed circle cut out? How do you know? Choose dimensions of the circle and square so the shaded regions will be equal. What about other shapes… Read more →
Twitter-Length Tasks can be quickly and simply explained, yet allow for extensive exploration. Fill in each square in a tic-tac-toe board with a different number between 0 and 5. That means at least some of the squares will have decimals or fractions. Try to make as many rows and columns as possible add up to whole numbers. Try using numbers between… Read more →
Twitter-Length Tasks can be quickly and simply explained, yet allow for extensive exploration. I recently downloaded a calculator app on my phone. Then I was surprised that I could only use a few keys – the rest of the keys were only available as in-app purchases. The black keys were included for free. The red keys cost $1 each. The blue… Read more →
Twitter-Length Tasks can be quickly and simply explained, yet allow for extensive exploration. Ron’s mom makes cookies by rolling out cookie dough in a rectangular pan, then cutting out the cookies with a cookie cutter or a knife. Her kids like it better when the cookies are all the same shape. It’s not always easy to use up all the dough… Read more →
I’ve mentioned the ice cabinets at this chain of convenience stores before. They provide some nice data points for a linear relationship. I finally built a short Desmos activity around the photos. Even though the short activity could be polished, it has a couple of nice features on slide #3 The user is prompted to enter an equation, and the… Read more →
Region 4 Educational Service Center hosted their annual Math Conference, and they usually offer a handful of sessions addressing students with special needs (EL students, students with IEPs, struggling learners, and more). This year, I attended a fantastic session by a new presenter, Leximar Irizarry. The heart of Ms. Irizarry’s session was a cluster of five stations that attempted to replicate… Read more →
I once fixed a broken cruise control on my SUV. I used an internet search engine to look up the specific problem I encountered, I found the exact part number to order from the dealership, and a couple of online videos gave me step-by-step instructions on restoring everything to working order. Of course, I still know nothing about how cruise control… Read more →