Teaching the Common Core Math Standards with Hands-On Activities, Grades 6-8

The new Common Core State Standards for Mathematics have been formulated to provide students with instruction that will help them acquire a thorough knowledge of math at their grade level, which will in turn enable them to move on to higher mathematics with competence and confidence. Hands-on Activities for Teaching the Common Core Math Standards is designed to help teachers instruct their students so that they will better understand and apply the skills outlined in the Standards.

This important resource also gives teachers a wealth of tools and activities that can encourage students to think critically, use mathematical reasoning, and employ various problem-solving strategies.

• Filled with activities that will help students gain an understanding of math concepts and skills correlated to the Common Core State Math Standards
• Offers guidance for helping students apply their understanding of math concepts and skills, develop proficiency in calculations, and learn to think abstractly
• Describes ways to get students to collaborate with other students, utilize technology, communicate ideas about math both orally and in writing, and gain an appreciation of the significance of mathematics to real life

This practical and easy-to-use resource will help teachers give students the foundation they need for success in higher mathematics.

About This Book v

About the Authors vii

Acknowledgments ix

Section 1: Standards and Activities for Grade 6 1

Ratios and Proportional Relationships: 6.RP.1 2

Activity: Ratios All Around Us 2

Ratios and Proportional Relationships: 6.RP.2 4

Activity: Unit Rate Tic-Tac-Toe 4

Ratios and Proportional Relationships: 6.RP.3 6

Activity: The Faster Rate 7

The Number System: 6.NS.1 9

Activity: Modeling Division of Fractions 9

The Number System: 6.NS.2 12

Activity 1: Snork’s Long Division 12

Activity 2: Long Division Relay Race 13

The Number System: 6.NS.3 15

Activity: Decimal Operation Tournament 15

The Number System: 6.NS.4 17

Activity: The Numbers Game 17

The Number System: 6.NS.5 19

Activity: Finding the Opposite 19

The Number System: 6.NS.6 22

Activity 1: Graphing on a Number Line 22

Activity 2: Bonk the Mole 24

The Number System: 6.NS.7 25

Activity: An Old-Fashioned Number Line 25

The Number System: 6.NS.8 27

Activity: The Maze Game 27

Expressions and Equations: 6.EE.1 29

Activity: Find Which Does Not Belong 29

Expressions and Equations: 6.EE.2 32

Activity: And It Equals 32

Expressions and Equations: 6.EE.3 35

Activity: Presenting Properties 35

Expressions and Equations: 6.EE.4 37

Activity: Partner Quiz 37

Expressions and Equations: 6.EE.5 39

Activity: Three in a Row 39

Expressions and Equations: 6.EE.6 42

Activity: A Slice of Life with Variables and Expressions 42

Expressions and Equations: 6.EE.7 44

Activity: Equations, Equations, Equations 44

Expressions and Equations: 6.EE.8 46

Activity: Find Your Match 47

Expressions and Equations: 6.EE.9 51

Activity 1: Examining Relationships 51

Activity 2: Comparing Heart Rates 52

Geometry: 6.G.1 54

Activity 1: It’s Half 54

Activity 2: It’s Awe-Sum 55

Geometry: 6.G.2 57

Activity: It’s Voluminous 57

Geometry: 6.G.3 60

Activity: Initials 60

Geometry: 6.G.4 63

Activity: Finding the Surface Area of Nets 63

Statistics and Probability: 6.SP.1 65

Activity: Statistical Questions Versus Nonstatistical Questions 65

Statistics and Probability: 6.SP.2 67

Activity: And the Answer is 67

Statistics and Probability: 6.SP.3 69

Activity: Measure of Center Versus Measure of Variation 69

Statistics and Probability: 6.SP.4 72

Activity: Creating Data Displays 72

Statistics and Probability: 6.SP.5 75

Activity: Summarizing Data 75

Section 2: Standards and Activities for Grade 7 79

Ratios and Proportional Relationships: 7.RP.1 80

Activity: What  in s the Unit Rate? 81

Ratios and Proportional Relationships: 7.RP.2 84

Activity: Proportions Scavenger Hunt 84

Ratios and Proportional Relationships: 7.RP.3 86

Activity 1: Gifts for the Holidays 86

Activity 2: Very Interesting 89

The Number System: 7.NS.1 90

Activity: The Virtual Classroom 90

The Number System: 7.NS.2 92

Activity 1: The Distributive Property War 93

Activity 2: Which One Should Be Excluded? 96

The Number System: 7.NS.3 98

Activity: Playing the Stock Market 98

Expressions and Equations: 7.EE.1 104

Activity: Algebraic Expressions Jigsaw 104

Expressions and Equations: 7.EE.2 106

Activity: Rewriting Expressions 106

Expressions and Equations: 7.EE.3 108

Activity: Estimation Game 108

Expressions and Equations: 7.EE.4 110

Activity 1: Writing Equations 110

Activity 2: Solving Inequalities 112

Geometry: 7.G.1 114

Activity: Scaling Your Classroom 114

Geometry: 7.G.2 116

Activity: Creating Triangles 116

Geometry: 7.G.3 119

Activity 1: A Virtual Cube 119

Activity 2: Slicing Figures 120

Geometry: 7.G.4 121

Activity 1: Circle Scavenger Hunt 121

Activity 2: What’s the Relationship? 122

Geometry: 7.G.5 124

Activity: What’s the Angle? 124

Geometry: 7.G.6 127

Activity: Let’s Build It 127

Statistics and Probability: 7.SP.1 129

Activity: Examining Samples 129

Statistics and Probability: 7.SP.2 131

Activity: How Many Cubes? 131

Statistics and Probability: 7.SP.3 133

Activity: How Well Did They Do? 133

Statistics and Probability: 7.SP.4 136

Activity: What Can We Say? 136

Statistics and Probability: 7.SP.5 139

Activity: On a Scale of Zero to One 139

Statistics and Probability: 7.SP.6 143

Activity: Probability Simulations 143

Statistics and Probability: 7.SP.7 145

Activity 1: Spinner Experiment 145

Activity 2: Flipping a Marshmallow 146

Statistics and Probability: 7.SP.8 148

Activity 1: Working with Sample Spaces 148

Activity 2: Simulating Events 149

Section 3: Standards and Activities for Grade 8 151

The Number System: 8.NS.1 152

Activity: Math Tic-Tac-Toe 153

The Number System: 8.NS.2 154

Activity 1: Zeroing In 154

Activity 2: Irrational Numbers—They’re Insane 155

Expressions and Equations: 8.EE.1 157

Activity: What Does It Equal? 157

Expressions and Equations: 8.EE.2 160

Activity: Creating Squares and Cubes 161

Expressions and Equations: 8.EE.3 162

Activity 1: Expressing Numbers in Scientific Notation 162

Activity 2: It’s How Many Times as Much 163

Expressions and Equations: 8.EE.4 165

Activity 1: Math Bingo 166

Activity 2: Metric Prefixes 167

Expressions and Equations: 8.EE.5 169

Activity: It’s Proportional 169

Expressions and Equations: 8.EE.6 171

Activity 1: The Slope is the Same 171

Activity 2: I Have Derived It 172

Expressions and Equations: 8.EE.7 176

Activity: Which One Doesn’t Belong? 177

Expressions and Equations: 8.EE.8 179

Activity 1: What’s the Point? 180

Activity 2: Students Teaching 181

Functions: 8.F.1 183

Activity 1: Using a Function Machine 183

Activity 2: And Now for a Skit, a Song, a Poem, or a 184

Functions: 8.F.2 185

Activity: What’s My Function? 185

Functions: 8.F.3 189

Activity: A Function Scavenger Hunt 189

Functions: 8.F.4 191

Activity 1: Four in a Row 191

Activity 2: Everyday Uses of Linear Functions 192

Functions: 8.F.5 198

Activity: Describing a Graph 198

Geometry: 8.G.1 201

Activity: Transformations 201

Geometry: 8.G.2 205

Activity 1: Find the Image 205

Activity 2: From Here to There 206

Geometry: 8.G.3 210

Activity: I’ve Scrambled My Notes 210

Geometry: 8.G.4 215

Activity: I Found the Image 215

Geometry: 8.G.5 219

Activity 1: Finding the Sum of the Interior Angles of a Triangle 220

Activity 2: Finding the Sum of the Exterior Angles of a Triangle 221

Activity 3: Angles, Parallel Lines, and Transversals 222

Activity 4: Angle-Angle Similarity 223

Geometry: 8.G.6 227

Activity 1: I Can Explain It 227

Activity 2: The Pythagorean Puzzle 228

Geometry: 8.G.7 230

Activity: Applying the Pythagorean Theorem 230

Geometry: 8.G.8 232

Activity: Finding the Distance 232

Geometry: 8.G.9 234

Activity: Finding the Volume 234

Statistics and Probability: 8.SP.1 237

Activity: Making a Scatter Plot 237

Statistics and Probability: 8.SP.2 239

Activity: Drawing the Line of Best Fit 239

Statistics and Probability: 8.SP.3 241

Activity: Using Linear Equations to Solve Problems 241

Statistics and Probability: 8.SP.4 243

Activity: Analyzing Two-Way Tables 244

Index 247

JUDITH A. MUSCHLA has taught mathematics in South River, New Jersey, for over twenty-five years. She has been a member of the state Standards Review Panel for the Mathematics Core Curriculum Content Standards in New Jersey. GARY ROBERT MUSCHLA taught at Appleby School in Spotswood, New Jersey, for more than twenty-five years. Judith and Gary have coauthored several books, including The Algebra Teacher's Activities Kit, Hands-On Math Projects with Real Life Applications, The Math Teacher's Book of Lists, and Math Starters. ERIN MUSCHLA teaches 8th grade math and algebra at Monroe Township Middle School in Monroe, New Jersey, and has collaborated with Judith and Gary on three previous math books.