Learners discover the magic in mathematics as they solve numerical puzzles involving magic sums. They then make a conjecture as to why no additional examples are possible based on an analysis of the puzzles.

Young travelers plan a trip to Hilbre Island based on constraints on tides and time. They use a timeline to help determine the optimal day/time to make the trip.

Scholars must determine the maximum area for a rectangular plot of land enclosed with 100 meters of rope. As the work they discover patterns and numerical approaches to solve the problem.

Sprechen sie Deutsch? Future cryptographers must decide whether an unknown text is written in English or in German. They use provided pie charts about the frequency of words in the English and German languages to help make their decisions.

Don't be a square! Help your budding mathematicians discover patterns within squares. Scholars create squares on geoboards and identify patterns in the number of nails, both nails on the edge of the squares and nails within the squares....

Scholars use formulas for the area of a circle and the area of a rectangle to determine the number of pies a baker can make from a particular area of dough. They must also take into account rolling the remaining dough into a new sheet.

Minimize the time it takes to create a fish dish. Scholars use their knowledge of time to devise an order that accounts for different constraints. Considering jobs that can be done in parallel is essential to solving the problem.

What would be a fair fare for a taxi? to answer the questions requires young mathematicians to analyze data on fuel prices and taxi cab fares. They determine and justify a fair fare price.

Use mathematics to help plan a field trip. Scholars use the results of a survey to determine where a class should go on a field trip. They use provided data about entrance fees and mileage to calculate the cost per person of such a...

Can a cat have 2,000 descendants in 18 months? To determine if this claim is realistic, individuals must take different pieces of information into account when justifying their responses.

How much fabric is necessary for bunting? Scholars use given dimensions of triangular bunting (hanging decorations) to determine the amount of fabric necessary to decorate a rectangular garden. The task requires pupils to consider...

How many great, great grandchildren can one have? Scholars estimate the number of descendants a woman can have after 110 years. They use information about the average number of children per family and life expectancy to make this estimate.

To take the longest path, go around—or was that go over? Class members measure scale drawings of a cylindrical vase to find the height and diameter. They calculate the actual height and circumference and determine which is larger.  

This is how long we mow the lawn together. The assessment requires the class to work with combining ratios and proportional reasoning. Pupils determine the unit rate of mowers and calculate the time required to mow a lawn if they work...

The class gets their mean and median all in a row with an assessment task that uses a population of ducklings to work with data displays and measures of central tendency. Pupils create a frequency chart and calculate the mean and median....

Scholars identify and continue the numerical pattern for the number of wheels on a train. Using the established pattern and its inverse, they determine whether a number of wheels is possible. Pupils finish...

The game should be fair at all costs. The mini-assessment revolves around the ability to use probabilities to determine whether a game is fair. Individuals determine compound events to calculate simple probabilities and make...

Determine the right mix of cans of cat food. The resource consists of an assessment task to determine the cost to feed two cats for a specific number of days and requires scholars to interpret remainders within a context....

Given a set of criteria, individuals determine how to arrange males and females in a dormitory. They must meet the requirements and communicate their plan clearly.

Pupils try to get a collar on temperature with a short assessment item that asks them to compare two different methods in converting Celsius to Fahrenheit. Individuals try to find out when an estimation provides conversions that are...

If you're not right-handed, are you wrong-handed? Young statisticians calculate the percentage of left-handed people using a given data set in the assessment task. They plot data on a scatter plot and consider how the line of best fit...

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but these sticks will make me smarter. Pupils examine arrays of sticks to determine the next array in a pattern. They use the number of sticks added to each previous array to determine a recursive...

Why are only four colors needed to color webs from regular pentagons, not five? An assessment task requires young mathematicians to first construct regular pentagons using a compass and straightedge, then has them consider a shape...

Interpret a graph of the number of oranges at a produce stand to determine a likely event at different times. They also analyze the graph to determine which time period oranges were selling most quickly.