Mathematics — Grade 3

Amazing Amaryllis Activities

Students will use an amaryllis started from a bulb to explore the growth of the plant, measure, record and compare the growth of the leaves and the flower. They will enter the data on a spreadsheet and convert it into a graph.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Mathematics, Computer Technology Skills, and Science)

By Mary Rizzo.

Beginning lesson on Coordinate Grids-First Quadrant

Students will investigate the first quadrant of the Cartesian coordinate system. They will use online activities developed by Shodor.org to identify the coordinates of points, or plot specific points. Then students will progress to an activity where they direct a robot through a mine field laid out on the coordinate plane. Permission has been granted for the use of the materials as part of the workshop - "Interactivate Your Bored Math Students" by Shodor Education Foundation, Inc.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Computer Technology Skills and Mathematics)

By Bonnie Boaz.

Collecting and Organizing Data

In this lesson students will learn to collect data and organize the data into a chart using computer technology.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Computer Technology Skills and Mathematics)

By Rochelle Mullis.

Fast food frolics

Students will research nutritional guides from local fast food restaurants. Based on this research, students will compare menus for nutritional values and create healthy and unhealthy meal advertisement posters.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 English Language Arts, Healthful Living Education, and Mathematics)

By Lisa Pastor.

Graphing and Measurement Go Hand in Hand

Students learn how to use customary measurement using inches or centimeters and data collection and graphing simultaneously. Students will measure the length of their foot, arm span, hand span, or head circumference to the nearest centimeter or inch. Next they will collect and represent their data by constructing a graph.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Mathematics)

By Fran Toledano.

Graphing Shark Sizes

In the following lesson, the students will work in cooperative groups to research shark lengths and graph their information.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Mathematics)

By Carole Long.

Graphs Galore

This lesson will allow students to conduct surveys from a selected number of people. Then the students will be able to use this data to create various kinds of graphs. After completion of the graphs, they will analyze their data and then draw conclusions from this data.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 English Language Arts, Computer Technology Skills, and Mathematics)

By Alta Allen.

In full bloom

This mini-unit uses the wonderful story of Miss Rumphius by Barbara Clooney. Miss Rumphius travels to faraway places and makes the world more beautiful by planting her favorite seeds. The book sets the stage for activities relating to core curriculum objectives to be implemented into the learning environment, using technology tools and applications to create student products.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Computer Technology Skills)

By Kay Ball.

Light, camera, action! Shadows?

This lesson will demonstrate how the position of a light source or direction of light and the time of the day will affect the shadow images that are depicted in our environment over a period of time.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 English Language Arts, Computer Technology Skills, Mathematics, and Science)

By Alta Allen.

M&M Math

M&M Math provides students with hands-on activities. Students will be sorting objects, comparing whole numbers, writing fractions, performing addition, subtraction, and division problems with the use of manipulatives.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Mathematics)

By Angela Gillie.

Nutrition and the media: Cereal box consumerism

This lesson will offer your students the opportunity to explore nutrition and how the media impacts our consumer decisions. Students will design a cereal box and read about how the use of color, slogans, and prizes impacts buyers. This lesson plan is easily adapted for exceptional children and can be expanded and/or adapted to suit your students' needs.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2–4 English Language Arts, Healthful Living Education, and Mathematics)

By Gloria Simmons.

PIZZA = "Fractions: Any Way You Slice It!"

During this lesson, students will explore and investigate the relationships among fractions. Students will use paper pizzas divided into fractional parts to compare equivalent fractions. They will see part-whole fractions as fair shares and begin to understand that the parts must be equal.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Computer Technology Skills)

By Alta Allen.

Solid Graphing

The students will review solid figures using a baggie of assorted snack mix (cones, cubes, cylinders, and spheres) and will begin a vertical bar graph showing the number of each solid figure in a bag of assorted snack mix.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Mathematics)

By Lisa Fletcher.

Temperature Graphs

In the following lesson students will locate and record daily high temperatures for several major cities. This data will then be displayed on line graphs. Students will choose one city, and based on its high temperatures, write a paragraph describing appropriate clothing and activities for that location. They will draw a picture of themselves dressed in the clothing and participating in an activity they described.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 English Language Arts, Visual Arts Education, and Mathematics)

By Kaye Clark.

Where were you born...A graphing lesson

Students will gather data and graph the results. Lake Norman Elementary's student population has a wide range of native states. Many of the students were born in states other than North Carolina. This activity allows the students to survey each class to see what states are represented in our school. After the survey results have been tallied, students will use the data to create different types of graphs. The class will then compare the graphs and will decide which type of graph represents the information most clearly.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 Mathematics and Computer Technology Skills)

By Erin Bradfeldt, Joan Milliken, and Kathy Beck.

Lesson plans on the web

Bell curve

Students construct two bell curves using two different yet related objects. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Mathematics and )

Provider: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Bias sampling

In this Science NetLinks lesson, students take a poll to gather information about how much time students spend on homework. Students then explore ways that data can be manipulated and discover that sometimes a representation of a group does not provide an accurate picture of the whole group. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Mathematics)

Provider: American Association for the Advancement of Science

The bread basket

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students conduct a survey and create bar graphs. They compare bar graphs in different orientations and then find the mode of a set of data based on a food court theme. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Mathematics)

Provider: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Can you picture it?

Students collect data about favorite vegetables, record the data in a pictograph, and then interpret this representation. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 2–3 Healthful Living Education and Mathematics)

Provider: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Categorical data

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students formulate and refine questions that can be addressed with categorical data. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Mathematics)

Provider: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics