Mathematics — Grade 3

Resources on the web

Understanding distance, speed, and time relationships using simulation software

This e-example includes a software simulation of two runners along a track. Students can control the speeds and starting points of the runners, watch the race, and examine a graph of the time-versus-distance relationship. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Tally Time

First in an eight-part series. Students tally data about food preferences and learn the convention of displaying a set of five tallies. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Survey of hair and eye colors

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students participate in activities in which they focus on the uses of numbers. The activity, which serves as an introduction to statistics, involves data collection and interpretation. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

State population projections

In Illuminations lesson plan, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations about population projection, students examine the United States Census Bureau Web site to investigate projections of the total population of states from 1995 to 2025. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

State names

In this Illuminations lesson, students use multiple representations to analyze the frequency of letters that occur in the names of all 50 states. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–8 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Spreadsheets can be fun

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students organize data collected about county populations into a spreadsheet and create a chart to help them better understand the data. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

The soup spot

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students conduct a survey based on a food court theme and then create pictographs and line plots. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Sizing up

In this Illuminations lesson, students use measurement to investigate where clothing sizes come from and to explore how sizes differ between companies and countries. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Shorts and shirts

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students are encouraged to discover all the combinations that can be made from a given number of factors. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Rescue mission game

In this lesson, from Illuminations, students play a game to learn about the four forces of flight: lift, drag, thrust, and gravity. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Presenting the plan for a class trip

In this lesson, student groups present plans they developed in the previous lesson on creating a school trip. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Plastic packaging

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students investigate data in connection with recyclable materials and develop plans to help the environment. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Planning a trip: Looking back and moving forward

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students use mathematical knowledge and skills developed in the previous lessons while planning a series of class trips. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Planning a trip to the state capitol

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, student groups plan a trip to the state capitol. Using the skills they developed in the previous lessons, students determine not only elapsed time and distance, but extend their problem-solving skills. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Planning a trip to Disneyland or Disney World, part two

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, student groups use data collected in the previous lesson to plan a trip to Disneyland or Disney World. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Planning a trip to Disneyland or Disney World

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, student groups collect data to plan a trip to Disneyland or Disney World, or to some other high-interest destination. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Planning a class trip to a local attraction

This lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, encourages students to work in groups and apply their knowledge about a trip in a new context. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Planning a class field trip

This lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, focuses students' attention on the variables used in planning trips. It captures students' interest, provides a review of the primary unit objectives, and assesses students' prior knowledge. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Pizza-topping combinations

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students focus on gathering and interpreting data about pizza. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

The pizza palace

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students construct box plots independently. They compute prices from a menu, construct box plots from the data, and then identify the mean, median, mode, and range. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics