Mathematics — Grade 6

Phi: The divine proportion

In CareerStart lessons: Grade six, page 2.5

The "divine ratio" is valued by designers, artists, and architects because of its interesting and and unique properties. In this lesson for grade six, students learn about this ratio and use it to create a work of art.

Format: lesson plan (grade 6 Mathematics)

By Kim Abrams, Mike McDowell, and Barbara Strange.

Home renovation: Working with area

In CareerStart lessons: Grade six, page 2.9

In this lesson for grade six, students will work together in cooperative groups using the internet to calculate the cost of finishing a basement.

Format: lesson plan (grade 6 Mathematics)

By Kim Abrams, Mike McDowell, and Barbara Strange.

General contractors: Working with area

In CareerStart lessons: Grade six, page 2.10

This activity for grade six combines math, art, and writing, as students design a floor plan for a house and use calculations of area to arrive at a cost estimate.

Format: lesson plan (grade 6 Mathematics)

By Kim Abrams, Mike McDowell, and Barbara Strange.

Resources on the web

Understanding congruence, similarity, and symmetry using transformations and interactive figures: Visualizing transformations

The interactive figures in this four-part example allow a user to manipulate a shape and observe its behavior under a particular transformation or composition of transformations. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Square circles

This Illuminations lesson allows students to use a variety of units when measuring the side length and perimeter of squares, as well as the diameter and circumference of circles. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Sports Numbers

Students participate in activities in which they focus on the role of numbers and language in real-world situations. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Shops at the Mall

Students develop number sense in and around the shopping mall. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Scaling away

In this Illuminations lesson, students measure the dimensions of a common object, multiply each dimension by a scale factor, and examine a model using the multiplied dimensions. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

The ratio of circumference to diameter

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students measure the circumference and diameter of circular objects. They calculate the ratio of circumference to diameter for each object in an attempt to identify the value of pi and the circumference. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Patterns and functions

In this lesson, students investigate properties of perimeter, area, and volume related to various geometric two- and three-dimensional shapes. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Measuring shadows

Students determine the pattern (length and direction) of shadows cast by sunlight during a several month period and develop an interpretation of the daily and seasonal patterns and variations observed. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6 Mathematics and Science)

Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Mathematics at the mall: Unit overview

Students participate in activities in which they develop number sense in and around the shopping mall. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–8 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Learning about length, perimeter, area, and volume of similar objects using interactive figures: Side length and area of similar figures

This two-part example illustrates how students can learn about the length, perimeter, area, and volume of similar objects using dynamic figures. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–8 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

How steep can you be?

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students consider the construction of a tool that will measure percent slope. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Finding satisfactory solutions

Students apply creative solutions to problem solving in the context of a story problem. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Mathematics)

Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Discovering the area formula for triangles

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students learn the area formula for a triangle. Students find the areas of rectangles and squares and compare them to the areas of triangles derived from the original shape. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Discovering the area formula for circles

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students use a circle that has been divided into congruent sectors to discover the area formula by using their knowledge of parallelograms. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics