Mathematics — Grade 6

Ecuador: A land of climate diversity

In this lesson, students will create climate graphs and analyze photographs to investigate the various types of climate in Ecuador and the interactions between climate and human culture. The lesson plan is designed to be adapted to the study of various countries.

Format: (grade 6 Social Studies, Mathematics, Science, and English Language Arts)

By Eric Eaton.

Ecuador: A study of population

In this lesson, students will create population pyramid graphs and analyze photographs to investigate population in Ecuador. Students will draw on this analysis to make predictions about how population issues will affect Ecuador's future. The lesson plan is designed to be adapted to the study of various countries.

Format: (grade 6 Social Studies, English Language Arts, Science, and Mathematics)

By Eric Eaton.

Life's Percents

Students will gather data from their own lives to use in calculating percents. They will measure parts of their bodies (head, leg, neck, etc.), complete a class survey that asks information about themselves, and use a pay stub to find percentages of deductions.

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 Mathematics)

By Karen Mcpherson.

Marketing careers: Working with scale drawings

This activity for grade six combines math, art, and writing, as students create a scale drawing of a toy car and reflect on how math can be used in marketing careers.

Format: lesson plan (grade 6 Mathematics)

By Kim Abrams, Mike McDowell, and and Barbara Strange.

Pizza Anyone?

Students survey their class and analyze data about favorite pizza toppings.

This activity is meant to be fun and engaging, with the class participating and making decisions as a whole.

Format: lesson plan (grade 6 Mathematics)

By Jack Hunter.

See How They Run! The 100 Meter Dash

Middle level students will collect times as they run the 100 meter dash. These times will be depicted through various graphic representations (bar, circle, histogram). Times will be compared to current world records for the 100 meters. Students will decide which Math class ran fastest and support that choice in short essay form. They will also try to determine the faster gender based on the data collected.

This lesson plan is a unit filled with related lesson plans. One or two parts of this project could be completed as a stand-alone lesson, or the entire set of activities and extensions could be completed for an involved, integrated unit.

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Mathematics)

By Holly Smith.

Lesson plans on the web

Algebra in balance

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students use an interactive pan balance tool to explore algebraic expressions. They determine if algebraic expressions are equal and balance pans to solve a system of equations. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Mathematics)

Provider: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Aluminum Cans

Students gather and graph information about their use of aluminum cans, and then interpret the data, including finding and displaying the mean. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5–8 Mathematics)

Provider: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Beyond handshakes

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students explore triangular numbers. This exploration enhances students' ability to generalize a pattern with variables. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Mathematics)

Provider: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Birthdays and the Binary System: Exploring Binary Numbers in a Real-World Application

This lesson revolves around patterns and place value in the binary system. Students are drawn into mathematics by the “magical” ability to guess an unknown number and by the use of birthdays. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–6 Mathematics)

Provider: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Burning questions

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students use information from a quiz, along with what they learned in the previous four lessons, to write a summary and finalize a property sketch demonstrating their understanding of wildfires. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Mathematics)

Provider: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Commutative rectangle

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students investigate the concepts of identity, inverse, commutativity, and associativity using a geometric model. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6 Mathematics)

Provider: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Constant dimensions

In this Illuminations lesson, students measure the length and width of a rectangle using both standard and non-standard units of measure. In addition to providing measurement practice, this lesson allows students to discover that the ratio of length to width of a rectangle is constant. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Mathematics)

Provider: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Difference of Squares

Students explore arithmetic statements leading to a result that is the factoring pattern for the difference of two squares. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6 Mathematics)

Provider: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Everything balances out in the end

In this unit of three lessons, from Illuminations, students use a pan balance to study equality, order of operations, numerical and variable expressions and other key algebraic concepts. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 Mathematics)

Provider: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Golden ratio

In this Illuminations lesson, students explore the Fibonacci sequence. They examine how the ratio of two consecutive Fibonacci numbers creates the Golden Ratio and identify real-life examples of the Golden Ratio. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Mathematics)

Provider: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Graphical representations for the number of hits

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students continue their exploration of the Paper Pool game by graphically analyzing data collected during several games played. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Mathematics)

Provider: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Heating up

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students discover the havoc that wildfire can cause. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Mathematics)

Provider: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

How many hits?

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students continue their investigation of the Paper Pool game by exploring more tables and organizing the results. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Mathematics)

Provider: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Investigating fire environments

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students consider the meaning of the term variable, both in a mathematical and an everyday sense, by considering a text-based “equation.” (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Mathematics)

Provider: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics