Students used an egg cutter to divide eggs into slices and calculated the volume of each cylinder slice. They then added the volumes together and compared this to the calculation using the formula V=2/3*PI*a^2*b. Some students led activities using playmobil dolls to introduce calculating with negative numbers. Another activity had students measure round objects to discover the concept of PI by calculating the ratio of circumference to diameter.

1. Pestalozzi Gymnasium Unna

2. Students used an egg cutter to divide eggs in equal slices and calculated the
volume of each cylinder. Then they calculated the total volume by adding the
the volume of all slices. For the end parts they subtracted a little bit because
these pieces were no full cylinders. They compared the volume that they had
calculated by this method with the calculation via formula V =2/3*PI*a^2*b.
Approximating the volume of an egg

3. Click on this picture to start the video!
Some students prepared a hands-on activity for their class and leaded small
groups of 4 or 5 that worked around (a-b)².
more information and worksheet
C
Binomial formula hands-on

4. Young students like to discover maths while playing. There is a lesson plan
how to use the playmobil dolls to introduce calculating with negative
numbers.
more pictures and lesson plan
Calculating with negative numbers

5. A lot of round plates, boxes, … are measured and the ratio of perimenter and
radius is calculated. So students detected by themselves that there is a
constant, called PI.
Pictures, lesson plan and evaluation ...
Discovering PI by measurements

6. The relation between rotation symmetry, angles and number of images can be
easily discovered with two mirrors.
Worksheet related to this experiment ...
Symmetry with two mirrors

7. A lot of activities can be done by using plastic forms. The basic forms are
triangles (isoceles, right-angled), squares, pentagons and hexagons. The
material is called Polydron and can be ordered easily via internet.
You may order Polydron here (the coffret is enough for groupwork in a class)
Platonic and other solids with Polydron

8. It is another way to build solids. It is more creative than using Polydron. You
also can take thin straws. It is important that the Plasticine is hard enough!
A lesson plan will follow!
Solids with tooth peaks

9. Students normally know Archimedes principle from their physics lessons to
determine the volume of a solid. Students may compare the results with the
the formula V=2/3*PI*a^2*b to calculate the volume of an egg.
Determing the volume of an egg

10. Students like this game to determine suitable probabilities for different
positions and then calculating probabilities for positions if two or three pigs
were diced.
look at the task (worksheet)
The game "Pass the pig" and probability

11. Not demanding but in times of football world championship ....
task with printable worksheet
Folding a football from paper

12. Draw some graphs of degree three or four on the schoolyard. Students have to
walk along the graph pointing with the right arm on the ground if there is a
right curvature, to the left if the graph curves right.
So students really get to know the meaning of an inflection point of a graph.
Graphs on the schoolyard

13. More hands-on activities that we used in
different classes will follow in pictures and
videos, with lesson plans and worksheets,
too.