Algebra 1 Activities

Download Algebra 1 Activities and Teacher Activity Notes. Access the Fathom files for these activities by selecting File, Open Sample Document, and choosing the relevant file from the folder “Teaching Math with Fathom.” Descriptions of the activities are given below.

  • Mammals’ Brains: In this activity you’ll study the brain sizes of 62 mammals. You’ll use Fathom to find the mammals with the largest and smallest brains, and discover that your answers depend on how you define “largest” and “smallest.”
  • Reading the News: It’s been claimed that listening to a half-hour radio news broadcast is the same as reading the front section of the newspaper. You’ll find out if this is true.
  • Slope-Intercept Form: In this activity you’ll study data that fit perfectly on a line. By changing the data, you’ll explore how the equation of the line changes.
  • The Ocean Train: In this activity you’ll study a passenger train called the Ocean, which runs from Halifax, Nova Scotia, through New Brunswick, to Montréal, Quebec. The trip takes place on parts of two days. If you leave Halifax on Saturday afternoon, you get to Montréal by Sunday morning. You’ll use Fathom to find out how fast the Ocean goes.
  • Olympics: In this activity you’ll explore the men’s and women’s track-and-field gold-medal results from the Summer Olympic Games from 1896 to 2004.
  • Sequence of Squares: In this activity you’ll explore the square numbers, 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, … You’ll use mental math to recognize a relationship between these numbers and then use Fathom to confirm or refute your conjecture.