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Subjects

• Mathematics
  --Arithmetic

Grade

• 6-8

Brief Description

Students predict how many vampires are in the world, based on the legend that, once bitten, each victim becomes a vampire. Extrapolating how many vampires would populate the earth in 30+ weeks, students then compare the total predicted vampire population against earth's total human population. This creative lesson by Microsoft improves math, problem solving, and group skills. Check it out!

Objectives

• create and interpret graphs.
• problem-solve using real world data.
• make predictions and analyze data.

Keywords

graphing, Excel, prediction, vampires

Materials Needed

• computer access
• Microsoft Excel (Note: lesson can be adapted for other spreadsheet programs)
• printer (if wishing to assess student work)

Lesson Plan

From pre-activity discussion to group assignments, each step of the lesson Do Vampires Really Exist? is laid out on the Microsoft Web site. Additional age-appropriate links to Halloween research resources also are provided.

In addition, Fayette County (Kentucky) Public Schools has created a student worksheet you can download and print to help students through the steps of this lesson.

This lesson can be completed in one class period. Because students must be competent with the formula feature of Microsoft Excel, however, if your students are not, you might want to conduct the lesson as a whole group activity using a projector or TV monitor.

Assessment

• completion of the assignment based on class work and printed worksheet (see below)
• successful work within small groups and in whole group discussion

Lesson Plan Source

Microsoft

Submitted By

Lorrie Jackson

National Standards

SOCIAL SCIENCES: Civics

MATHEMATICS: Number and Operations
GRADES 6 - 8
NM-NUM.6-8.1 Understand Numbers, Ways of Representing Numbers, Relationships Among Numbers, and Number Systems
NM-NUM.6-8.2 Understand Meanings of Operations and How They Relate to One Another
NM-NUM.6-8.3 Compute Fluently and Make Reasonable Estimates

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