November (Grades 6-8)

Pinecones

The rings of petals on a pinecone form a sequence called the Fibonacci numbers. What are Fibonacci numbers? AND, is this true about pine cones? Gather some up and record what you find out!

 
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Pies

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For Thanksgiving dessert, a bakery makes specialty pies. They come in two sizes: small and large. The small pie has a diameter of 10", and the large pie has a diameter of 20".  If the 10" pie is priced at $3.00, how much should the 20" pie sell for? Explain your solution.

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The fall harvest often leads us to do a lot of home cooking as we eat apples, pumpkins, squash, and other delicious food. 

Here is a list of the ingredients and amounts used to make apple crisp to serve 6 people:

  • 4  medium tart cooking apples, sliced (4 cups)

  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

  • 1/2 cup flour

  • 1/2 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats

  • 1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened

  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Determine the amount of ingredients that would be necessary to make the recipe for your entire class. How much of each ingredient would you need to make enough of the recipe for your entire school?

To make pumpkin pie, a recipe calls for an eight inch round pie pan.  Aunt Millie only has a twelve-inch round pie pan (with 12 inches as the diameter).  By how much will she have to increase the ingredients in the pumpkin pie recipe to fill the twelve-inch pie pan?  Use a math model to show your work.

Native Americans

The Wampanoag, one of Massachusetts’ native tribes, traveled primarily on foot (~2.5 miles/hr), as horses were not introduced until settlers brought them from Europe.  

Using a map, find the distance and calculate the travel time for a Wampanoag Native American living in Plymouth to visit a neighboring tribe in Natick, MA.  

If a Native American walks about 8 hours a day, how many days will it take him to get to Natick?  Explain your thinking.


Chantelle Davis-Gray