In this article, we investigated how a class engaged in whole-class discussions of modeling solutions, across two different types of modeling tasks: a Model Eliciting Activity (MEA) and a Three-Act Task. We analyzed whole-class discourse as small groups presented and responded to each other's solutions to a MEA and a Three-Act Task. We have also…

The phenomenon of outbreaks of dangerous diseases is both intriguing to students and of mathematical significance, which is exactly why the authors engaged eighth graders in an introductory activity on the growth that occurs as an epidemic spreads. Various contexts can set the stage for such an exploration. Reading adolescent literature like…

An eighth grade algebra class used graphing calculators to simulate ecosystems. One simulation introduced mathematical chaos. The activities exposed the students to nonlinear patterns and modeling. The rate-of-change investigations related the ideas of intercept and slope to the changing equilibrium. The chaotic model intrigued them and was useful…