3 Act Tasks

Dan Meyer introduced the idea of 3-Act Math Tasks with his TED Talk: Math Class Needs a Makeover. 

Below is a table of the 3-Act Tasks that I’ve created. Those marked with a * are newly added to this website as of 8/21/2023. 

Task Name with LinkStandard(s)Big Idea(s)Main Question/Wonder
Sweet Tart Hearts4.NF.4, 3.NF.1Multiplying Fractions and Whole NumbersHow many Sweet Tarts of each color?
Sweet Tart Hearts Revisited4.NF.4, 3.NF.1Multiplying Fractions and Whole NumbersHow many Sweet Tarts of each color?
Penny Cube5.NBT.7, 5.MD.5Multiplying Decimals, VolumeHow much money is that?
*Small Penny Cube5.NBT.7, 5.MD.5Multiplying Decimals, VolumeHow much money is that?
Candy Bowl2.NBT.6, 2.NBT.7, 2.NBT.9Addition/SubtractionHow many Snickers were there? How many Milky Ways are there?
Candy Bowl Revisited2.NBT.6, 2.NBT.7, 2.NBT.9Addition/SubtractionHow many Snickers were therein the bowl? How many Milky Way and Twix candies are in the bowl now?
Card House3.OA.3, 3.OA.7, 3.NBT.3, 5.NBT.7, 8.G.7Multiply Whole Numbers
Multiply Decimals
Pythagorean Theorem		How tall will the card house be when finished?  How many cards/decks were used to build the card house?  How many card triangles were used to build the card house?
Olympic Display3.MD.7, 3.OA.5, 4.NBT.5Addition, Multiplication, AreaHow many twelve packs are there in the Olympic display?
*Big Cuisenaire Rods4.MD.2, 6.RP.3, 7.RP.3Measurement, Equivalent Ratios, Proportional ReasoningHow much will the big Cuisenaire rod weigh?
A Math-ic Prediction6.EE.2, 6.EE.6Writing/Evaluating ExpressionsHow can she predict my number? How can the prediction always be one no matter what number is used?
Consecutive Number Sums6.EE.2, 6.EE.4 6.EE.6Writing/Evaluating Expressions, Equivalent ExpressionsHow does he know the sum so quickly?
Triangle Mystery6.EE.2, 6.EE.4 6.EE.6Writing/Evaluating Expressions, Equivalent ExpressionsHow did she figure out the top number of the triangle so quickly?
Snack Mix6.RP.3Equivalent RatiosHow much of each ingredient is needed to fill all of the cups?
Sphero Draw & Drive7.G.1, 7.RP.3Scale Drawings, Proportional RelationshipsHow far did the robotic ball travel? How much further does it need to travel to complete the rectangle?
The Fastest7.RP.2, 7.RP.3Proportional RelationshipsHow much faster is the Cheetah than Usain Bolt?
The Pythagoras Tree8.G.7, 8.G.2Pythagorean Theorem, Proportional RelationshipsHow big are each of the cut-out squares? How many grid squares were cut for each color? What is the area of the tree?
*Coin Dropper6.RP.3, 7.RP.3Equivalent Ratios, Proportional ReasoningHow many drops of water will fit on the quarter?
*Post-It Waterfall6.RP.3, 7.RP.3Equivalent Ratios, Proportional ReasoningHow long will the Post-It waterfall last? How many Post-Its are there?
*Making Snow6.RP.3, 7.RP.3Measurement Conversions, Equivalent Ratios, Proportional ReasoningHow much of each ingredient is needed to make enough snow to fill the bowl?

For more tasks to try, check out the work offered by these amazing mathematics educators:

Robert KaplinskyGraham FletcherKendra LomaxDan Meyer
Andrew StadelKristen AcostaKyle PearceJon Orr
Geoff KrallCatherine CastilloDane EhlertSembl

5 comments

  2. Thank you for your kind words and your question. Many of my 3-act tasks are also available on 101qs.com. Most of these tasks have full lessons with standards linked. These are Common Core standards, but the description of the standard can be found by clicking the prologue button at the top left corner of the page. The standard codes are listed. If you hover over the standard, the description will appear. This link should take you to a list of my 3-acts on this site: https://www.101qs.com/MikeWiernicki

    I hope this helps!

    Mike

    Reply

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