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 “NEW!” are newly added to this website as of 2/28/2025.
| Grade Level(s) | Task Name | Common Core State Standards | Georgia’s K-12 Mathematics Standards | Big Idea(s) | Main Question/ Wonder |
| 2-3 | Candy Bowl | 2.NBT.6 2.NBT.7 2.NBT.9 | 2.NR.2 3.PAR.2 | Addition/ Subtraction | How many Snickers were there? How many Milky Ways are there? |
| 2-3 | Candy Bowl Revisited | 2.NBT.6 2.NBT.7 2.NBT.9 | 2.NR.2 3.PAR.2 | Addition/ Subtraction | How many Snickers were there in the bowl? How many Milky Way and Twix candies are in the bowl now? |
| 3-4 | Olympic Display | 3.MD.7 3.OA.5 4.NBT.5 | 3.GSR.7 3.PAR.3 4.NR.2 | Addition, Multiplication, Area | How many twelve packs are there in the Olympic display? |
| 4-7 | Big Cuisenaire Rods | 4.MD.2 6.RP.3 7.RP.3 | 4.MDR.6 6.NR.4 7.PAR.4 | Measurement, Equivalent Ratios, Proportional Reasoning | How much will the big Cuisenaire rod weigh? |
| 3-8 | Card House | 3.OA.3 3.OA.7 3.NBT.3 5.NBT.7 8.G.7 | 3.PAR.3 6.NR.1 8.GSR.8 | Multiply 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? |
| 4-5 | Sweet Tart Hearts | 3.NF.1 4.NF.4 | 5.NR.3 | Multiplying Fractions and Whole Numbers | How many Sweet Tarts of each color? |
| 4-5 | Sweet Tart Hearts Revisited | 3.NF.1 4.NF.4 | 5.NR.3 | Multiplying Fractions and Whole Numbers | How many Sweet Tarts of each color? |
| 4-6 | Card House Build | 4.NBT.5 4.MD.2 5.NBT.5 6.RP.3 7.RP.3 | 4.NR.2 4.MDR.6 5.NR.2 6.NR.4 7.PAR.4 | Multiply Whole Numbers Equivalent Ratios Proportional Reasoning | How many cards were used to build the card house? How long did it take to build? |
| 5-6 | Penny Cube | 5.NBT.7 5.MD.5 | 5.GSR.8 6.NR.1 | Multiplying Decimals, Volume | How much money is that? |
| 5-6 | Small Penny Cube | 5.NBT.7 5.MD.5 | 5.GSR.8 6.NR.1 | Multiplying Decimals, Volume | How much money is that? |
| 6-7 | Coin Dropper | 6.RP.3 7.RP.3 | 6.NR.4 7.PAR.4 | Equivalent Ratios, Proportional Reasoning | How many drops of water will fit on the quarter? |
| 6-7 | Post-It Waterfall | 6.RP.3 7.RP.3 | 6.NR.4 7.PAR.4 | Equivalent Ratios, Proportional Reasoning | How long will the Post-It waterfall last? How many Post-Its are there? |
| 6-7 | Making Snow | 6.RP.3 7.RP.3 | 6.NR.4 7.PAR.4 | Measurement Conversions, Equivalent Ratios, Proportional Reasoning | How much of each ingredient is needed to make enough snow to fill the bowl? |
| 6-7 NEW! | Origami Frogs | 6.RP.3 7.RP.3 | 6.NR.4 7.PAR.4 | Equivalent Ratios, Proportional Reasoning | How big will the frog made with the white paper be? |
| 5-7 NEW! | The Slinky | 7.GSR.5 7.NR.1 6.NR.1 | 7.G.B.4 5.NBT.B.7 5.NF.B.6 | Circumference of a Circle Fraction & Decimal Operations | How long with the Slinky be when it is straightened? |
| 7 | Sphero Draw & Drive | 7.G.1 7.RP.3 | 7.PAR.4 | Scale Drawings, Proportional Relationships | How far did the robotic ball travel? How much further does it need to travel to complete the rectangle? |
| 7 | The Fastest | 7.RP.2 7.RP.3 | 7.PAR.4 | Proportional Relationships | How much faster is the Cheetah than Usain Bolt? |
| 8 | The Pythagoras Tree | 8.G.7 8.G.2 | 8.GSR.8 | Pythagorean Theorem, Proportional Relationships, Similar Triangles | How big are each of the cut-out squares? How many grid squares were cut for each color? What is the area of the tree? |
For more tasks to try, check out the work offered by these amazing mathematics educators:
These look fantastic. Is there any chance you could add a link to the standards you are referring to? I have absolutely no idea as I teach in Australia. Thanks . 🙂
Common Core in the United States
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
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