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Survey Projects
Middle school students love knowing all about their friends and the people around them - what they think, what they are like, what they believe. If you're learning about average (mean), mode, and median, you can make a math project for middle school that will help you learn about all of this.
Come up with something you would like to survey your friends about, making sure that it includes some sort of number. Examples might be how many pairs of shoes they own, what they consider a good grade on a test, how much they would be willing to pay for a haircut, how many siblings they have, or how many hours of television they watch each week.
You should then compile your data, graph it in the way that you think makes the most sense, and calculate the average, mode, and median of the data you collected. Create a large poster to display your results to the class.
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Build a Classroom to Scale
Students who are learning about proportions will benefit from a project that helps them build a classroom to scale. To do this, take measurements of as many aspects of the classroom as possible - its dimensions, the dimensions of the desks and other objects in it, and the distance between the objects.
You can then use this information to create a to-scale model of the classroom. Using basic materials such as tagboard, construction paper, and tape, you should be able to create the objects in the classroom using a specific proportion.
You will need to cut up a box (e.g., tissue box, shoe box) so that the dimensions of the entire "model classroom" are proportional as well. Add as many details to your model as you would like, making sure that all of them are proportional.
You can use more complex proportions such as 2:5 or simpler proportions such as 1:3.
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Pre-Algebra Board Game
You can also set up a basic pre-algebra board game to test their budding pre-algebra skills. Be as creative as you can. In one variation, the board itself is just a long path made up of squares with simple algebraic expressions in them, such as "x + 5" or "3x - 1."
The game also includes cards that give a value for x, such as "x = 4" or "x = -1." Players each roll the dice, move that number of spaces, and then pick one card from the pile.
The players calculate which expression is greater with the given x, and the winner gets to stay in that space, while the loser moves backwards.
This is only one of many possible middle school math projects involving board games, so think creatively and try to come up with your own unique version!
Some other fun math projects for middle school include combining math and writing together. Take a look at this article for some tips on math writing prompts you can use.
