Menu Math

Welcome to Menu Math! This page represents my attempt to curate a collection ideas involving a task structure that I invented while playing the the notions of building functions to specifications. [That collection of work can be found on the “Custom Functions” page].

A Math Menu is a collection of constraints that appear as an unordered list generally about 6-10 constraints long. Each menu prescribes a type of mathematical object that needs to be designed to satisfy these constraints. That object could be a certain type of function (as was the original idea), an expression, a shape, a number, etc.

The key to a Menu Math task is this: Each constraint must be satisfied at least once, and students try to complete this goal using as few mathematical objects as possible. This mechanism preserves a low entry point (where teachers might ask students to design objects that satisfy one or two constraints), but escalates the possibility as students analyze which constraints pair well together and which cannot pair together.

The menus have been collected in the table below. Each has been formatted into a downloadable word document.¹ This is to help with preparation time as well as encourage edits of the constraints to fit your specific classroom context. These menus are published under this Creative Commons licence. They are available in both English and French thanks to the translation work of Joce Dagenais! Also, some wonderful coders have started converting Menu Math tasks into Desmos activities. You can gain access to an evergreen list of these activities here.

Take this as your open invitation to implement, adapt, share student thinking, and contribute new ideas. Communicate via Twitter (using the hashtag #menumath) or the Contact Page!

1. You do not need to request permission to access the document. Simply download the file from Google Drive on to your computer.