If you have ever had an adult learner ask, “When am I ever going to use this?”—or if you simply want to make room for richer, real-world discussions in your math classroom—you will love Citizen Math.
Formerly known as Mathalicious, Citizen Math provides ready-to-teach, inquiry-based math lessons designed for grades 6 through 12, which makes much of their content perfect for adult education students.
Rather than using real-world contexts as a mere backdrop for boring word problems, Citizen Math uses mathematical concepts as a lens through which students analyze open-ended, real-world issues. Math is a tool for critical thinking about the world around us.
Adult learners bring a wealth of life experience to the classroom, but they sometimes struggle to see how abstract math concepts connect to their lives. Citizen Math bridges this gap by centering every lesson around an authentic question—often one without a simple, definitive “right” answer.
The activities prioritize conceptual understanding, mathematical modeling, and critical analysis through:
- Authentic Contexts: Lessons center on issues like policy, economics, health, and personal finance rather than contrived scenarios.
- Discussion-based Learning: Students work collaboratively to solve problems, analyze data, and debate the social implications of their findings.
Each lesson comes with clear teacher guides, step-by-step facilitation prompts, printable student handouts, and interactive visual aids (like digital sliders and graphs) to support discussion. And now, its entire library of high-quality, instructional materials are free!
Some suggested lessons to get started
ABE and Pre-HSE Level
Lesson: “Ad Vantage“
- Real-World Question: How much of what we see is advertising?
- Math Topic: Decomposing Irregular Polygons and Calculating Area (Rectangles & Triangles)
We live in a media-saturated world—surrounded by advertisements from streaming apps and social media feeds to physical billboards. In this lesson, students analyze real-world scenes (like Times Square) and break down complex, irregular visual space into basic geometric shapes (triangles and rectangles) to calculate what percentage of the total view is dedicated to advertising. It takes an abstract geometry standard—decomposing composite figures—and applies it directly to visual literacy and consumer awareness.
ABE and Pre-HSE Level
Lesson: “Downside Up“
- Real-World Question: Is there an upside to having a bad day?
- Math Topic: Positive and Negative Integers / Signed Numbers on a Number Line
We see signed numbers in the world around us like bank balances, credit, and temperature changes, but representing positive and negative values conceptually can still be tricky. In this lesson, students use positive and negative integers on a number line to quantify, compare, and track how a series of fortunate and unfortunate events change someone’s day. It uses signed numbers to evaluate the net outcome of life’s ups and downs.
HSE (GED/HiSET) Level
Lesson: “You’re So Fined“
- Real-World Question: How do municipal fines affect people with different incomes?
- Math Topic: Rates, Linear Functions, and Systems of Equations
In this lesson, students construct linear models to examine how flat-rate traffic fines disproportionately impact lower-income drivers compared to income-based fines. It provides a great low-floor, high-ceiling entry point for discussing slope, rate of change, and system intersections in a meaningful context.
Citizen Math offers adult education teachers a rare combination: rigorous, standards-aligned math content wrapped in discussions that respect the maturity and life experience of adult students. Whether you use a lesson as a unit hook, a contextualized application activity, or a stand-alone lesson, the lessons here are definitely worth exploring.
