Fun Conic Sections Activities

I used to dread teaching conics but introducing these fun conic sections activities into my math classroom has made all of the difference. Read on to find hands-on and engaging ways to teach conic sections to your students.

My first experience teaching conic sections was during my first year of teaching. I was teaching Algebra 2, and I can vividly remember arranging my units during the school year so that conics came last because I was not looking forward to teaching conic sections.

I was always an excellent math student in high school. Usually, math came pretty easily to me, but the first time I ever remember having to study and work hard at math was Algebra 2. Matrices and Conic Sections were the topics that really taught me how to study and practice math.

As a first-year teacher, I was not looking forward to teaching this topic that I had found so difficult to understand and master as a student. Then, I discovered Cindy Johnson’s amazing Conic Cards.

I did exactly what she said to do every day for eight days, and by the end of our conics unit my students were declaring that conic sections were their favorite topic of the entire school year.

Over the years, I have taught conic sections to hundreds of other students in Algebra 2 and now Pre-Calculus since Oklahoma removed conics from the Algebra 2 curriculum. I still love and use Conic Cards, but I have added a number of other fun activities for teaching conic sections to my teaching toolbox.

Hopefully you can find an activity that will make your students love circles, hyperbolas, ellipses, and parabolas as much as my students do!

Teaching Students About Conic Sections

Building a Cone to Visualize Conic Sections

I love teaching conic sections, so I was super-excited to discover a set of instructions online for building a cone to help students visualize the four different types of conic sections. This made the perfect addition to our last unit of the year in Pre-Calculus – conics!

Wooden Visual of Conic Sections

wooden conic section model from Math Happens Foundation.

The MathHappens Organization is sharing free files for creating your own tool to help students visualize conic sections. They even have a printable version that you can create with cardstock if you don’t have access to technology for creating it out of wood.

Conic Cards – A Revolutionary Way to Teach Conic Sections in 8 Days!

If you teach conic sections as part of Algebra 2 or Pre-Calculus, I am about to share a life-changing teaching method for you called Conic Cards. Conic Cards are the creation of Cindy Johnson, a National Board Certified Teacher in Oklahoma.

Classifying Conic Sections Flow Chart

Your students will be classifying the equations of conic sections in no time with this fun and easy to use flow chart from Rebecka Peterson.

Conic Sections Graphic Organizer Collection

Download an entire unit’s worth of graphic organizers and foldables to use with your students in their interactive notebook while learning about the various conic sections.

Conic Sections Foldable

Help your students to summarize and retain important information about each different conic section with this helpful conic sections foldable.

Conic Sections Practice Activities

Sidewalk Chalk Hyperbolas Activity

Hyperbolas are always the hardest conic section for my students to master the skill of graphing. If the weather is suitable, this sidewalk chalk hyperbolas activity will have students graphing perfect hyperbolas in no time!