For Public and Independent Schools
Applied math your students don't tune out.
Probability and algebra modules built from Dr. Kenneth Chelst's NSF-funded Wayne State curriculum. Standards-aligned, classroom-ready, with printable worksheets for non-1:1 environments.
Same math, four story wrappers, one classroom.
A class of thirty students rarely shares one interest. Every chapter ships with 4–5 cultural wrappers — chess, retail, streaming, ticketing, sports — and students pick which one grabs them. The math underneath is identical. The motivation isn’t. Differentiation without parallel lesson plans.
Built from a real textbook, not a content team.
Dr. Kenneth Chelst spent decades at Wayne State teaching applied decision science. Mathematical Modeling with Probabilitywas developed under an NSF grant and used in classrooms for over a decade. The web modules re-render that textbook. The rigor is the source material’s, not ours.
Works without a 1:1 device program.
Every module pairs an interactive web activity with a printable PDF worksheet covering the same content. Use the screen version in a 1:1 classroom, the PDF where devices are limited, or both — the math is the same in either format.
For the teacher running the lesson
What a 45-minute block looks like.
Students open the chapter, pick a wrapper, and work the activity for 25–30 minutes — five of them on chess openings, eight on the Eras Tour, six on Sephora, the rest spread across DoorDash and minyan. The Socratic AI tutor handles individual stuck moments. You spend the last 10–15 minutes on whole-class discussion using the prompts in the teacher view, where every student is working the same math even though they picked different scenarios.
Prep time: 15–20 minutes per module.
Preview the module, read the math verification audit so you know which steps trip students up, scan the discussion prompts. The teacher view is structured as a lesson plan, not a separate document you have to build.
The teacher view shows the math, the misconceptions, and the moves.
Every module includes a Teacher's Guide mode with worked examples, common student misconceptions flagged before they happen, discussion prompts tied to each phase of the activity, and pedagogy notes citing the research behind each design decision. Useful for a first-year teacher and a department veteran for different reasons.
Differentiation without parallel lesson plans.
The kid who reads two grades below level and the kid who's bored in honors both work the same math, both pick a wrapper that makes sense to them, and both turn in the same worksheet. You're not building three versions of the lesson.
How it works
Pick a chapter.
Probability for high school, percent-to-algebra for middle school, mapped to Common Core domains.
Each student picks a world.
Students self-select the wrapper that hooks them, which means the kid who hates math and the kid who loves it engage with the same lesson differently.
Work the math.
Hook, scenario, interactive activity, Socratic AI tutor, glossary, printable worksheet — designed for a 30–45 minute block.
What students actually see
Real hooks from live modules. Same math, different worlds.
Probability · Chapter 1
The Eras Tour Presale
Verified-fan code in hand, 2 million people in queue ahead of you, floor seats at $449 face value, resale already at $1,200. Students model the 2022 Ticketmaster collapse as a probability problem — expected cost of waiting versus buying now.
Probability · Chapter 1
Netflix Recommendations
Netflix recommended five shows in a row that you bailed on after one episode. Algorithm broken, or random? Students estimate finish rates, count outcomes across binge sessions, and run 1,000 simulated watchlists to figure out which way the math actually points.
Percent to Algebra · Activity 1
Sephora Checkout
Sephora gave you two codes today and the site only lets you use one — 15% off your cart, or $15 off orders over $75. Same deal at what total? Students table the math row by row, hit the limit of trial-and-error, then crack the algebra.
Percent to Algebra · Activity 1
Dick's Sporting Goods
Tryouts are next week. You're rebuilding your bag — bat, glove, cleats, helmet. 15% off your $200 gear order or $25 off purchases over $150? Students compute each savings, find the exact crossover, and watch percent operations turn into a variable equation.
Built on Dr. Chelst’s textbooks
The curriculum behind The Situation Room comes from Mathematical Modeling with Probability and From Percentages to Algebra, written by Dr. Kenneth Chelst, professor emeritus of applied mathematics at Wayne State and co-author of an NSF-funded modeling curriculum used in classrooms for over a decade. The web modules don’t simplify the math — they re-render it. The pedagogy, sequencing, and worked examples are his. The story wrappers are how the textbook reaches the students sitting in front of you.
Common questions
Does this align with state standards?+
One of the wrappers references a Jewish religious context. Is this a religious curriculum?+
Math your students remember after the test.
The first module is free to preview, and we run no-cost pilots for departments evaluating adoption. Walk through the chess version of expected value or the Sephora version of percent-to-algebra and decide whether it belongs in front of your students.
Request a pilot