Day 34: Unit Rates Let's Go Shopping!

6th Grade Math Standards: 6.RP.2 Understand the concept of a unit rate a/b associated with a ratio a:b with b ≠ 0, and use rate language in the context of a ratio relationship. For example, “This recipe has a ratio of 3 cups of flour to 4 cups of sugar, so there is ¾ cup of flour for each cup of sugar.” “We paid $75 for 15 hamburgers, which is a rate of $5 per hamburger.”

The Learning Objective: Find a unit rate in a real-world context

Quote of the Day: “There are plenty of teams in every sport that have great players and never win titles. Most of the time, those players aren’t willing to sacrifice for the greater good of the team. The funny thing is, in the end, their unwillingness to sacrifice only makes individual goals more difficult to achieve. One thing I believe to the fullest is that if you think and achieve as a team, the individual accolades will take care of themselves. Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” - Michael Jordan

Question from Yesterday (as always from a student): "Why not divide the top part of the ratio by itself and the bottom part of the ratio by itself?"

Assessment: I collected the unit rate work that students had made on the trip to Stop & Shop, but as I was circumventing the room I made a new assessment on the fly. In the last 5 minutes of class, I asked the students if we had 31 pounds to $22, would there be more than 1 or less than 1 pound per $1 and why? The reason I asked this was because students were simply guessing on where to put their dividend and divisor. The exit ticket really helped clarify that this was the main struggle students were having putting together a unit rate. I also asked where the dividend and divisor would go. The thinking is clear, so tomorrow part of the agenda will be to review these types of comments from students. I actually posted one of these on Instagram already.

Agenda:

1. Jumpstart with munchkins from Dunkin Donuts. A 25-count costs $4.99. A 50-count costs $7.49. What is the unit rate of each?
2. Quote, Star Student, Question
3. Weekly Quiz recap
4. Review the homework (students went to the board to do problems)
5. Pictures from my trip to Stop & Shop

Glass-Half Full: Students associate the number one with a unit rate without much difficulty. I thought it was also critical that I integrated the exit ticket into each class because this is historically such a large issue.

Regrets: In reviewing the question from yesterday, there was too much of me speaking and not enough of them speaking. I need to ask less questions and get them to think deeper on the few questions that I'm asking. In reviewing the question of the day, I also hit on the ticket to leave question, but I think my commanding the stage as opposed to the students thwarted students from understanding the lesson sooner.

Link of the Day: Four strikes and your out is a great way to bring people who are finished with work together to continue to be productive while others finish up.