Day 37: Tape Diagrams

6th Grade Math Standards: 6.RP.3 Use ratio and rate reasoning to solve real-world and mathematical problems, e.g., by reasoning about tables of equivalent ratios, tape diagrams, double number line diagrams, or equations.
a. Make tables of equivalent ratios relating quantities with whole-number measurements, find missing values in the tables, and plot the pairs of values on the coordinate plane. Use tables to compare ratios.
b. Solve unit rate problems, including those involving unit pricing and constant speed. For example, if it took 7 hours to mow 4 lawns, then, at that rate, how many lawns could be mowed in 35 hours? At what rate were lawns being mowed?
c. Find a percent of a quantity as a rate per 100 (e.g., 30% of a quantity means 30/100 times the quantity); solve problems involving finding the whole, given a part and the percent.
d. Use ratio reasoning to convert measurement units; manipulate and transform units appropriately when multiplying or dividing quantities.
MA.3.e. Solve problems that relate the mass of an object to its volume.

The Learning Objective: Solve ratio problems using a tape diagram

Quote of the Day: “Curt Carlson was founder of multibillion-dollar Carlson Companies. That today includes Radisson Hotels and the restaurant T.G.I. Friday’s. He said the first five days of the week, Monday through Friday, are when you work to keep up with the competition. It’s on Saturdays and Sundays that you get ahead of them. To a lot of people, Carlson was a workaholic. Of course, he didn’t think so; to him, work wasn’t work.” – Harvey MacKay

Question from Yesterday (as always from a student): Several students were asking about this question from the weekly quiz:

We raised $10,000 simply by selling sweaters. Sweaters were $40 apiece. How many sweaters were sold?

Assessment: Students stood up when they were done the third problem; also used a fist of five

Agenda:

1. Self-Assess on the ratios quiz
2. Review ratio quiz
3. Quote, Star Student, revisit the question of the day
4. Tape Diagram Notes
5. Tape Diagram Practice 

Glass-Half Full: I like hearing students say "Can I retake it?" I like the laughs I get when I tell the story about a student that said that he hated me because I make him learn.

Regrets: The activator was absent. I have students simply try the problem without any instruction first, so it helps explain how useful the process is. That said, I'd like to connect the problem to real life somehow or make this into a 3-act problem somehow.

Link of the Day: Robot grading isn't far off it would seem.