Sugar Packets In Addition To Proportions

After spending 3 days working amongst my eighth graders on a route trip project, I needed a one-day action that was fun, interactive, too tied to the eighth flat Oklahoma math standards.  Looking for inspiration, I turned to the Internet where I presently establish a link to Dan Meyer's Three-Act Math Tasks via Pinterest.  While I convey been next his spider web log for years, I had never genuinely tried out whatever of his ideas inwards a classroom.

My students even then needed some to a greater extent than exercise amongst proportions, then I decided to become amongst the Sugar Packets video.  I watched the videos several times.  I sentiment close what questions I would ask.  I sentiment close how students would respond to the videos.  I came upwards amongst a creative agency to expand this sentiment into a 50-minute lesson.

Next, I started trying to verbalise myself out of the idea.  I started thinking close all the things that could become terribly wrong.  What if the students could nation me what information they needed?  What if the shape isn't engaged yesteryear the video?  What if this lesson totally flops?  And, I likely would convey succeeded inwards talking myself out of this lesson if I had whatever other sentiment of what to do the side yesteryear side day.  But, it was my final lesson innovation for my educatee teaching, too I was out of inspiration.

So, I went amongst it, too I am then glad I did.

The Lesson

1. I began the lesson yesteryear having students brainstorm diverse professions too activities that would involve ratios too proportions.  We had only used proportions to innovation a route trip, too I wanted students to realize that the math nosotros convey been learning has real-world application.

2.  Show the video.  (Act One)  The students gasped inwards horror at the fact that the human being was eating saccharide packets.  One educatee asked, "Did he move afterward that?"  This video did a genuinely proficient chore of grabbing my students' attention.

3.  Have students write downwardly guesses.  It was interesting to walk to a greater extent than or less the room too read the students' guesses.  Over the course of teaching of the day, guesses ranged from 3 to 200 packets of sugar.  I also had students write downwardly guesses that they knew were likewise high or likewise low.  These were interesting, but I'm non certain I fully sympathise what types of responses I should convey been looking for.   

4.  Next, I asked students what information they would demand to solve the problem.  Originally, many students wanted to purpose the fact that the bottle was xx ounces.  But, soon, through discussion, the students arrived at the fact that nosotros needed to know how much saccharide was inwards each package too how much saccharide was inwards the bottle.  After providing pictures of the nutrition labels, the students were able to ready proportions too solve for the right pose out of packets.

5.  Show the un-edited video. (Act Three)  I had some pretty excited students when they realized that they had used math to acquire the right answer.

6.  After the video reveal, I had students shape 4 groups.  I told them that I had gone on a shopping direct a opportunity too brought my purchases amongst me to class.  As a group, they were asked to rank the beverages from to the lowest degree to greatest based on their saccharide content.   

7. Each grouping was given i bottle to starting fourth dimension out with.  Using the fact that at that spot are 4 grams of saccharide inwards 1 saccharide package too the nutritional information on the dorsum of the bottle, each grouping solved for the pose out of saccharide packets inwards the bottle.  Though I wanted them working inwards groups then they could verbalise close how to solve the problem, I wanted to brand certain each educatee was solving each problem.  Each educatee was responsible for having a proportion too operate on their newspaper for each bottle.  As the shape catamenia progressed, the bottles circulated the room.  

8.  Another eighth flat math touchstone is choosing appropriate information displays.  After each grouping had calculated the amount of saccharide packets inwards each of the 4 bottles, they had to verbalise over what the most appropriate information display would survive for this data.  Then, each educatee had to do a graph of the information to exhibit how many saccharide packets were inwards each beverage.  This led to some interesting conversations amongst students.  "Can nosotros brand a circle graph?"  "Will a occupation graph work?"  "My grouping made a histogram."  I was hoping that at that spot would survive to a greater extent than discussion/debate inside the groups on which type of graph they should choose.  Instead, I establish myself bespeak students questions to guide them to the right graphs.  This is definitely an expanse I demand to operate on.    

9.  Based on the amount of fourth dimension left inwards the shape period, I presented students amongst some of my other purchases.  We estimated the pose out of saccharide packets inwards each food.  Then, nosotros ready a proportion to solve for the actual amount of saccharide packets.  

Overall, it was a really enjoyable lesson.  The students were engaged yesteryear it.  For once, they didn't complain close having to solve proportions.  I enjoyed the procedure of helping students to respect a method to solve a real-world problem.  It definitely stretched me equally a teacher, too I'm looking forwards to including to a greater extent than thought-provoking activities too questions inwards my ain classroom side yesteryear side year.

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