Show Me The Money! Making Percents Relevant Eunice Kim Unit Plan Presentation

The Importance of Relevance As teachers, we will often times hear students asking, “When will I ever going to use this?” It is natural for them to want to know if what they are learning is going to benefit them some time in the future – that way, their efforts will be of some if not great worth. That is why it is important for us as educators to provide our students with lessons that are relevant to their lives, culture, society, etc. We have to avoid the tedious “busy work” that we have all probably experienced before. This is where project-based learning comes in…

Project-Based Learning Recent studies have shown that “traditional” classroom teaching methods are not as effective anymore. Why? The answer is quite simple: we have more students with different learning styles and needs. No longer do the traditional methods suffice—they are highly “teacher-centered”. Project-based learning shifts the focus to “student-centered” learning in addition to incorporating technology into instruction. Students are at the forefront of learning as they engage in various activities in order to develop a deeper understanding. PBL is a more comprehensive approach to instruction—by participating in PBL, students learn to ask the right questions, collaborate with other peers, think critically, manage their own time, make practical applications of concepts learned, and experience the learning process. The teacher, on the other hand, takes on the role of facilitator and guider—more modeling, less “telling”.

How This Unit Will Address 21 st Century Skills Project-Based Learning is one of many ways through which we can equip our students to become competent, knowledgeable, and confident adults. The 21st century demands individuals who are team-players, culturally sensitive, flexible, efficient, self-motivated, responsible, as well as those who are information, media, and ICT (information, communications, technology) literate. Through this unit, the students will learn from real-life CEOs how sucessful businesses are run and how great products are created. They will work with Excel spreadsheets to organize their data, earnings, and will learn what it means to earn profit and how to earn it. They will have opportunities to experience firsthand what it means to be critical thinkers, problem-solvers, and collaborative workers. They will learn how to write checks and apply discounts and sales tax in real-life situations. And, even before their mini-mall experience, students will first practice working with percents through an interactive math game involving money and decision making.

Unit Summary Students will engage in an exciting new unit covering percents and will also learn the basics of how real-life businesses run— how they deal with profit, commission, etc. Students, in small groups of 3-4, will create a business of their own and collaborate to develop a product for which they will be responsible for answering questions such as, “how much they need to earn in order to “break even” or earn profit?” Students will experience a day with guest speakers (CEO of a large company & successful small-business owner) who will share their stories and provide “practical tips for success”. At the end of the unit, students will put their knowledge to practice by participating in a “mini-mall” experience where they will not only sell their product, but buy the products of their classmates with “checks” provided by the teacher.

Target Content Standards Number Sense 1.6 Calculate the percentage of increases and decreases of a quantity. 1.7 Solve problems that involve discounts, markups, commissions, and profit and compute simple and compound interest. Mathematical Reasoning 2.4 Use a variety of methods, such as words, numbers, symbols, charts, graphs, tables, diagrams, and models, to explain mathematical reasoning. 2.5 Express the solution clearly and logically by using the appropriate mathematical notation and terms and clear language; support solutions with evidence in both verbal and symbolic work.

Unit Objectives Pre-algebra students will work in small groups to calculate change in percent (percent increase/decrease) using real-life examples. Pre-algebra students will apply and calculate discounts, mark-ups, commissions, and profit through multiple small group activities. Pre-algebra students, in small teams, will design a product of their own Pre-algebra students will learn successful business strategies from guest speaker presentations.

Unit Objectives Cont’d Pre-algebra students will identify all parts of a “personal check” and its function, and will know how to fill one out correctly. Pre-algebra students will define all unit vocabulary in their own words. Pre-algebra students, in their assigned small groups, will think of relevant and practical interview questions to ask corporate guests. Pre-algebra students will reflect on all components of project and learn to express coherent thoughts in their learning logs. Pre-algebra students will give an oral presentation along with submission of a “company report” using Excel spreadsheets.

Curriculum Framing Questions Essential Question How can math improve people’s lives? Unit Questions How do percents help me in my daily life? How are profit, commission, and interest relevant to me? Content Questions How can I figure out how much profit I made? How can I calculate discount or sales tax if the cash register breaks down? What is simple interest v. compound interest?

Using Assessment to Gauge Student Needs Questioning to Activate Prior Knowledge and Gauge Student Needs: Interactive Game Involving Percents: Virtual Mall Experience