Tag: rates

The Forever Roll

Why would anyone need such a big roll of toilet paper?  How does it compare to Charmin’s other toilet paper products? If this roll lasts for one month, how big a roll would I need to be able to last for one year?

Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade 2019

 As we get ready for next week’s holiday, students can study a map of the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, describe, measure and hypothesize why this route was chosen and then calculate how long each band will be marching…

Patriots’ Day

In Massachusetts, Monday April 15th, 2019, will be a holiday from school and work.  We celebrate Patriots’ Day on the 3rd Monday in April to commemorate the beginning of the Revolutionary War and the battles of Lexington and Concord. Students…

10 Million nematodes

Grubs are killing my grass.  I don’t want to put poison into the ground.  What can I do? There are tiny roundworms called beneficial nematodes. They can kill destructive soil pests in your garden and lawn.  They are tiny worms that…

The Boston Marathon

Monday, April 17th, 2023, Patriot’s Day, is the next running of the Boston Marathon. What do you know about marathons? What do you know about the Boston Marathon? How long do you think the marathon is? Make your best guess.…

Saffron and paella

In order to cook Paella (a delicious Spanish rice dish) I needed to buy Saffron spice.  It was hugely expensive.  So, I’ve decided to start a business of growing saffron and becoming immensely wealthy.

Cheesy Goldfish crackers

In this activity students do a little comparison shopping as they determine which size Goldfish product is the best deal.  Students are introduced to the ratio table as a tool for determining equivalent ratios and comparing different rates.  Students graph cost per ounce relationships and answer a…

An ounce of cola

Which is more expensive; gasoline? milk? or cola?  Students calculate the per ounce cost of each of these liquids in a story about a man doing errands.  After finding the per ounce price, students find costs of gasoline, milk and…

Cost of light bulbs – updated!

There’s a lot of misinformation out there about the cost to consumers of CFL and LED bulbs and the savings in energy and money that could be realized. Let your students “do the math” and realize some of the profit…

Where have all the flowers … come from?

Thursday, February 14, 2019, is Valentine’s Day.  Start the “love hoopla” with this graphic on where all of the flowers come from.  This is part of the graphic from http://visual.ly/valentines-day-facts What fraction of these roses are shaded red?  The red ones…

Big gulp

Do you or your students love sugary drinks?  What if it were against the law to order a large sugary drink where you lived?  On September 13th, 2012 the New York City Health Department banned sodas and sweetened drinks larger…

Voyager on the edge

The two Voyager space probes are in the news recently as they approach the edge of our solar system.  Scientist can tell that the Voyager’s environments are changing.  They are receiving more high-energy particles streaming

Twinkies

Brian loves Twinkies and the news that Hostess is going out of business has upset him terribly.  He needs his Twinkies.  Twinkies last forever.  Right?  He’s going to buy enough for 15 years of Twinkies.  In this activity, students examine…