Gold Seal Lesson:
Shopping Spree

Copernicus Education Gateway

Subject:

Mathematics

Grade:

5-8

ICLE Standards:

The student uses mathematical reasoning to analyze mathematical situations, make conjectures, gather evidence, and construct an argument.

Performance Task:

Students have to decide how best to spend $200. Their final "wish list" cannot go over $200 or under $190, and must include 3-5 items, no more, no less. They must include sales tax as a part of their final total. Each student completes a table showing costs and keeps a daily journal of calculations and progress, from an initial estimate through verification of costs, comparison-shopping, and any changes they make. Finally, each student reviews his/her journal and writes a detailed report of the project, including how the student decided on changes and got the most value for $200. Students may verify prices by window-shopping with their parents, or teachers and parents may supply a variety of catalogs.

Knowledge / Skills:

Perform operations with signed (positive and negative) numbers, including decimals, ratios, percents, and fractions. (m1)

Understand the best procedures for statistical data collection, organization, and display. (m5)

Present information in well-organized fashion that will be clear to the target audience. (ela11)

Use writing as a tool for learning in formats such as learning logs, laboratory reports, note-taking, and journals. (ela40)

Rubric:

For a "4," you must:

• Carefully consider various combinations or sets of items that you might like, estimating how much each set might cost, keeping the price of each set as close to $200 as possible. Decide which set is the best possible combination of items.

• Find out the actual prices of the items that you selected, plus tax, and determine whether you are still close to $200. If not, you either look for the same item at a better price somewhere else, or you make changes in what you want to buy so that your actual "order' is as close to $200 as possible.

• Accurately complete your chart, determining taxes for each item, and calculating the difference between your estimate and the actual costs.

• Write a clear, well-organized and interesting account detailing each step of you took, from beginning to end. Your report should also be carefully edited, so there are no grammatical and/or mechanical errors.

For a "3," you must:

• Carefully select a set of items that you might like, estimating how much the items might cost, and keeping your total as close to $200 as possible.

• Find out the actual prices of the items that you selected, plus tax, and determine whether you are still close to $200. If not, you either look for the same item at a better price somewhere else, or you make changes in what you want to buy so that your actual "order' is as close to $200 as possible.

• Complete your chart, determining taxes for each item, and calculating the difference between your estimate and the actual costs. Your chart can have no more than 3 minor errors in calculations and/or omissions.

• Write a clear, well-organized account detailing each step of you took, from beginning to end. Your report should also be carefully edited, so there are no more than 3 minor grammatical and/or mechanical errors.
  

For a "2," you must:

• Carefully select a set of items that you might like, estimating how much the items might cost, and keeping your total as close to $200 as possible. The total may go somewhat above $200, or there may be minor errors in you calculations.

• Find out the actual prices of the items that you selected, plus tax, and determine whether you are still close to $200.

• Complete your chart, determining taxes for each item, and calculating the difference between your estimate and the actual costs. The chart can have no more than 5 minor errors in calculations and/or omissions.

• Write an account, from beginning to end, telling the steps you took to complete this project. The report may be sketchy and/or omit some of what you did, or it may not explain why. You edited your report, so there are no more than 5 minor grammatical and/or mechanical errors.

For a "1," you must:

• Select a set of items that you like and estimate how much you think the items might cost. You may go somewhat above $200, or there may be minor errors in your calculations.

• Find out the actual prices of the items that you selected, plus tax, and determine how close to $200 you are.

• Complete your chart, determining taxes for each item and calculating the difference between your estimate and the actual costs, The chart can have no more then 7 minor errors in calculations and/or omissions.

• Write an account of how you completed this project. The report may be sketchy and/or omit some of what you did, or it may not explain why. The report has more than 5 minor grammatical and/or mechanical errors.

Keywords:

WRITING
EXPOSITORY
JOURNALS
PROBLEM SOLVING
COMPUTATION
TABLE
DATA COLLECTION
DATA ANALYSIS
INFERENCE

Grades:

Kg [] - 1 [] - 2 [] - 3 [] - 4 [] - 5 [x] - 6 [x] - 7 [x] - 8 [x] - 9 [] - 10 [] - 11 [] - 12 []

ICLE Application:

D

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