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Tax, Tip & Discount Word Problems

Grade Focus
Grade 6, Grade 7
Age Level
11, 12
Subject
Math
Technology Integration Activity
Imaging, Video Productions
Estimated Time of Completion
Five 50-min class periods
Author: Anna Surratt, Virginia Beach Public Schools Last modified: 04/03/2010

Introduction

Students will explore the relationships among fractions, decimals, and percents to determin why they can be used interchangeable.  Students apply concepts from these explorations to solve real world tax, tip, commission, and discount problems.  By learning how to write challenging, multi-step word problems, students will learn effective strategies for solving this type of word problem.

Prerequisite Experience

Students must be familiar with making accurate percent, decimal, and fraction conversions in relationship to solving for tax, tip, discounts, and commission.  This a great activity to be used at the end of a unit. 

Students and teachers should be familiar with using digital cameras and Windows Moviemaker. 

Teacher Prep Time

1 hour (this includes time to complete the following):

  • Obtain digital cameras and charge batteries (if needed)
  • Obtain laptops or book a computer lab and ensure all devices have Windows Movie Maker
  • Make copies of packets and project guidelines for each group for each group
  • Review multiple approaches to solving tax, tip, discount, and commission problems

Project

Students will submit a movie created in Windows Movie Maker.  Their final product must contain the following:

  • A video clip of an transaction that takes place at a store or restuarant.
  • A written scenario of (word problem) describing the mathematical transactions that occured at the store or restaurant.
  • Step-by-step procedures for solving the problem.
  • Problems must include:
    • fraction/decimal/percent conversions
    • tax and/or tip (commission) must be factored in
    • problems must be complex and challenging (more than 1 operation)
    • an accurate solution

Assessment/Grading

Rubric

Time Management Tips

This project was designed around a bell schedule containing 50 minute classes.  The pacing that is followed for this lesson may need to be modified based upon personal schedules.

 Before launching this project, it may be helpful to distribute a survey to your students to determine the stores and restaurants they enjoy going to.  The results from the survey can be used to group your students into "interest groups."  The interest survey is attached below.

Day 1:  Introduce the project.  Distribute project guidelines.  Group students based upon the results of the interest survey. Explore Moviemaker.  Students should begin drafting ideas.

Day 2:  Students should complete a draft of their scenarios, word problems, and supportive details.

Day 3:  Students should film their individual store/restaurant scenarios and take photos of items/objects that will be supportive details in their movie.

Day 4-5:  Students should insert video clips, images, and music into Moviemaker.  The final product should be edited and finalized then presented to the class.

Lesson Plan Details

Engage

Distribute copies of the interest survey to each student.  Allow them time to complete the survey and then use the results to group students into heterogeneous groups (ex: you may have a Hollister group, a Hibachi group, etc).  The survey serves as a hook to capture their attention and trigger their curiousity about the upcoming project.  This should be done the day before the project is launched.

Explore

Discuss:

  • Have you ever needed to determine your stash of allowances will be enough to buy the shoes, skateboard, or value meal you've been wanting? 
  • If you have $40 and a shirt costs $39, do you have enough to buy the shirt? 
    • Students should recognized that since tax will be included, they do not have enough money.

Tell students that they will be creating a Movie in which they will act out a scene at a store or restaurant.  They will use this scene to build a complex, real-world word problem invovling tax, tip, and discounts.  Then, students will conclude the movie with procedures and solutions for solving the problem.

Explain

Allow students time to draft ideas for their scene and develop a complex word problem based on the science.  Their scene and problem should be based on the results from their interest survey.  For example, a Hollister group would let the setting of their scene be at a Hollister store. 

 As students draft their ideas, have students ask themselves these questions:

  • Does this question ask the problem-solver to use multiple steps and operations?
  • Compare your ideas with the ideas of another group.  How do your ideas compare? What can you add or take away from your problem to maintain its complexity?
  • Does the problem involve a fraction/decimal/percent conversion?
  • Are there multiple ways to solve this problem.
  • What would be the most effective strategy for solving this problem?
  • How will we design the movie to include these effective strategies?

Elaborate

Students should film their scenes and take pictures of any supportive props for their projects.  Students should then create a 60-second movie by importing video clips, images, and digital pictures into Windows Moviemaker.  Use titles/credits and/or video clips to explain accurate procedures for displaying and solving the problem. 

Interest groups should share their final presentations with the class.    

Evaluate

The teacher will evalute each movie/project using a rubric.  Students will complete a Post-Project Reflection.

The rubric will include the following criteria:

  • Components (All components of project are met)
  • Quality of Problems (Problems should use multiple steps and operations, show depth of understanding, and take a unique approach to the task)
  • Solution (The solution shows step by step hwo to solve, more than one way to solve used for at least 1 problem)
  • Overall Quality and Attention to Detail (All components show attention to detail and high quality work.  Transitions are smooth and the presentation flows flawlessly.)

Extend

Taking a field trip to one of the restaurants on the interest survey and having the students calculate their tax and tip before they can eat would be an excellent way to see the real world applications of the concepts they have been studying.

Students may opt to bring in receipts from restaurants and stores on which they have calculated tips and tax.  Students could also bring in reciepts, and the teach could make copies of receipts.  These can be used to generate warm-up problems or exit tickets.