What is a unit rate and why should a sixth grader care about this concept?
First, let’s define unit rate. A rate is a ratio that compares quantities in different units. Rates are commonly found in everyday life. The prices in grocery stores and department stores are rates. Rates are also used in pricing gasoline, tickets to a movie or sporting event, in paying hourly wages and monthly fees.
Here are a couple of examples of real-world unit rates.
Verizon charges $76.00 for 500 minutes. How much does each minute cost you?
A Mom’s Day Out Program has offered you $72 to direct the sports activities for small groups of children. They want you to work 8 hours. How much will you make per hour?
Now that you know a little bit more about unit rate, let’s explore the next part of the first question.
WHY SHOULD A SIXTH GRADER CARE ABOUT LEARNING UNIT RATE?
A student’s sixth grade math teacher might say, “You should care about unit rate because there’s going to be at least two questions on this concept on the state test this year and you’ll miss the question if you don’t pay attention and care.
WHAT???
THIS IS WHY A SIXTH GRADE SHOULD CARE ABOUT UNIT RATE!
If students don’t know how to find the unit rate, then they will not be able to determine the best deals. In fact, stores count on the fact that most consumers DO NOT know how to find unit rate and will just take the first deal they see. In grocery stores, the items that give the store the greatest profit are placed at eye level. The more cost per unit items are the first ones seen. They are the easiest to grab, but not the best price per unit!
Reason 1 for Learning Unit Rate: You will get the best price for wireless minutes.
Verizon charges $76.00 for 500 minutes. Sprint charges $54.00 for 450 minutes. Which is the best deal?
Reason 2 for Learning Unit Rate: You will get paid more money for doing the same work.
A Mom’s Day Out Program has offered you $72 to direct the sports activities for small groups of children. They want you to work 8 hours. A Home School Group wants you to direct sports activities for 6 hours and they are going to pay you $57. Which job will pay you more money?
Reason 3 for Learning Unit Rate: You just might buy the more affordable vehicle.
A Mustang gets 300 miles on 20 gallons of gas and a Camry gets 495 miles on 15 gallons of gas. Which vehicle is the better deal?
Okay, maybe Reason 3 won’t work for those who love Mustangs and don’t care about the cost. At least the driver will know how many hours they will have to direct sports activities to buy a tank of gas!
Want a FREE UNIT RATE GAME to practice simple unit rates with your students?
Download Unit Rate Match, 6.4D. You can use this game in your guided math small group or in a Tabor Rotation Math Station. The game has everything you need for a rigorous and relevant math station activity for unit rate: directions with the standard, 45 cards to match, a recording sheet, an answer key, and a exit ticket/passport linking the activity to the state test.
Enjoy this game with your students as they master the concept of unit rate AND have fun at the same time!