1. QuestionWhen embarking on a car road trip, it is smart to plan

ahead. A big road trip expense is gas to power your car. If you don’t bring enough money, you could be stuck without enough gas!

Luckily, knowing information about the distance you will travel, the average price of gas, and the MPG (miles per gallon) of your car, you can calculate how much money you will need to pay for gas on your trip.

Your task will be to choose a car and a destination and make a trip planner. You will need to do some calculations to answer the following questions:

1. 1. How many gallons of gas will you need to reach your destination?

2. 2. How much money will you spend on gas during your trip?

3. 3. How many miles can your car travel on one tank?

4. 4. How many times will you need to stop for gas?

1 2 3 654 Next

How can your knowledge of ratio relationships and unit rates help you to plan the amount of gas and money you will need for a road trip?

Planning Your Road Trip

Image Source: Parade Magazine, http://www.parade.com/news/views/connie-schultz/100228-who-runs-out-of-gas.html

Don’t let this happen to you!

2. Information Sources

Choose a car (year, make, and model) that you will drive on your road trip. Find the car’s highway mpg.

US Department of EnergyMPG Buddy

Research the factors that affect mpg in a car. Choose a car that has a highway mpg of 35 or greater. Identify features of the car that contribute to the high mpg.Science Reference Center: Building the 100 MPG CarBrainPop: Hybrid CarsTop 10 Factors Contributing to Fuel EconomyNBC Learn: Congress Sets New Higher Standard for Auto Fuel Economy

Choose a destination (at least 100 miles away) and find the distance in miles from your school to that location using the “Get Directions” function.

Google MapsMapquest

Baltimore Distance Calculator

Find the current national or regional average gas price per gallon.

AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge ReportGas BuddyUS Department of Energy

1 2 3 654 Next

Image Source: Google Maps

Challenge

Extra Support

3. Student Activity

Now that you have found the information about your car’s mpg , the distance to your destination, and the average price of gas, you will use this information to answer the questions below.

- How many gallons of gas will you need to reach your destination?

- How much money will you spend on gas during your trip?

- How many miles can your car travel on one tank?

- How many times will you need to stop for gas?

You will use your knowledge of ratio relationships and unit prices to solve these problems.

Use this planning sheet to record your research and show your calculations.

1 2 3 654 Next

Image Source: Lindsay Hegadorn, All Clip Art from MS Word

4. Assessment ActivityTask 1: Make an Infographic

Use the information you have gathered from your research and your calculations to create an infographic to show someone about to go on a road trip to your chosen destination. An infographic is a way to explain your data using pictures, graphics, and clipart. Click here for some examples.

To create your infographic, you may use a web 2.0 tool such as Glogster, Visual.ly, or Easel.ly, 0r you can design your own using programs such as MS Word, MS Power Point, Inspiration, or Pixie.

Your infographic does not need to look professional. You will be graded on how well your images display the numbers you calculated. Here is the rubric that will be used to assess your work.

Task 2: Write a Reflection

Reflect on the essential question posed on Slide 1:

How can your knowledge of ratio relationships and unit rates help you to plan the amount of gas and money you will need for a road trip?

You may type your reflection in a Word document or respond to the prompt in Edmodo.

1 2 3 654 Next

Image Source: hotbutterstudio.com

5. Enrichment Activities

Extra Opportunities to ExploreWebsites/Interactives:

NCTM Challenge: How far can you go on tank of gas?

Shell: Energize Your Future: Educators: Calculating Energy

Nurse Numbers: How a Nurse Uses Rate Formulas

Videos: BrainPop: Cars BrainPop: Gas and Oil Safari Montage: Math'scool

: Ratios, Rates, and Proportional ReasoningGames:

Unit Price and Comparison Game Proportion and Ratio Jeopardy Ratio Stadium BP Gas Mania

1 2 3 654 Next

There are several websites with trip planners that calculate how much gas will cost you on a road trip. Use the three following online trip planners and input the same information you used in your calculations. Cost to Drive AAA Fuel Cost Calculator Gas Buddy

Which website’s estimate was closest to the cost you calculated?

Image Source: Just2shutterFreedigitalphotos.net

6. Teacher Support Materials

Grade 5 GT MathBCPS Curriculum / Maryland State Curriculum Common Core State Standards Understand ratio concepts and use ratio reasoning to solve problems.6.RP.2 Understand the concept of a unit rate associated with a ratio a:b with b ≠ 0 (b not

equal to zero), and use rate language in the context of a ratio relationship. For example, "This recipe has a ratio of 3 cups of flour to 4 cups of sugar, so there is 3/4 cup of flour for each cup of sugar." "We paid $75 for 15 hamburgers, which is a rate of $5 per hamburger." (Expectations for unit rates in this grade are limited to non-complex fractions.)

6.RP.3 Use ratio and rate reasoning to solve real-world and mathematical problems, e.g., by reasoning about tables of equivalent ratios, tape diagrams, double number line diagrams, or equations.a. Make tables of equivalent ratios relating quantities with whole-number measurements, find missing values in the tables, and plot the pairs of values on the coordinate plane. Use tables to compare ratios.

Standards for the 21st Century Learner 1.1.6 Read, view, and listen for information presented in any format (e.g. textual, visual, media, digital) in order to make inferences and gather meaning.2.1.3 Use strategies to draw conclusions from information and apply knowledge to curricular areas, real-world situations, and further investigations.

ISTE NETS - National Educational Technology Standards for Students3. Research and Information Fluency: Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and

use information.b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media.

4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making: Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. c. Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.

Time Frame: 2 – 3 60 minute class periodsThe research and calculations should take one class period. The assessment activities may take 1 or 2 periods.

Differentiation: Direct students to use comprehension tools included

in databases, such as: audio read-aloud, labeled reading levels, and embedded dictionaries.

Direct students who need more of a challenge to complete the activities marked with a gold star.

Direct struggling students to use the silver star for accommodations.

Learning Styles:Field Dependent, Field Independent, Visual,

Auditory, Tactile, Active, Reflective, Global, Sequential Notes to the teacher:This activity can be done in the lab with the whole class completing it at the same time. It can also be completed by several students at a time using computers in the classroom. Students should print out the planning sheet to do the calculations and show their work with a pencil. You can collect this sheet manually.The infographic can be completed and submitted in an online dropbox or uploaded onto a class wiki. Assessment Task 2 gives the option to answer a question using Edmodo. If you plan on giving your students this option, create a group and post the essential question for students to respond to.

Last updated: December 2012 Created by Lindsay Hegadorn lhegadorn@bcps.org, Fifth Grade Teacher

BCPS Slam Dunk Research Model, Copyright 2012, Baltimore County Public Schools, MD, all rights reserved. The models may be used for educational, non-profit school use only. All other uses, transmissions, and duplications are prohibited unless permission is granted expressly. This lesson is based on Jamie McKenzie’s Slam Dunk Lesson module.

1 2 3 654