Proportions+Project

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=**Objectives**=

Alabama

 * 7th Grade -** Solve problems involving ratios or rates. using proportional reasoning.


 * Determing the unit rate
 * Converting rates from one unit to another
 * Example: determining the number of minutes in three days
 * Convering units of length, weight, or capacity from metric to customary and from customary to metric

Canada
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 * Derives and applies unit rates.
 * Expresses rates and ratios in equivalent forms.
 * Calculates combined percentages in a variety of meaningful contexts.
 * Uses concepts of rate, ratio proportion and percent to solve problems in meaningful contexts.

= = =Ideas=

I think it might be interesting to compare our countries using ratios and unit rates. For example, it costs $5.75 to see a movie in Decatur. How much does it cost in Winnipeg? Convert Canadian money to US and US to Canadian. This could be done over a period of several weeks with a different item being compared every day or so. A gallon of milk costs.....What sizes is milk sold in in Canada, and how much does it cost?
 * Money Conversion**

This might be done in groups. You could have a food group, entertainment group, travel group etc. They could create lists of things that they use in their lives and compare with what the other students are chosing.

One of our objectives requires conversion between the metric and customary systems of measurement. Your students could give mine measurements of different objects or places in metric, and my class could convert to customary. This is something that is not addressed in my textbook at all, so I am always looking for extra ways to teach this.
 * Metrics**

Once again this would be interesting to compare the two regions. We could do some statistic work by finding the mean median and mode of various classroom categories (height, arm span etc.) Then convert into both metric and imperial.

The house proportions has an interesting take on this. It is all in feet and we could convert into meters etc.

Find the distance from Decatur to Winnipeg and a map. Calculate the actual distance in miles and kilometers using scale. Many of my students are recent immigrants to the country, All have relatives in different parts of the globe. We could calculate the scale of some of these trips. We would need a common atlas or online atlas to complete this task all the same. I have a great book about ratios and proportions that has lots of good problems to explore. Boston Public Schools has a [|page] about this book with links to online activities that relate. [|Here] is a page that lists all of the investigations and information about each one.
 * Map Scales**
 * Comparing and Scaling**

Creating screencasts might be an option here or throughout this project. It would be a way for students to showcase the thinking of what they are doing. Doing a bubbleshare might also be an option. Since it is a glorified powerpoint presentation. The project could be done in paint and uploaded to bubbleshare and then embeded into the wiki. Student blog wiki tools is an exellent source for finding tools to use.

My students are required to answer open-ended questions on our state test. Proportions are one of the areas in which they are given open-ended questions. Each grade level met today and planned an activity and assessment that will connect IB Aims & Objectives, the Alabama Course of Study, and....**Intercultural Connections**! The other teachers were thrilled that I had already been working on something that would work for our IB lesson. I have posted what we developed here. Feel free to edit and tweak!
 * Open-Ended Questions**

Great Idea I will do the same on my end. We can create questions and send them back your way. The interaction will create some good symetry. Do you want to do this as groups, (3-4 Students creating questions and the scoring guide?)

=Things to Do=

Search NCTM for proportions Read MMI articles Chris, here's something else we can add to the project

Timelines
In Canada we return to school on the 8th of January. I can introduce this unit almost immediately. I would like to do a culmanating activity every week for the alloted time. If we do multiple small tasks it will be easier than one large task. Most of my students will do this work from home. Some will have to use my lab at school. I will have to introduce them to wiki's but since they are easier to use than blogs I think this will fairly simple.

We are having a network switch on the 31st and this might cause some disruption. Hopefully the students will be working from home.

Jan. 4-12: Compound probability Jan. 15 - School holiday Jan. 16-19 - I will have to give a district test one day this week. I don't think we have set the day yet. Jan. 16 - Feb. 16: During this time I have to teach transformations and patterns (Express a pattern shown in a table, graph, or chart as an algebraic equation). Our project will fit very nicely here for me. I am also planning to spend a couple of days using calculator based rangers to teach slope. Do you have those?
 * Jeanne's schedule**