SCORE Mathematics

Standards Connections

The Road

 

California Here We Come!

By: Jeanine Hill

 

Introduction:

  • A trip across the USA.
  • Each team will choose any state capital on the east coast as their starting point.
  • They will travel west stopping at each state capital along the way and record miles traveled.
  • Be the team to reach Sacramento, California with the fewest number of miles traveled to win the prize.

Prior Knowledge:

  • Students should have prior experience with graphing, reading maps, and locating various states and capitals.

Grade Level: 4-7

Task:

  • Each student group will create a chart or table showing the number of miles traveled from state capital to state capital and then total number of miles driven.
  • Students will gather data and use this information to find total trip expenses. Students will present their findings to the class.

Resources:

Process:

  1. Each team of students will decide which capital they will begin the race in, discuss which way they think will be the fastest, and analyze why they have made that decision.
  2. The team will design a chart or table to record the mileage from capital to capital. Using Map Quest they will begin the trip.
  3. Upon reaching Sacramento, each team will total the number of miles traveled.
  4. The students (using the average of twenty-three miles per gallon of gas at $1.37) will determine how much money would be needed in order to buy gas for the trip.
  5. The students will determine that if sixty miles an hour was averaged and time traveled was nine hours a day, how many days would it have taken to make the trip?
  6. The students will then calculate number of days needed if they only traveled seven hours a day averaging sixty miles an hour.
  7. The students, using either the answer from number five or six, will decide how much money was spent on food if breakfast cost $4.50 for one, lunch cost $5.25 and supper was $7.35.
  8. Then students will determine how much money was spent at Howard Johnson's for each night spent on the road.
  9. Students total gas, meals and hotel expenses.
  10. Students will present their findings to the class.
Student Direction Sheet for MapQuest
Student Activity Sheet
Student Direction Sheet for Howard Johnson

Learning Advice:

  1. Cooperative Learning training would be helpful for students deciding which travel route to take.
  2. Familiarity with maps would be useful.
  3. This activity would begin with the teams planning their route, continuing with teams rotating on and off of classroom computers.
  4. This is designed as a week long activity.

Evaluation:

Upon completion of this project, students will have become familiar with states and capitals. An awareness of time needed to travel distances will have been established. Creating and analyzing information from a graph or chart will have been experienced. Students continue to become proficient on both the computer and the Internet.

Extension:

  1. The students could compare prices by going to the Airlines and finding out how much it would cost for a ticket (flying coach) from the starting capital to Sacramento. Price difference between driving compared to flying would be measured.
  2. Students could determine the cheaper method of travel considering all costs. They could explain their answer.
  3. Each individual member of the team could then answer the question of whether they would rather drive or fly across the USA.

Further Extension:

Students could find three points of interest or famous US landmarks near their car route that, having unlimited time, they could visit and give a brief description of each.


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California Mathematics Academic Standards:

Grade 4:
Number Sense
1.0 Students understand place value of whole numbers and decimals to two decimal places, how these relate to simple fractions, and use concepts of negative numbers.
1.2 order and compare whole numbers and decimals to two decimal places

3.0 Students solve problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of whole numbers and understand the relationships among the operations.

3.3 solve problems involving multiplication of multidigit numbers by two-digit numbers

Statistics, Data analysis and Probability
1.0 Students organize, represent, and interpret numerical and categorical data and clearly communicate their findings.

1.2 identify the mode(s) for sets of categorical data and the mode(s), median, and any apparent outliers for numerical data sets

Mathematical Reasoning
2.0 Students use strategies, skills, and concepts in finding solutions

2.2 apply strategies and results from simpler problems to more complex problems
2.4 express the solution clearly and logically by using the appropriate mathematical notation and terms and clear language; support solutions with evidence in both verbal and symbolic work

Grade 5:
Number Sense
2.0 Students perform calculations and solve problems involving addition, subtraction, and simple multiplication and division of fractions and decimals.

2.1 add, subtract, multiply, and divide with decimals; add with negative integers; subtract positive integers from negative integers; and verify the reasonableness of the results

Mathematical Reasoning
2.0 Students use strategies, skills and concepts in finding solutions.

2.1 use estimation to verify the reasonableness of calculated results

3.0 Students move beyond a particular problem by generalizing to other situations.

3.2 note method of deriving the solution and demonstrate a conceptual understanding of the derivation by solving similar problems

Grade 6:
Number Sense
2.0 Students calculate and solve problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

2.3 solve addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems, including those arising in concrete situations, that use positive and negative numbers and combinations of these operations

Algebra and Functions
2.0 Students analyze and use tables, graphs and rules to solve problems involving rates and proportions.

2.3 solve problems involving rates, average speed, distance, and time

Mathematical Reasoning
2.0 Students use strategies, skills and concepts in finding solutions

2.2 apply strategies and results from simpler problems to more complex problems
2.5 express the solution clearly and logically by using the appropriate mathematical notation and terms and clear language; support solutions with evidence in both verbal and symbolic work

3.0 Students move beyond a particular problem by generalizing to other situations

3.2 note method of deriving the solution and demonstrate a conceptual understanding of the derivation by solving similar problems

Grade 7:
Algebra and Functions
4.0 Students solve simple linear equations and inequalities over the rational numbers.

4.2 solve multistep problems involving rate, average speed, distance, and time, or a direct variation

Measurement and Geometry
1.0 Students choose appropriate units of measure and use ratios to convert within and between measurement systems to solve problems.

1.1 compare weights, capacities, geometric measures, times, and temperatures within and between measurement systems (e.g., miles per hour and feet per second, cubic inches to cubic centimeters)

Mathematical Reasoning
2.0 Students use strategies, skills, and concepts in finding solutions.

2.8 make precise calculations and check the validity of the results from the context of the problem

NCTM K-4:

STANDARD 1: MATHEMATICS AS PROBLEM SOLVING
STANDARD 2: MATHEMATICS AS COMMUNICATION
STANDARD 3: MATHEMATICS AS REASONING
STANDARD 8: WHOLE NUMBER COMPUTATION
STANDARD 11: STATISTICS AND PROBABILITY

NCTM 5-8:

STANDARD 1: MATHEMATICS AS PROBLEM SOLVING
STANDARD 2: MATHEMATICS AS COMMUNICATION
STANDARD 3: MATHEMATICS AS REASONING
STANDARD 7: COMPUTATION AND ESTIMATION
STANDARD 10: STATISTICS

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Revised June 8, 2000
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