Ratio and Unit Rates

Learning Resource Type

Learning Activity

Subject Area

Mathematics

Grade(s)

6

Overview

The activity will reinforce a lesson about unit rates and ratios. This learning activity should be used after a lesson on unit rates and ratios. The activity will ask the student to match the ratio with the unit rate. The winner of the game will be the student with the lowest time.

This activity results from the ALEX Resource GAP Project.

Phase

After/Explain/Elaborate
Mathematics (2019) Grade(s): 6

MA19.6.2

Use unit rates to represent and describe ratio relationships.

UP:MA19.6.2

Vocabulary

  • Unit rate
  • Ratio
  • Rate language
  • Per
  • Quantity
  • Measures
  • Attributes

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Characteristics of multiplicative comparison situations.
  • Rate and ratio language.
  • Techniques for determining unit rates.
  • To use reasoning to find unit rates instead of a rule or using algorithms such as cross-products.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Explain relationships between ratios and the related unit rates.
  • Use unit rates to name the amount of either quantity in terms of the other quantity flexibly.
  • Represent contextual relationships as ratios.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • A unit rate is a ratio (a:b) of two measurements in which b is one.
  • A unit rate expresses a ratio as part-to-one or one unit of another quantity.

Learning Objectives

The student will be able to use rate language to determine the relationship between a ratio and its unit rate. The student will be able to solve real-world problems with unit rate.

Activity Details

After teaching a lesson about unit rates and ratios, the teacher will show students how to manipulate the website for the Matching Rates Game. The teacher will use the projector to show the Matching Rates Game activity to the students. The students will work individually matching the unit rate with the correct ratio on the timed version of the game. As the student finishes the game, he/she records his/her time. The lowest time wins the prize! 

Assessment Strategies

The teacher will monitor the students' work and times. The student should be able to complete the game within three minutes. 

The students will complete the following exit pass to use rate language to determine the relationship between a ratio and its unit rate.

Exit Slip

In a cookie mix, we find molasses cookies, thumbprint cookies, and no-bake cookies in a ratio of 1 : 2 : 2. If a bag of the mix contains 30 no-bake cookies, how many molasses cookies are there?

A bag contains 56 marbles, some green and some white. The ratio of green marbles to white ones is 5 : 2. How many white marbles are there?

Variation Tips

The teacher can place students in pairs.

Background / Preparation

The teacher will need projector and computer with internet access.

The teacher will need to be familiar with the website, Matching Rates Game.

The students will need their own devices and internet access.

The teacher will need to decide what prizes or incentives to use for the winners.

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