Math at the Mall - Discounts, Tips, Interest
This is an interactive game where students can move around the mall to understand money and then make purchases that have to deal with discounts, tips, and interest.
1. Learning Activity Types
2. What mathematics is being learned?
NCTM Standards
Proficiency Strands
3. How is the mathematics represented?
At each store, students get to select their items to put on the counter. These manipulatives are taken from the store shelves to the clerk at the counter. Students then begin each problem by calculating the total purchase amount. The questions, hints, and answers are written in words. For example, the question asks for the dollar amount of the tip, the hint will tell students to calculate 10% of 42.00, and if a student clicks on learn how, the description of how to due the calculation is also written in words. All students answers have to be written as dollar amounts including cents.
4. What role does technology play?
This activity would be a very advantageous way for students to practice calculating tips, percents, or interests as it requires students to calculate sums of money, it breaks down each question into manageable steps, and it provides real-life application questions. Also, due to the game like nature of the tool, students will probably be very invested in earning gold coins.
Depending on who is playing this game, the hints my reveal too much information, however if students who are using this game as extra practice are at a deficit with this standard, this piece could be helpful.
Affordances of Technology for Supporting Learning
5. How does the technology fit or interact with the social context of learning?
This activity should be completed individually. Due to the scaffolded nature of this tool, even struggling learners can experience success practicing independently. This technology eliminates a discussion about when to add or subtract the percent calculation so I would suggest incorporating this before or after the activity depending on whether this activity was used for practice or as an exploration. Either way I can see a discussion about when to add or subtract and a brainstorm of additional real-life scenarios that involve percentages and adding/subtracting.
6. What do teachers and learners need to know?
This technology tool is fairly easy to use. Students must write their answers as dollar amounts. The game will tell you that your numbers are correct, but before the student can move to the next question, he/she must enter the value use dollars and cents. Also, students are trying to earn 4 gold coins (one at each "store" at the mall) which makes it more "game-like". Teachers should know that this game provides students with MANY hints. It is very scaffolded and breaks questions into steps (i.e. What is your total bill? Calculate 20% of the total bill. Add that number to the total bill). Again, this can be especially helpful to struggling learners as this is a very strong guided practice, but may also bore high level students.
1. Learning Activity Types
- LA-Practice - practicing for fluency
- Math at the Mall requires students to practice calculating percents through real-life practice problems. Tips, discounts, and interest are calculated as well as the total cost or price.
- LA-Explore - exploring/investigating mathematical ideas
- Through Math at the Mall students could use their background knowledge of calculating percents to determine whether or not you add or subtract the percent from the original amount (the applet does give some hints!). This could then elicit a great class conversation about calculating tips, discounts, interest, and perhaps even other situations like tax.
- LA-Apply - applying mathematics to problems and situations
- Math at the Mall is real-world application problems of percents. Students have to apply what they know about calculating percents to find the sales price or total cost.
2. What mathematics is being learned?
NCTM Standards
- NCTM-N&0-understand operations - understand meanings of operations and how they relate to one another;
- NCTM-N&0-compute fluently - compute fluently and make reasonable estimates
Proficiency Strands
- PS-conceptual understanding
- Math at the Mall requires students to have a conceptual understanding of tips, discounts, and interest. Students must use multiple steps to determine the total price (including determining whether to add or subtract).
- PS-procedural fluency
- Math at the Mall practices calculating percents.
- PS-productive disposition
- Math at the Mall is a real-life example of where mathematics is used (however, some of the costs are a little unreasonable - french fries cost more than a hamburger!).
3. How is the mathematics represented?
At each store, students get to select their items to put on the counter. These manipulatives are taken from the store shelves to the clerk at the counter. Students then begin each problem by calculating the total purchase amount. The questions, hints, and answers are written in words. For example, the question asks for the dollar amount of the tip, the hint will tell students to calculate 10% of 42.00, and if a student clicks on learn how, the description of how to due the calculation is also written in words. All students answers have to be written as dollar amounts including cents.
4. What role does technology play?
This activity would be a very advantageous way for students to practice calculating tips, percents, or interests as it requires students to calculate sums of money, it breaks down each question into manageable steps, and it provides real-life application questions. Also, due to the game like nature of the tool, students will probably be very invested in earning gold coins.
Depending on who is playing this game, the hints my reveal too much information, however if students who are using this game as extra practice are at a deficit with this standard, this piece could be helpful.
Affordances of Technology for Supporting Learning
- Computing & Automating - Students need to calculate various percentages throughout the game.
- Accessing Information - Students are given immediate feedback on whether or not the answer is correct. Additionally, there is a learn how button if a student is completely stuck and can't determine an answer.
5. How does the technology fit or interact with the social context of learning?
This activity should be completed individually. Due to the scaffolded nature of this tool, even struggling learners can experience success practicing independently. This technology eliminates a discussion about when to add or subtract the percent calculation so I would suggest incorporating this before or after the activity depending on whether this activity was used for practice or as an exploration. Either way I can see a discussion about when to add or subtract and a brainstorm of additional real-life scenarios that involve percentages and adding/subtracting.
6. What do teachers and learners need to know?
This technology tool is fairly easy to use. Students must write their answers as dollar amounts. The game will tell you that your numbers are correct, but before the student can move to the next question, he/she must enter the value use dollars and cents. Also, students are trying to earn 4 gold coins (one at each "store" at the mall) which makes it more "game-like". Teachers should know that this game provides students with MANY hints. It is very scaffolded and breaks questions into steps (i.e. What is your total bill? Calculate 20% of the total bill. Add that number to the total bill). Again, this can be especially helpful to struggling learners as this is a very strong guided practice, but may also bore high level students.