Along The Milky Way
Title: Along The Milky Way
Grade Level: 7
Subject: Math
Learner Outcomes: Students will calculate the amount of time needed to travel to Hershey Park and budget the appropriate amount of money for food, travel, lodging, and miscellaneous expenditures. Students will keep a trip agenda, travel log, and a trip journal. They will collect evidence that supports their decisions for the agenda. Students will also complete the activity The Amusement Park Trip, making journal entries as they make calculations to determine whether the turnpike or the scenic route is the least expensive way to go to Big Brown Bear Amusement Park. They will design a travel brochure and trip planner that can be distributed to a family from their community who might choose to make the same trip.
Time Frame: 1 week
Materials: travel brochures from major theme parks in the United States, paper for making brochures, markers
Technology Tools/Courseware: computers with Internet access, graphic calculators, Office 97 or other software with word processing program and multimedia presentation package (Power Point), Paint Shop Pro, simple graphic design software such as Print Artist or Print Shop to use in designing brochure
Teacher Notes: Students will plan a trip to Hershey
Park. They will plan a trip for a family of 4 with a limit of
$750 to spend on their trip. They will calculate the mileage from where
they live to Hershey, Pennsylvania and using the current average gasoline
price, the students will figure the amount that they will be spending on
gasoline. Students will also select five gasoline stations in their area
and calculate the average gasoline price where they live. They will make
a
graph, using a spreadsheet, that shows a comparison of
the current national gasoline price average with the gasoline price average
where they live. Students will calculate the time that it will take them
to travel to Hershey Park. Students will 'map out' their trip, budget meals,
lodging, gasoline, and using the Internet, determine if there are any other
places of interest they would like to visit along the way. Class data will
be recorded on a large chart. Each team will record distance traveled,
amount spent on gasoline, food, entertainment, lodging, places of interest
visited, and any other charges incurred along the way. The class will calculate
the average (mean) of each of the categories. Each team will design a travel
brochure and trip planner that can be distributed to a family from their
community who might choose to make the same trip. Students will also complete
the activity The
Amusement Park Trip, making journal entries as they make calculations
to determine whether the turnpike or the scenic route is the least expensive
way to go to Big Brown Bear Amusement Park.
Procedures:
I. 1. Visit the Internet site at Hershey
Park.
2. Calculate
the mileage from where you live to Hershey Park.
3. You are to plan a trip
for a family of four. You will have $750 to spend
on your trip.
4. Using the current average
gasoline price, calculate the amount that
you will be spending on gasoline. Use the mileage average of 20 miles
per gallon. Use the table below or the link to average gasoline price to
determine the average price for gasoline. You may want to e-mail the
Energy Information Administration and get a more current price list.
**NOTE** To figure the average gasoline price, select a week
(preferably the most current) and calculate the average to see if the
US Average listed in the table is correct.
Conventional Gasoline
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
100.9 | 100.9 | 100.2 | 99.9 | 115.8 |
|
|
105.3 | 107.8 | 105.7 | 104.1 | 117.0 |
|
|
100.3 | 100.1 | 100.2 | 99.7 | 115.0 |
|
|
112.9 | 116.3 | 115.2 | 115.0 | 127.2 |
|
|
116.0 | 115.9 | 115.9 | 116.1 | 130.3 |
|
|
104.3 | 105.6 | 104.4 | 103.6 | 117.2 |
5. Select five gasoline
stations in your area and calculate the average
gasoline price where you live.
6. Use a spreadsheet
and enter data that will show a comparison of the
current national gasoline price average with the gasoline price
average where you live.
7. Work with your
group to decide whether you want to use the average
US price for gasoline listed in the table, the online average gasoline
price, or the one from area stations in planning your trip. Make a
journal entry about the decision you made and the reasons that
support your decision.
8. Calculate the
time that it will take you to travel to the theme park you
have chosen. Calculate the time needed to make the trip based on
traveling at a constant rate of speed (65 miles per hour) and the
formula for distance (D = rt).
9. 'Map
out' your trip, budget meals,
lodging, gasoline, and using the
Internet, determine if there are any other places
of interest you would
like to visit along the way. **NOTE** When choosing restaurants, due
to the limited resources on the internet, try to select restaurants in
the
general area of the country where you will be traveling.
10. Class data will be
recorded on a large chart. Your team will record
distance traveled, amount spent on gasoline, food, entertainment,
lodging, places of interest visited, and any other charges incurred
along the way on the class chart. Calculate the mean (average) of
each of the categories. Record this in your journals.
11. Design a travel brochure
and trip planner that can be distributed to a
family from your community who might choose to make the same trip.
II. Complete the activity The Amusement Park Trip, making journal entries as you make calculations to determine whether the turnpike or the scenic route is the least expensive way to go to Big Brown Bear Amusement Park.
Modifications: Modifications will be made based on those listed in student's IEP.
Enrichment Activities: Design an advertisement for Hershey Park.
Evaluation/Assessment:
IGO's and Other Standards:
7.9 add, subtract, multiply, and divide integers using
mental math, paper/pencil, and calculators
7.11 select and use an appropriate process for estimating
and computing fractions, decimals, percents, and whole numbers using mental
math, paper/pencil, calculator and computer methods in traditional, non
routine application problems
7.32 determine measures of central tendency (mean, median,
mode, range) and dispersion from data, graphs, tables, and experiments
7.42 solve application problems using measurement including
elapsed time and conversion of units within the same system
7.51 use a calculator to
determine measures of central tendency and dispersion from data, graphs,
tables, and experiments
References:
Johnson, Shelly. Chocolate.
Teacher Created Materials, Inc., 1996.
Hershey
Park
The
Amusement Park Trip
Trip Planner
Average
Gasoline Prices
Budget Meals
Comments:
Created By: Deborah Clark, Bertha Clay, Kimberly Rodes; Summers Middle School, 400 Temple Street, Hinton, WV 25951 (304)466-6030; Principal, Dr. Sarah L. Brown
Date Created: February 25, 1999
Date Modified:
Attachments:
| Lesson 1 | Lesson 2 | Lesson 3 | Lesson 4 | Lesson 5 |