Teaching middle school students about unit prices is an important step to students understanding ratios, rates and proportions, and eventually physics. More practically, it's an important concept for students to learn when growing towards spending money well when going to the grocery store. Here are 15 unit rate activities geared towards middle schoolers.
1. Solving Unit Rate Problems
PBS Learning Media includes a short video reinforcing students' understanding of ratios. From there, teachers can build a lesson and interact with support materials for students and teachers. Additionally, you can share this resource with Google classroom.
Learn More: PBS Learning Media
2. Hot Deals: Unit Price Comparison
This activity allows students to see how unit-rate questions translate into practical skills. Students page through grocery store fliers and choose 6-10 examples of the same object. Then, they find the unit price for each object and select the best deal.
Learn More: Thatcher Math Cafe
3. Types of Ratios Sorting Activity
In this print activity, students have to read through various scenarios and decide how to classify each example. They then glue the card in the appropriate column. Students being able to correctly sort through the cards is an effective learning strategy for clarifying their understanding of ratio word problems.
Learn More: My Math Resources
4. Sugar Packets in Soda
In this blog, a math teacher built a real-world scenario for students, asking them to estimate the number of sugar packets in each bottle. After looking at student solutions, they then worked together to solve for the real amount using unit rate math. Finally, she provided individual practice for students with new food items.
Learn More: Math Equals Love
5. Proportions Foldable
This proportions foldable is a great way to introduce the equation in a tangible form for students with a little construction paper and a marker. You can reinforce the concept even further by asking students to draw an "X" in a different color pencil, showing the equation before they show the rest of their work.
Learn More: Math Equals Love
6. Comparing Unit Rates Graphic Organizer
Here is another resource type to add to your lesson plan when introducing unit prices or unit rates to students. This graphic organizer helps students clearly see the rate, and unit rate and compare the two. Once students have had enough guided practice, they can make their own organizer.
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7. Ratios and Unit Rates Examples and Word Problems
This video is an engaging and real-life applicable resource presenting word problems and examples. It can easily be included on Google Classroom or presented in snippets as response questions throughout the lesson to check for understanding, but would also be a great activity for homework, group work, or distance learning.
Learn More: Youtube
8. Math Foldables
This unit price math foldable is a wonderful educational resource alternative to regular student worksheets. In this worksheet, students solve for the cost of individual ingredients, but also the finished product (a burger). This interactive activity challenges students to understand the real-world application of ratio activities in a restaurant and when spending money on groceries.
Learn More: Common Core Material
9. Ratios and Rates Fold Up
Here is an additional resource when teaching students about unit prices. They may be easily confused by all the types of ratios and rates, but this foldable acts as an anchor chart to reinforce what you've already taught and to help kids as they work through homework problems.
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10. Complex Fractions to Unit Rate
This bundle of worksheets can be used as homework papers or guided practice at the end of math lessons. It covers a variety of topics from complex fractions to unit rates and also includes an answer key for teachers.
Learn More: Exceeding The Core
11. Proportions Scavenger Hunt
This interactive resource is a wonderful enrichment activity for students learning about unit prices. Hide the sets of cards around the room. As students find them, ask them to solve the problem. The answer links up with another student's card, and eventually, the "circle" is complete.
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12. Candy Deals
In this middle school math activity, students are given several different bags of candy and asked to find the best and worst deal. Students are also given reflection questions including "Why do you think this is the best/worst deal? Support your answer" and then ask them to share with their peers.
Learn More: Yummy Math
13. Unit Rates Lesson
Genius Generation has some great resources for distance learning or homeschooling student. First, students can watch a video lesson, complete some reading, and then be given several practice problems. There are also teacher resources to round out the experience and provide support.
Learn More: Generation Genius
14. Unit Price Worksheet
Education.com provides lots of simple worksheets for students to practice what they have learned. In this particular worksheet, students solve several word problems and then have to compare various deals, selecting the best option.
Learn More: Education
15. Unit Price Coloring Worksheet
Students solve multiple-choice unit price word problems and color starbursts the appropriate color based on their answers. While an answer key is included, it's also easy for students to check themselves if you reveal a key on the board.
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