Objective:
The student will be able to express number values in fractions and in decimals. Also, the student will use multiplication skills to enlarge numbers in proportional amounts.
Materials Needed:
Activity:
(This lesson plan assumes that the teacher has already taught students the basic mechanics of writing fractions and decimals up to the 1,000th place value for grade 4 and to the 10,000th value for grade 5.)
Review fractions, simplifying and decimals. Make sure students know how to multiply to increase a number by a proportionate amount (e.g. A box holds 125 pencils. If the box were five times bigger, how many pencils would it hold?)
Make copies of Aquademics™ Math Worksheet #1 and distribute to each student. Students are to imagine that they have an aquarium filled with 1,000 tropical fish. The different species of fish within the tank are as follows:
350 angelfish, 180 neon tetras, 75 rosy barbs, 2 platys,
283 clown loaches, 18 bronze catfish and 92 guppies
Express each species within the tank as a number fraction.
Reduce fraction to lowest terms if students have learned this math skill.
Express each species within the tank as a decimal.
Rank the above fractions and decimals from lowest to highest.
Question: If our regional aquarium park has a tropical fish tank that is nine (9) times bigger than the tank in the lesson above, how many (A.) angelfish could the regional aquarium's tank hold if this species is found in the same proportion? (B.) How many neon tetras? (C.) How many rosy barbs? (D.) How many platys? (E.) How many clown loaches? (F.) How many bronze catfish? (G.) How many guppies? (H.) What is the total number of fish in the regional aquarium's tropical fish tank?
Result:
By visualizing numbers as tropical fish, students can better understand how fractions and decimals represent a portion of a whole. Also, they can work with enlarging numbers in proportionate amounts.
An answer sheet has been provided.
