Coupon Clipping
Are coupons always a good deal?
In this lesson, students reason with percents and proportions to evaluate enticing coupons and debate whether retailers should be allowed to raise the price of items in order to then put them on sale.
Students will
- Use percents to calculate sale prices after a discount
- Given a new price and a percent discount, use proportional reasoning to determine the original price
Before you begin
Students should be able to solve basic problems involving percents, including percent increase and decrease.Common Core Standards
Content Standards
Mathematical Practices
Shoutouts
Broderick the Coupon Kid, J. C. Penney, Ron Johnson
Related Lessons
AppleCare a Day
Should you ever buy an extended warranty? Students use percents and expected value to determine whether product warranties are a good deal.
Biggest Loser (Classic)
How should the winner of The Biggest Loser be chosen? Students compare pounds lost vs. percent lost, and analyze historical data to determine which method produces the fairest game.
Scalped
Why do concert tickets cost so much? Students use percents to describe how much of a ticket’s price goes to various parties -- artist, venue, brokers, etc. -- and debate the fairest ways to price and sell event tickets.
On Your Mark
Do taller sprinters have an unfair advantage? Students use proportions to find out what would happen if Olympic races were organized by height.
Need for Speed
How much does it cost to drive at different speeds? Students use unit rates and proportions to explore how a car's fuel economy changes as it drives faster and faster.
Licensed to Ill
Who should buy health insurance? Students use percents and expected value to explore the mathematics of health insurance from a variety of perspectives.
Letterboxing
How do aspect ratios affect what you see on TV? Students use ratios to explore why the image doesn't always fit on the screen, and examine how letterboxing might affect their favorite movies.
Go Big, Papa?
Are Papa John's specialty pizzas a good deal? Students evaluate expressions to compare the prices of specialty vs. build-your-own pizzas, and determine how much they're saving...or losing!
I'd Like to Buy a Vowel
How much should vowels cost on Wheel of Fortune? Students use ratios and percents to explore what would happen if Wheel of Fortune charged prices for vowels based on how often they come up.
Text Me Later
How dangerous is texting and driving? Students use proportional reasoning to determine how far a car travels in the time it takes to text. Students discuss the dangers of distracted driving and generate strategies for helping drivers and passengers stay safe.
It's a Trap!
How accurate are police speed guns? Students use rates and the Pythagorean Theorem to examine the accuracy of LiDAR guns used to catch speeding drivers.
Spinning Your Wheels
Why do tires appear to spin backwards in some car commercials? Students apply unit rates and the formula for the circumference of a circle to determine what makes a spinning wheel sometimes look like it’s moving in the opposite direction of the car sitting on top of it.
Big Foot Conspiracy
Should people with small feet pay less for shoes? Students use unit rates to calculate how much different-sized shoes cost per ounce and debate the fairest way for manufacturers to charge for their shoes.
Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
How long does it take to donate to Locks of Love? Students write and solve linear equations to determine how long it would take to donate a wig’s worth of hair and discuss ways they can support peers with conditions like Leukemia and alopecia.
To Have and to Hold
Is it a good idea to rent a storage unit? Students write and solve multi-step equations to evaluate whether storage unit rentals are worth the cost and make recommendations for when people should store, sell, donate, or toss their unused stuff.
Grading Scales of Justice - New
How should students be graded? Students use percent change to evaluate how changes to a grading policy would affect students and discuss the fairest way to balance mastery with effort.
