Licensed to Ill - Legacy
Who should buy health insurance?
Students will
- Calculate expected value and use it to solve real-world problems
- Solve real-world problems using percents
Before you begin
Students should be able to calculate percents of numbers, e.g. 16% of $40,000 = 0.16(40,000) = 6,400. They should also understand that a probability describes how likely something is to happen, but does not guarantee that it will.Common Core Standards
Content Standards
Mathematical Practices
Downloads
Related Lessons
Wheel of Fortune
Is Wheel of Fortune rigged? Students use percents and probabilities to compare theoretical versus experimental probabilities, and explore whether the show is legit, or whether there might be something shady going on!
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.
Family Plan
How much should you pay for a shared wireless plan? Students use proportional reasoning to predict whether a family will go over their minutes, messages, or megabytes, and decide how much each person should pay.
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.
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.
Coupon Clipping
Are coupons always a good deal? 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.
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.
About Time
How has the pace of human innovation changed over time? Students order and subtract integers to explore major milestones in human history and debate whether humans are innovating faster than we can keep up with the consequences.
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.
Common Cents
Should the U.S. get rid of the penny? Students operate with decimals to calculate the total costs to produce different U.S. coins. Students debate eliminating the penny and then consider a world with no physical money at all.
Grading Scales of Justice
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.