Estimating Percentages

Download The Assignment:
You may download the assignment by clicking on the following link: Estimating Percentages Assignment Part 1
You may download the assignment by clicking on the following link: Estimating Percentages Assignment Part 2


Objectives:
-Students will convert fractions into percentages and decimals with a calculator.
-Students will convert fractions into percentages and decimals through estimation.

Introduction:
While teaching I have noticed that my students generally panic when they see fractions, there is something that scares them about the unfamiliarity that fractions present. I have also noticed; however, that students generally are really quite good at estimating percentages of given fractions. So marrying these to ideas together, I have found a way to try and show students that they are actually quite good at intuitively knowing what a fraction represents. For example, if they can tell you that 2/6 is close to around 33% then they can tell you that 2/6 is close to .33

Setup:
Your students must be proficient at calculating a percentage given a fraction. They must also know that a percentage can be written as a decimal.

The assignment is designed to be done in sections, and then a disscusion is to ensue at each break. So instruct your class that when they get to a stop sign in the assignment that they are to not work on, but rather review their work or help others around them.

If a specific student works, but doesn't get done with a specific section instruct them to move on with the class so that they may participate in class disscusion.

Expected Student Behavior:
Students will be on very different levels on this assignment, some will already be able to solve for percentages without batting an eye, whereas others will struggle with the simple. So students will be engaged in different parts of the assignment at different times. Some may finish whole sections, whereas others may only get through part of each section.

The assignment; however, is designed for just this. While you help the students who are struggling with the simple, the assignment will give the more advanced students content to work on.

Possible Class Discussion:
After the students are done with the assignment some possible ideas for class discussion are:
1)How are fractions, decimals, and percentages related to one another?
2)If you don't have a calculator, how might you solve for percentages given a specific fraction?
3)How would being able to quickly convert fractions into percentages be helpful?
4)How would being able to quickly convert fractions into decimals be helpful?

Accommodations:
The assignment is split into sections in which the students are to work at different time intervals. If a specific student struggles you may only assign the first part of each section, or even just a select portion of each section.

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