Standard 3: Use percentages and proportional reasoning to solve problems.

General Information
Number: MA.7.AR.3
Title: Use percentages and proportional reasoning to solve problems.
Type: Standard
Subject: Mathematics (B.E.S.T.)
Grade: 7
Strand: Algebraic Reasoning

Related Benchmarks

This cluster includes the following benchmarks.

Related Access Points

This cluster includes the following access points.

Access Points

MA.7.AR.3.AP.1
Solve simple percentage problems in real-world contexts.
MA.7.AR.3.AP.2
Solve simple ratio problems in real-world contexts.
MA.7.AR.3.AP.3
Use tools to solve real-world problems involving conversion of units in the same measurement system.

Related Resources

Vetted resources educators can use to teach the concepts and skills in this topic.

Educational Game

Estimator Quiz:

In this activity, students are quizzed on their ability to estimate sums, products, and percentages. The student can adjust the difficulty of the problems and how close they have to be to the actual answer. This activity allows students to practice estimating addition, multiplication, or percentages of large numbers. This activity includes supplemental materials, including background information about the topics covered, a description of how to use the application, and exploration questions for use with the java applet.

Type: Educational Game

Formative Assessments

Tiffany‘s Tax:

Students are asked to calculate the amount of sales tax and total price, given prices of individual items to purchase.

Type: Formative Assessment

Notebooks to Trees:

Students are asked to find the approximate number of trees that are saved by using recycled paper.

Type: Formative Assessment

Fishy Formulas:

Students are asked to choose and justify the unit to be used in a formula and are asked to choose and explain the unit used in the answer.

Type: Formative Assessment

Making Cookies:

Students must find proportionally equivalent values given a set of rational number quantities.

Type: Formative Assessment

Gasoline Prices:

Students are given gasoline prices from a year ago and today and are asked to calculate the percent change.

Type: Formative Assessment

Finding Fees:

Students are asked to complete a multi-step percent problem.

Type: Formative Assessment

Gas Station Equations:

Students are asked to solve a multi-step problem involving percent.

Type: Formative Assessment

Reeling in Expressions:

Students are asked to solve a multi-step problem involving rational numbers.

Type: Formative Assessment

Discount and Tax:

Students are asked to solve a multi-step problem involving percent.

Type: Formative Assessment

Lesson Plans

Fast Food Frenzy:

In this activity, students will engage critically with nutritional information and macronutrient content of several fast food meals. This is an MEA that requires students to build on prior knowledge of nutrition and working with percentages.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.

Type: Lesson Plan

"Ad" it Up:

Students will learn how to calculate markup, markdown, percent increase and percent decrease. Through the use of sales "ad" inserts in newspapers and store flyers, students will understand how these concepts apply to them in real-world situations.

Type: Lesson Plan

Water Troubles:

This Model Eliciting Activity (MEA) presents students with the real-world problem of contaminated drinking water.  Students are asked to provide recommendations for a non-profit organization working to help a small Romanian village acquire clean drinking water.  They will work to develop the best temporary strategies for water treatment, including engineering the best filtering solution using local materials.  Students will utilize measures of center and variation to compare data, assess proportional relationships to make decisions, and perform unit conversions across different measurement systems.

Type: Lesson Plan

The Most Beneficial Bank:

In this Model Eliciting Activity, MEA, students will work in cooperative groups to discuss and come up with a procedure to rank the banks from best to worst by estimating the simple interest and total loan amount.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.

Type: Lesson Plan

Budget Committee:

In this MEA, students will take on the role as a member of the Sunshine County Budget Committee. Members will collaborate to determine the optimal sales tax rate, use that rate to calculate how much money can be used for special projects, then decide which special projects to include in the budget proposal. Students will use percentages to problem-solve in context while considering citizen input and constraints on spending.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.

Type: Lesson Plan

What happened to my money? Part 1:

In this lesson, students will extend their understanding of percentages to problem solve with taxes, in context, while learning about some of the different types of taxes.

Type: Lesson Plan

What happened to my money? Part 2:

In this lesson, students will extend their understanding of percentages to problem solve with taxes, in context, while exploring how taxes impact local communities.

Type: Lesson Plan

Original Student Tutorials

Working With Proportions:

Roll up your sleeves and learn how proportions can be used in everyday life, in this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Estimating Tax and Tip:

Follow Hailey and Kenna as they estimate tips and sales tax at the mall, restaurants, and the hair salon in this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Math at the Mall: Markups and Markdowns:

Let's calculate markups and markdowns at the mall and follow Paige and Miriam working in this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Simple Interest:

Calculate simple interest and estimate monthly payments alongside a loan officer named Jordan in this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Taxes, Fees, and Commission:

Explore sales tax, fees, and commission by following a customer service representative named Julian in this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

The Percent Times: Percent Increase and Decrease:

Learn to solve percent change problems involving percent increases and decreases in in this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Perspectives Video: Professional/Enthusiasts

Unit Conversions:

Get fired up as you learn more about ceramic glaze recipes and mathematical units.

Type: Perspectives Video: Professional/Enthusiast

Ratios and Proportions in Mixing Ceramic Glazes:

Ceramic glaze recipes are fluid and not set in stone, but can only be formulated consistently with a good understanding of math!

Type: Perspectives Video: Professional/Enthusiast

Coffee Mathematics: Ratios and Total Dissolvable Solids:

Math - the secret ingredient for an excellent cup of coffee!

Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide.

Type: Perspectives Video: Professional/Enthusiast

KROS Pacific Ocean Kayak Journey: Energy and Nutrition:

Calorie-dense foods can power the human body across the ocean? Feel the burn.

Related Resources:
KROS Pacific Ocean Kayak Journey: GPS Data Set[.XLSX]
KROS Pacific Ocean Kayak Journey: Path Visualization for Google Earth[.KML]

Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide.

Type: Perspectives Video: Professional/Enthusiast

Perspectives Video: Teaching Idea

Quadrat Sampling M&M Lesson:

This teacher explains how a 3D-printed quadrat can be used with an M&M sampling lesson to engage students when they explore how to use data from a random sample to draw inferences about a population.

Type: Perspectives Video: Teaching Idea

Teaching Ideas

Communicating about Numbers-SeaWorld Classroom Activity:

Students communicate mathematical ideas and visually represent ideas by constructing charts, graphs, and scale drawings based on information cards about various marine animals.

Type: Teaching Idea

Calculating Sharks-SeaWorld Classroom Activity:

  • Given data about sharks and the amount of food they eat, students will be able to solve for the unknown in percentage problems.
  • Given information about a shark's growth, students will be able to graph coordinates and interpret a linear graph.
  • Given the conversion factor, students will be able to convert from metric to English units.

Type: Teaching Idea

Tutorials

Percent Word Problem:

Learn how to find the full price when you know the discount price in this percent word problem.

Type: Tutorial

Converting Speed Units:

In this lesson, students will be viewing a Khan Academy video that will show how to convert ratios using speed units.

Type: Tutorial

Student Resources

Vetted resources students can use to learn the concepts and skills in this topic.

Original Student Tutorials

Working With Proportions:

Roll up your sleeves and learn how proportions can be used in everyday life, in this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Estimating Tax and Tip:

Follow Hailey and Kenna as they estimate tips and sales tax at the mall, restaurants, and the hair salon in this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Math at the Mall: Markups and Markdowns:

Let's calculate markups and markdowns at the mall and follow Paige and Miriam working in this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Simple Interest:

Calculate simple interest and estimate monthly payments alongside a loan officer named Jordan in this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Taxes, Fees, and Commission:

Explore sales tax, fees, and commission by following a customer service representative named Julian in this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

The Percent Times: Percent Increase and Decrease:

Learn to solve percent change problems involving percent increases and decreases in in this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Educational Game

Estimator Quiz:

In this activity, students are quizzed on their ability to estimate sums, products, and percentages. The student can adjust the difficulty of the problems and how close they have to be to the actual answer. This activity allows students to practice estimating addition, multiplication, or percentages of large numbers. This activity includes supplemental materials, including background information about the topics covered, a description of how to use the application, and exploration questions for use with the java applet.

Type: Educational Game

Perspectives Video: Professional/Enthusiasts

Unit Conversions:

Get fired up as you learn more about ceramic glaze recipes and mathematical units.

Type: Perspectives Video: Professional/Enthusiast

Ratios and Proportions in Mixing Ceramic Glazes:

Ceramic glaze recipes are fluid and not set in stone, but can only be formulated consistently with a good understanding of math!

Type: Perspectives Video: Professional/Enthusiast

Tutorials

Percent Word Problem:

Learn how to find the full price when you know the discount price in this percent word problem.

Type: Tutorial

Converting Speed Units:

In this lesson, students will be viewing a Khan Academy video that will show how to convert ratios using speed units.

Type: Tutorial

Parent Resources

Vetted resources caregivers can use to help students learn the concepts and skills in this topic.

Perspectives Video: Professional/Enthusiasts

Unit Conversions:

Get fired up as you learn more about ceramic glaze recipes and mathematical units.

Type: Perspectives Video: Professional/Enthusiast

Ratios and Proportions in Mixing Ceramic Glazes:

Ceramic glaze recipes are fluid and not set in stone, but can only be formulated consistently with a good understanding of math!

Type: Perspectives Video: Professional/Enthusiast